It’s been mistaken for a theme park, attracts thousands of tourists every year and even has its own TripAdvisor page. But this strange Japanese building hides a dirty secret. This is actually the Maishima Incineration Plant, where 900 tonnes of rubbish is hauled in from around Osaka and burnt every day. It’s a critical piece […]
Springtime in Japan brings the country’s famous cherry blossoms into bloom, but it also causes widespread bouts of hay fever that hurt businesses across the country. Japan will lose around 200 billion yen ($1.8 billion) this year because of pollen-induced allergies, according to the Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute, a research firm in Tokyo. The damage
Why pollen is costing Japan nearly $2 billion a year Read More »
The world’s oldest person, a 117-year-old Japanese woman, has died. Nabi Tajima died in a hospital Saturday evening in the town of Kikai in southern Japan, town official Susumu Yoshiyuki said. She had been hospitalized since January. Tajima, born on Aug. 4, 1900, was the last known person born in the 19th century. She raised
Last Known Person Born in 19th Century Dies at 117 Read More »
A Japanese morning show recently did a report on how some kids are doing their homework while playing clips of YouTubers studying. The show featured a clip by Hajime Shacho, one of Japan’s most famous YouTubers. The clip dates from fall 2016 and has racked up over three million views. While this wasn’t a first, other benkyou douga (勉強動画)
Study Buddy YouTube Videos Read More »
As many as 51.9 percent of female Japanese high-school students see themselves as overweight, according to an international comparative survey recently conducted by the National Institution for Youth Education, an institution under the jurisdiction of the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry. As the percentage of respondents with a body mass index (BMI) of
Most high school girls in Japan see selves as fat Read More »
An 88-year-old visiting researcher at a university in Kyoto was conferred a doctorate on Saturday, making her the oldest person in Japan to do so, Ritsumeikan University said. “I’m full of emotion. I’m honored,” Kiyoko Ozeki told reporters ahead of her graduation ceremony at Ritsumeikan. Though the Nagoya resident did not enroll in the university’s
88-year-old woman becomes oldest person in Japan to earn doctoral degree Read More »
Japan is taking steps to help aging business owners find buyers for their companies rather than shut them down for lack of suitable successors. By doing so, it seeks to protect jobs and economic value as the population ages and shrinks. The country has 2.45 million small and midsize businesses run by those at or
Japan pushing heirless companies to sell, not close Read More »
Japanese scientists have warned that eating french fries will not cure baldness, after research was published suggesting that chemicals used in cooking fried potatoes could help fight hair loss. A research team at Yokohama National University succeeded in producing clusters of 5,000 hair follicle germs (HFGs), the base organs that produce hair, with the aid
‘Easy on the fries!’, Japan scientists tell hopeful bald people Read More »
A Japanese kayaker has been banned from competition for eight years for spiking the drink of a rival so that he would fail a doping test. Yasuhiro Suzuki drugged his key rival at last year’s national championships in September. Suzuki spiked the drink of rival Seiji Komatsu with an anabolic steroid causing him to fail
Japan kayak racer banned 8 years for spiking drink of rival Read More »
Clad in black like an ancient-day ronin or samurai, a man scales walls and squeezes into tight spaces in the dark – but in the name of crime. His agility eluded the Osaka police for over eight years, during which more than 29 million yen (approx $255,000 USD) was stolen in some 250 crimes. But
