Helicopter rescue drill for tourists held at Tottori Sand Dunes, western Japan
About 20 officials from the Tottori prefectural government and personnel from a local fire department took part in Thursday's drill.
It was based on the scenario that a woman and her three-year-old son had developed heatstroke near the beach.
An official playing the role of a tourist found two dummies lying on the sand and used a cell phone to call for help.
Emergency service workers who arrived at the site checked their conditions and determined it would be difficult to transport them by land.
They made a radio call for a helicopter to be dispatched.
Rescuers descended on a rope to airlift the two dummies.
The Tottori prefectural government says 43 people with heatstroke symptoms were taken from the dunes to hospital in the fiscal year that ended in March. It says one of them was transported by helicopter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
13 hours ago
- Japan Times
Junglia, Japan's newest theme park, opens in northern Okinawa
Junglia , Japan's newest theme park, featuring jungle safari- and dinosaur-inspired attractions, will open Friday in a mountainous area in northern Okinawa, introducing a two-tier pricing system for residents and nonresident visitors. The theme park operator, Japan Entertainment, aims to make it a new tourism destination in Okinawa, known as a beach resort, with the theme park's economic impact projected to be about ¥6.8 trillion ($46 billion) in the coming 15 years. Located in the village of Nakijin about 90 minutes by car from the island's capital and nearest airport of Naha, Junglia covers 60 hectares with restaurants, shops, and 22 attractions and stage shows. Rather than roller coasters, however, Junglia focuses on adventure sports and encounters with tyrannosaurs and other prehistoric creatures amid Okinawa's subtropical greenery. During a press preview in the days before Junglia's official opening, media members were able to experience three adventure sports attractions in the park's Jungle Extremes area: Titan's Swing, on which groups of four hurtle back and forth over nearby treetops; Sky-End Trekking, a precarious walk across a suspension bridge that is at points 30 meters off the ground and features obstacle course-style challenges; and Buggy Voltage, in which visitors drive all-terrain vehicles along predefined courses. First to greet visitors to Okinawa's newest theme park is the 14½-meter-tall 'Junglia Tree,' a combination of an artificial base and a natural upper portion. | Owen Ziegler Junglia also previewed several of its dinosaur-themed attractions. In the 'Jurassic Park'-esque Dinosaur Safari ride, guests are driven through a simulated habitat of several dinosaur species before a containment breach of several Tyrannosaurus rexes incites a dash to safety. In the child-friendly Finding Dinosaurs, visitors are guided through a mock dino conservatory as they search for a missing baby triceratops. For general admission tickets, Junglia is offering a two-tiered pricing system. For Japan residents, a one-day ticket costs ¥6,930 for adults and ¥4,950 for children between 4 and 11 years old (children under 3 are free of charge). Access to Spa Junglia — the park's on-site collection of baths, saunas and the world's largest infinity pool by tub size, as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records — costs a further ¥2,640 for adults and ¥1,540 for children, with combo tickets coming with a ¥500 voucher for food carts within the park. For nonresidents, general admission costs ¥8,800 for adults and ¥5,940 for children, plus ¥3,080 and ¥1,870, respectively, for Spa Junglia. Nonresident prices put Junglia on roughly equal footing with Japan's other high-profile theme parks, including Tokyo Disney Resort and Osaka's Universal Studios Japan. Junglia is also offering a Premium Pass that allows guests to skip queues for individual attractions (costs range from ¥1,800 to ¥2,700, with the high end pairing different combinations of attractions together). In Buggy Voltage, visitors drive all-terrain vehicles through predefined courses during a media preview at Junglia in Nakijin, Okinawa Prefecture, on Wednesday. | Owen Ziegler Japan's ongoing typhoon season makes Okinawa's weather unpredictable this time of year. During Junglia's preview opening, tropical storm Francisco, or taifū No. 7 as it's known in Japan, brought occasional heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 72 kilometers per hour, forcing the temporary closure of some attractions as the storm passed to the south of Okinawa. Less rain and cooler temperatures from October may bode well for guest experiences. However, long wait times are anticipated during Junglia's opening weeks. Given the nature of most adventure sports attractions, Junglia requires all participants to sign waivers, be weighed for safety and equipment checks, and don full-body harnesses. Also, many attractions are able to accommodate only a handful of participants at a time — a positive for the personal touch offered by Junglia park staff, referred to by the company as 'navigators,' but a negative for fast-moving queues. For example, the bungee-inspired Human Arrow attraction is a single-rider operation, as opposed to a typical roller coaster that can accommodate dozens at a time. Junglia's location deep in the mountains of Okinawa's Motobu Peninsula may deter travelers who favor convenience and may prove prohibitive for overseas tourists whose only means of transport to and from Naha Airport are expressway buses. But for those already set on trekking outside of the Okinawan capital, Junglia may establish itself alongside the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium as one of the must-see attractions of the island's northern reaches.
13 hours ago
Uber Japan Helps Families Book Rides for Elderly Members
News from Japan Economy Jul 24, 2025 20:08 (JST) Tokyo, July 24 (Jiji Press)--Uber Japan announced Thursday the launch of a new service intended to assist elderly users with the help of their families. Specifically, the company added a new feature to its app that allows family members to remotely book rides for their elderly relatives. The company expects the new service to encourage older people to use its ride-hailing platform for hospital visits or shopping, as it allows their family members to track rides when necessary. According to the company, such a feature for elderly users was first introduced in the United States in June. Similar services are scheduled to be rolled out in other countries. After creating Uber accounts for their elderly relatives, family members can register their own credit cards as a payment method. This allows elderly users, who may not have credit cards themselves, to easily access the ride-hailing service. A spending limit can also be set. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Times
17 hours ago
- Japan Times
Japan ties with South Korea for second most powerful passport
Japan has the world's second most powerful passport — tied with South Korea — according to the latest Henley Passport Index ranking, which ranks passports on visa-free access to other countries. Japanese and South Korean passport holders have visa-free access to 190 destinations out of 227 globally — sitting just behind Singapore, which remained in the top spot with access to 193 destinations. Between 2018 and 2023, Japan ranked in the No. 1 spot — at times sharing the position with Singapore. It has consistently ranked highly since the survey began back in 2006. Its lowest position on the rankings was 6th place in 2010. European countries continue to hold powerful passports, with France, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Finland and Germany sharing third place. The fourth spot is shared between Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. While movements tend to be limited among the top-ranking countries that have marginal differences in access, elsewhere shifts in the rankings were more pronounced. The U.S. passport sank from 7th to 10th place — a stark contrast from 2014, when the American passport was ranked in the top spot. The U.K. also moved down from 4th place to 6th. 'The U.S. is now on the brink of exiting the Top 10 altogether for the first time in the index's 20-year history,' Henley & Partners said of the pronounced shift. Notably, India moved up the rankings from 85th to 77th. And the UAE has risen 34 places over the past 10 years, from 42nd place into 8th. China has also improved its position since the ranking began, moving 34 places from 94th to 60th. Afghanistan continues to remain at the bottom of the ranking, with citizens only able to access 25 destinations without obtaining a visa first. According to the firm, there has been a 'general global shift towards increased openness, greater mobility, and rising passport strength.' The London-based citizenship and residence advisory company has published the index annually since 2006, drawing on data from the International Air Transport Association. It ranks passport strength solely on the number of destinations accessible without visas, and includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.
