Latest news with #Nagano
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Bear attacks surge in Japan but influencers willing to risk danger for social media fame
Police in Japan have issued warnings after three men were injured and one killed in separate bear attacks this week, amid growing alarm not only over the rising number of encounters but also over social media influencers who court danger by seeking out bears to boost their online profiles. A 46-year-old man was killed on Sunday in a forest close to the town of Omachi in Nagano prefecture as he was collecting bamboo shoots. A man who was with him called the police after he was bitten on his arm. But it was too late for his friend, who had been clawed in the face and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. On Thursday, two forestry workers were attacked by a bear in Agematsu, also in Nagano prefecture, as they were spraying deer repellent in a forest. One of the men was bitten in the face, while the other had bites and scratches on his leg as he tried to scare the animal away. There have been other incidents involving bears coming unusually close to human habitation. On Thursday, Yamagata Airport cancelled 10 flights after a bear broke through the perimeter fence and was spotted wandering around close to the runway. Local hunters were not successful in trapping the creature. Two schools in Goshogawara, Aomori prefecture, also had to cancel their joint sports day on Sunday and move it inside a gymnasium after four bears were sighted in the vicinity in the days leading up to the event, the local education authority told the Yomiuri newspaper. Screengrab from a dashcam camera as a bear runs across the road on June 17 in Hokkaido. Photo: Hokkaido Prefectural Police Police in Hokkaido issued a warning to motorists on June 17 after a large bear broke out of a forest alongside a road and collided with a car being driven by a woman close to the town of Kushiro. They also cautioned anyone going into the mountains to pick wild vegetables to take precautions, such as making loud noises to warn bears of their approach and carrying bear spray.
The Star
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Japanese manga Chiikawa exhibition to be held in Hong Kong in August
An exhibition centred on the hugely popular Japanese manga series Chiikawa will be held in Hong Kong this summer, with the event to include eight localised characters created in the form of dim sum such as har gow and siu mai as part of the city's latest efforts to cash in on the intellectual property economy. The exhibition's organiser, Hong Kong design studio AllRightsReserved, will sell tickets and distribute free ones for the three-week 'Chiikawa Days' show in August. The show will have indoor and outdoor elements in Tsim Sha Tsui and will be subject to stringent crowd control management. The show is part of efforts to encourage Hongkongers to remain in the city with their families over the summer, at a time when more residents are crossing the border for various holidays. It is the second summer in a row that the studio has hosted such an event, with last year seeing it hold a Doraemon show. 'The city has the necessary talent and experience, supported by a robust legal framework. However, to successfully develop the IP economy, including hosting IP-related events, one crucial element is uniqueness and localisation,' AllRightsReserved founder Lam Shu-kam told the Post on Wednesday. Chiikawa, which means 'something small and cute', is the name of the titular hamster protagonist created by Japanese artist Nagano. The series gained popularity as a web comic in 2017, capturing fans' hearts with its adorable characters while exploring deeper themes of survival and failure. The popularity of the manga and its merchandise in Hong Kong previously led to chaos in packed shops and inflated prices on the resale market. In April, Chiikawa goods went up for sale at Harbour City shopping centre and attracted hundreds of buyers and scalpers, leading to disputes over people jumping queues. AllRightsReserved said the coming exhibition would be held between August 1 and 24 at K11 Musea shopping centre. Its promotional campaign will involve collaborations with other companies such as insurance firm Manulife, contactless payment system Octopus and fast food chain McDonald's. The show will display more than 100 three-dimensional sculptures of Chiikawa characters, a nine-metre-tall (29.5-feet-tall) inflatable set and lifelike recreations of scenes from the manga. An anticipated highlight of the event will be the showcasing of eight characters specially designed for Hong Kong and inspired by the city's yum cha culture. They are Chiikawa Chinese thousand-layer cake, Hachiware Chinese sausage roll, Usagi siu mai , Momonga glutinous rice dumpling, Shisa rice roll, Kurimanju beef siu mai , Rakko sponge cake and Furuhonya har gow . Tickets to the show will be available on the online travel platform Klook from July 5. As part of the launch, a free outdoor show will be held at Salisbury Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui on the same day. Chiikawa mascots will be on display for selfies. About 10,000 free gifts, including balloons and limited editions of character party sets, will be given away to visitors at four MTR stations on Sunday and at Salisbury Garden on July 5. Interested parties must register via Klook in advance and obtain a QR code for redemption as part of crowd management measures.
