Japan govt. to respond to 10,000+ new COVID cases
Japan has confirmed more than 10,000 daily coronavirus cases for the first time. The nationwide record is fueled by a surge of infections in the capital and surrounding area. (NHK)
Suga denies impact of holding Olympics on virus surge
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Thursday there is no link between the recent surge in the number of coronavirus infections in Japan and the holding of the Tokyo Olympics. (Japan Times)
Olympic merchandize selling well as Japan's medal haul grows
As Japan's impressive medal haul grows, sales of official Tokyo Olympics merchandise such as badges and keyrings have been surging, with fans queuing outside stores to buy them despite mounting COVID-19 infections. (Kyodo)
Tokyo Olympics: S Korea team brings own meals over radiation fears
The South Korean Olympic squad's decision to bring its own team of chefs and food ingredients to the Tokyo Games has led to a controversy in Japan. (aljazeera.com)
30 July 2021
All Japan Tours
Japan Weather
TOKYO OLYMPICS
SOCIETY
5-yr-old boy dies after being left unattended in school bus for hours
Kyodo - Jul 30
A five-year-old boy died Thursday after being left behind in a school bus for hours on a hot summer day in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Fukuoka, police said.
Japan’s Impact On Pop Culture Is Bigger Than Ever
TODAY - Jul 30
The impact Japan has had on pop culture around the world goes way beyond Hello Kitty backpacks to influence everything from plush toys to TV shows.
Ex-AKB48 star Oshima, Japanese actor Hayashi to tie knot
Kyodo - Jul 29
Yuko Oshima, a former leading member of the popular Japanese all-girl idol group AKB48, and Japanese actor Kento Hayashi are set to marry, the couple said Thursday.
Man awarded $190,000 for slipping on wet floor
NHK - Jul 29
A Tokyo court has ordered a supermarket operator to pay the equivalent of about 190,000 dollars to a man who was injured after slipping over on floor made wet by water from lettuces while he was shopping.
[more society news…]
BUSINESS
Catch quota for Pacific bluefin tuna may be raised
NHK - Jul 30
Delegates to an international conference on the management of bluefin tuna stocks in the Pacific Ocean have agreed to raise the catch quota for large fish in its western and central waters.
Japan's factory output rises, job availability at near 1-year high
Reuters - Jul 30
TOKYO - Japan’s factory output rebounded in June and job availability rose to the highest level in nearly a year, data showed, a sign robust overseas demand was offsetting the drag to consumption from the pandemic.
Olympic merchandize selling well as Japan's medal haul grows
Kyodo - Jul 30
As Japan's impressive medal haul grows, sales of official Tokyo Olympics merchandise such as badges and keyrings have been surging, with fans queuing outside stores to buy them despite mounting COVID-19 infections.
Toyota halts Lexus and Land Cruiser plants on ASEAN virus spread
Nikkei - Jul 28
NAGOYA -- Toyota Motor will suspend production of the Lexus and the Land Cruiser at two domestic plants for several days in August as rising coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia disrupt parts production.
[more business news…]
POLITICS
Japan govt. to respond to 10,000+ new COVID cases
NHK - Jul 30
Japan has confirmed more than 10,000 daily coronavirus cases for the first time. The nationwide record is fueled by a surge of infections in the capital and surrounding area.
Suga denies impact of holding Olympics on virus surge
Japan Times - Jul 30
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Thursday there is no link between the recent surge in the number of coronavirus infections in Japan and the holding of the Tokyo Olympics.
Japan confirms record 10,000+ new infection cases
NHK - Jul 29
Japan has confirmed more 10,000 daily coronavirus cases for the first time.
Opposition lawmaker Hiranao Honda to quit over age of consent comments
Japan Times - Jul 28
Lawmaker Hiranao Honda expressed his intention to step down on Tuesday, after leaving the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan the same day over inappropriate comments he made regarding the age of consent.
[more politics news…]
EDUCATION
Japan bets on $90bn fund as universities lose ground to West
Nikkein - Jul 30
As Japanese universities fall further in global rankings, the government is launching a new 10 trillion yen ($91 billion) endowment fund designed to help them better compete with top institutions around the world.
'Kotodama': the belief in the magic power of words
Japan Today - Jul 30
Kotodama (言霊) refers to the belief that words have mystical powers. It combines the word for "speech" (言 koto) and the word for "soul"(霊 tama).
What's It Like to Be on a Japanese TV Show?
Yellow Productions - Jul 28
Sharing my experience of being in three different Japanese television shows.
Cooking With Seasonal Japanese Foods - Summer Edition | Shiso
Tokyo Creative - Jul 26
Nothing is more fun than discovering new seasonal ingredients and finding different ways to incorporate them into our daily cooking.
[more education news…]
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Nobel-winning physicist Maskawa dies
NHK - Jul 30
Japanese physicist Maskawa Toshihide who won the Nobel Prize in 2008 has died of cancer at the age of 81.
Companies show off high tech during 2020 Olympics opening
Nikkei - Jul 28
The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics gave companies a stage on which to showcase their products and technologies to the world.
Moderate COVID cases increase burden on hospitals
NHK - Jul 28
Doctors in Tokyo are expressing growing alarm as more COVID-19 patients, even moderate cases, are requiring advanced treatment amid a surge in new infections.
Japan successfully tests rocket engine propelled by new technology
Japan Times - Jul 28
Japan on Tuesday successfully tested a rocket engine that was propelled by new technology using shock waves produced by burning a mixture of methane and oxygen gasses, with the aim of applying the propulsion method to deep space exploration in the future, the country’s space agency said.
[more sci-tech news…]
SPORTS
Olympics: Japan's women continue host's rugby sevens pain
Kyodo - Jul 30
The Japanese women's rugby sevens team lost the first two games of their Olympic tournament on Thursday, continuing the host nation's poor Tokyo Games in the sport.
24 new coronavirus cases linked to the Olympics
NHK - Jul 29
The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee has announced that 24 people related to the Games tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday.
Tokyo Olympics: S Korea team brings own meals over radiation fears
aljazeera.com - Jul 29
The South Korean Olympic squad's decision to bring its own team of chefs and food ingredients to the Tokyo Games has led to a controversy in Japan.
Olympics: Games organizers admit to wasting about 4,000 boxes of food
Kyodo - Jul 29
Tokyo Games organizers on Wednesday admitted to throwing away approximately 4,000 of the 10,000 pre-ordered bento boxes full of food that was to be fed to volunteers on the day of the opening ceremony.
[more sports news…]
TRAVEL
Inside Japan's SLEEPER Train | $160 FIRST CLASS Room
Abroad in Japan - Jul 30
Japan's overnight sleeper train is stunning. We ride 11 hours & 600km from Tokyo to Tottori on the Sunrise Express in search of the Tottori sand dune desert.
Exploring Kyoto's traditional mountain village, Miyama [Japanese thatched roof farmhouses] 4K
shashinjapan - Jul 29
Miyama is 30 km north of central Kyoto, known for it's traditional Japanese thatched roof farmhouses called kayabuki. Kayabuki no Sato is Miyama's main village with around 40 traditional kayabuki.
Japan’s hikers return to Mount Fuji
Al Jazeera - Jul 29
“It is a mountain that is an object of worship.” Hikers are flocking back to Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji as the active volcano’s symmetrical slopes reopen to the public after being off-limits for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nepartak makes landfall in Miyagi Prefecture
NHK - Jul 28
Tropical storm Nepartak made landfall on the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan on Wednesday morning.
[more travel news…]
FEATURED BLOGS
Jul 30
State of the sento — Tokyo’s public baths are disappearing, but statistics show a sliver of hope

