NHK -- Oct 10
People in Chichibu, a city north of Tokyo, launched hand-made rockets on Sunday to express their gratitude for the season's harvest.
The annual festival, held in a mountainous region of the city, dates back several centuries. The rockets, described as dragons, are made from hollowed pine tree logs.
This year, each of 30 rockets was attached to the tip of a 16-meter-long bamboo stick. The projectiles went up into the sky one after another, trailing white smoke, and reached a height of 300 meters. Then the rockets fell down slowly to the ground with parachutes.
Many viewers applauded each launch. A man in his 60s said he enjoyed the tremendous impact of the loud sound of each liftoff.
News source: NHK
Oct 24
Mount Fuji, Japan's highest peak, has been capped with snow for the first time this season. (NHK) Oct 24
Up to now, it has been a real hassle making advance reservations for Japan's bullet trains from overseas. JR East finally set up an online reservation system a while back, but that was only for trains heading north from Tokyo. (rocketnews24.com) Oct 19
The estimated number of visitors to Japan in January-September rose 17.9 pct from a year earlier to 21,196,400, topping the 20-million mark at the fastest pace in any year, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday. (Jiji) Oct 19
Ever wondered where the best place to enjoy a refreshing Mojito in Japan is? Well, 300Bar, with three locations in Tokyo's Ginza district, is a serious contender. It has just been awarded by the Cuban Embassy in Tokyo 'The most authentic Mojito in Japan' certificate. (Japan Today) Oct 18
People dressed as samurai warriors have marched in a procession at a World Heritage site in Nikko, north of Tokyo. (NHK) Oct 17
Amid the gloom and struggle that Osaka has gone through in recent years, a tourism boom has been an unexpected boon for Japan's gritty second city. (Japan Times) Oct 17
Japanese travel company H.I.S. Co. said Monday it will open 10 more hotels staffed by robots in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka and Kyoto by March 2019. (Kyodo) Oct 16
The government expanded the no-go zone around Mt Shinmoe in Kyushu on Sunday as volcanic activities intensified. (Japan Today) Oct 16
The Japan Tourism Agency plans to launch model projects in early December to consider ways to attract more people, including foreign tourists, to snow resorts amid the declining skiing and snowboarding population. (Jiji) Oct 11
Iwakura in Aichi Prefecture is striving to make the central Japan city a mecca of yo-yos, which were a big hit in the country in the 1980s and 1990s. More than 10 million people across Japan are thought to have played with them. (Jiji)