NHK
11-06-2025
- General
- NHK
Sacred wood for historical ceremony transported to Ise Jingu shrine in Japan
Sacred logs were transported to Ise Jingu in central Japan's Mie Prefecture in preparation for a centuries-old ceremony to rebuild the shrine's structures. The timber will be used for the "Shikinen Sengu" ceremony, a tradition that dates back about 1,300 years. Once every 20 years, the shrine buildings are completely rebuilt at a site adjacent to the main sanctuary. The current relocation is scheduled for completion in 2034. The first sacred logs for the new structures were transported into the shrine on Monday and Tuesday. The wood was cut from forests in Nagano and Gifu prefectures and will be used to create vessels that house the shrine's sacred objects of worship. On Monday, about 300 people in black coats and straw hats pulled the logs destined for the Naiku, or Inner Shrine, upstream along the Isuzu River. They hauled the large Japanese cypress logs for about 1.5 kilometers, singing traditional work songs. A visitor from Hiroshima Prefecture said it was impressive to see the huge logs from national forests, and that it is amazing that the tradition has continued for 1,300 years. On Tuesday, a ritual was held to carry another set of sacred logs into the Geku, or Outer Shrine. Around 400 people pulled the logs for about 2 kilometers through the streets of central Ise City. A local spectator said he hoped the "Shikinen Sengu" would continue for future generations, so his grandchildren could see it. Another visitor said she was happy to see the ceremony for the third time, and that it was pleasant to hear the participants' voices in unison.
Japan Times
30-05-2025
- Health
- Japan Times
How ‘hikikomori' shut-ins ‘start to have dreams for the future'
Yusuke Morishima is the vice president of Quietude, a company based in Nagano that provides services in everything from translation, interpretation, counseling and consulting to job recruiting. But as of 2019, he had been a hikikomori — a social recluse who rarely leaves their home or makes contact with others — for five years. 'Being in a large group was always exhausting to me,' says Morishima, 33. 'I was overly concerned about the people around me, and it really affected my mental health. Eventually, I stopped going to school, and then when I became even more tired, I stopped going out altogether and became a hikikomori.' But after attending Samurai Gakuen (Samugaku for short), a school based in Ueda, Nagano Prefecture, that has been providing specialized education for hikikomori and troubled youth for 20 years, Morishima managed to not only overcome his social anxiety but earn gainful employment at Quietude — and then move up the ranks to boot. He's not the only one to come out of the program with his life changed. Masahiro Minemura, 43, had been a hikikomori for 15 years and also served two years in prison. But after studying at Samugaku and eventually earning his high school diploma, he got a sales and delivery job at Yamato Transport. School founder and director Hidetaka Nagaoka remembers attending university to become a teacher, where he recalls being fed a certain narrative by his professors: that all students were the same. Samurai Gakuen accepts students ranging from teenagers to middle-age men and women who have withdrawn from the workforce and social activities. | SAMURAI GAKUEN 'I was shocked by this so-called fact, and my desire to resist it grew stronger and stronger,' he says. After touring over a hundred schools and educational facilities across Japan, he founded Samugaku and its unique approach to education, providing tailored programs to all ages (current students range from 14 to 46 years old). 'We believe that it is possible to learn and grow at any age,' Nagaoka says. 'And since most of our students are adults, our educational goals are focused on financial independence and psychological independence, which we call 'basic life skills.'' In essence, the goal of the school is for its graduates to be able to live ordinary, self-sufficient lives in terms of their financial situations, mental stability, social networks and support systems. Many students need assistance of the most basic level. Introductory-level classes help students wake up in the morning, eat three meals a day and adjust to a proper sleep schedule. Former student Tomoaki Ogawauchi, who now works full-time at Quietude, recalls that as a hikikomori, he ate and slept whenever he wanted, causing difficulties for his family. 'But coming here and living in the dorm, we have to follow the schedule and rules,' says Ogawauchi, 27. 'I had to learn the importance of following a routine to respect the staff and other students now that we were all together.' Teaching former "hikikomori" shut-ins actionable employment skills can help them more easily reintegrate back into an active role in society. | SAMURAI GAKUEN The school offers seven courses, ranging from basic physical self-care to cooking and eating; house hunting and cleaning; self-exploration through psychology and philosophy; understanding others; social studies and interacting in public; and enjoying life through hobbies and passions. The last stage of schooling prepares students for graduation by assisting them with job hunting and establishing independent living situations. Current student Yukiko Sasai says that special events such as a 15-kilometer walk have helped her with her determination. 'I used to think that school was purely something that I hated, but now I don't mind it nearly as much,' says Sasai, 28. 