It was a rough year for Japan's non-onsen bathhouses, but a comeback might be on the way.

Onsen (hot springs) have been part of Japanese culture for centuries, but they've been seriously surging in popularity over the past 20 years. At the sa...

Jul 30
You put WHAT in your curry? Japanese netizens reveal their favourite secret ingredients

“Don't knock it till you try it” comes to mind for some of these!

Japanese curry is pretty simple to make. Just pick your favourite roux, add meat and vegetables and that's it! But, much like other comfort foods from around the world, Jap...

Jul 28
Nihon? Nippon? What’s the correct name for “Japan” at the Tokyo Olympics (and in general)?

Japan, the country so nice they named it twice?

During the Parade of Nations of the Tokyo Olympics' opening ceremony, the athletes entered the stadium as the P.A, system said their country's name first in French, then in English, and finally ...

Jul 26
Japan–South Korea Olympic diplomacy over before it began
The Olympic Rings monument is seen outside the Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) headquarters near the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, 23 June 2021 (Photo: Reuters/Issei Kato).

Author: Editorial Board, ANU

Despite the long list of problems associated with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics — corruption, scandals, budget overruns, a year's long delay due to COVID-19 and widespread public opposition — the event continues to be b...

Jul 25
Tour the Japanese imperial family residence through this special post-renovation feature【Video】

The complex in Tokyo's Chiyoda ward, which serves as a home for Japan's royalty, is almost three decades old.

Given the status of Japan's imperial family, it comes as little surprise that their accommodations are swanky and numerous. While the i...

[more blogs…]