'Although at first I struggled to get along with other people, I've really improved those relationships.' 'Learning to think for myself was a big part of my experience at Samugaku,' reflects Minemura. 'I came to realize that I wanted to find something that I wanted to do for myself.' The phenomenon of hikikomori was first identified in the 1990s. The condition is characterized as a severe form of social withdrawal, where individuals stay at home and refrain from social participation such as schooling, work or socializing for more than six months. The number of hikikomori in Japan is estimated to be nearly 1.5 million in total and over 2% of 15- to 64-year-olds. In recent years, the malaise is now manifesting in other countries such as South Korea, China, the United States, Spain and France. Lessons at Samurai Gakuen encompass more than traditional classroom learning, broadening to outdoor activities that help students develop new interests. | SAMURAI GAKUEN Nagoya University professor Tadaaki Furuhashi, who researches hikikomori in Japan and France, says that modern science still hasn't identified the physiological cause of the syndrome or if it even is a pathological condition in the first place. 'This question will determine what kind of measures and responses are needed to help address it,' Furuhashi says. 'Hikikomori occurs in two stages,' he explains. 'The first stage is a 'trigger' stage that causes the individual to withdraw from normal life. Then, in the second stage, the individual finds the withdrawal comfortable and no longer wants to return to normal life.' According to Furuhashi, in France, hikikomori are not seen as having mental illnesses or as being a burden on society — in contrast to Japan, where the media and politicians lament these individuals and treat them as serious issues. 'So long as society views the hikikomori condition in a negative way, it will continue to be difficult for individuals to return to society,' Furuhashi says, adding that the role of the internet and video games should not be discounted in helping the second stage feel more comfortable. Lessons at Samurai Gakuen encompass more than traditional classroom learning, broadening to outdoor activities that help students develop new interests. | SAMURAI GAKUEN Students at Samugaku cited various 'triggers' for the start of their withdrawal: parental divorces, bullying at school, social anxiety, or simply the feeling of struggling to keep up with their peers. Momoka Taira, a 14-year-old who lost her mother two years ago, was receiving social support from her local government when she lost faith in adults. 'Grown-ups started to scare me and I thought I couldn't trust them,' Taira says. 'Then the whole outside world started to scare me.' Upon a recommendation, Taira joined Samugaku on a one-year trial period. Now she lives in the dorms and takes classes with the 10 other current students. 'After trying it out, I met a lot of interesting people,' she says. 'People have their own opinions, and we had all sorts of fun conversations. I've been able to reflect on my past mistakes and, even though I'm not really properly studying yet, I want to study for my high school examinations and try doing a part-time job, too. I've started to have dreams for the future.' Samugaku, as a nonprofit school funded by donations and partnerships, struggles with funding and maintaining a large student-body. Coronavirus severely reduced the number of students down from 30, but the school hopes to return this previous size. And though Samugaku has produced plenty of success stories, hikikomori face a challenging road. 'Developing communication skills is particularly tough for students who have spent years avoiding social interactions,' says Chaa Chaa Ogino, chief fundraiser and PTA head at Samugaku and CEO of Quietude. 'Reintegrating students into local companies and society is (also) a gradual process that requires consistent support. 'If we can maintain a relationship through at least 20 sessions, we build enough trust to help them grow,' Ogino says. For a long time, despite the invitations, Taira didn't want to go to Samugaku. When she did, her way of thinking changed. 'There's always going to be some place for you in society,' Taira says. 'But you have to go out there and find it.'
NHK
22-05-2025
- Climate
- NHK
Train collision with wind-blown shed leaves 1 dead in central Japan
A train collided with a shed with a metal pipe frame in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, on Wednesday. One passenger was killed and two others injured. The shed was apparently blown by strong winds. The Nagano Electric Railway train was traveling through the city of Suzaka when the collision occurred shortly before 6 p.m., shattering train windows. The accident killed a 56-year-old company worker from Nagano City. Two other male civil servants, aged 65 and 56, suffered mild head injuries. Police say the man who died and the two injured men were all riding in the first carriage of the three-car train that was to terminate at Nagano Station. Police investigated the metal pipes they found at the site of the accident. They believe the train collided with the shed that was blown by strong winds from a nearby field. Atmospheric conditions were extremely unstable in Nagano Prefecture on Wednesday due to moist air and rising temperatures. In the evening, developed rain clouds were observed passing near Suzaka City. At the time of the accident, a tornado advisory was in place for northern Nagano Prefecture, which includes Suzaka City.
