News On Japan

Traditional Family Gathering to Honor Ancestors in Okinawa

NAHA, Feb 26 (News On Japan) - On January 25th, which corresponds to the 16th day of the first month in the lunar calendar, the people of Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, were seen celebrating the New Year for the deceased, known as "Juurukunichi."

This lively tradition involves families visiting graves and offering feasts to honor their ancestors. Juurukunichi is an annual event grandly observed in the Miyako and Yaeyama regions. This year, coinciding with a Sunday, saw many relatives gathering at the cemetery parks in Miyakojima City from the morning. In front of the graves, dishes and sweets were offered, and after burning Uchikabi, considered the money of the afterlife to ensure ancestors do not suffer from financial woes, the gathered individuals joined hands in prayer. The crowd then enjoyed the feast offerings while merrily paying respects to their ancestors. A man in his thirties, who had returned to the ancestral grave with his children and grandchildren for the first time in eight years from the main island of Okinawa, said, "I prayed to our ancestors for the health and well-being of our family." Furthermore, a woman in her twenties shared, "I reported the birth of my child to them."

Source: NHK

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi has been appointed commander of the International Space Station (ISS), becoming the third Japanese to assume the role.

Transportation of a 150-meter railway rail—the longest in the world—manufactured at a steelworks in Kitakyushu City, began on April 18th. The rail will be delivered to Hokkaido over the course of about four days for use in the Hokkaido Shinkansen extension project.

The Japan Society for the Study of Obesity has issued a warning about the health risks of excessive thinness and poor nutrition among women, positioning what it calls 'women's underweight and malnutrition syndrome' as a newly recognized health condition.

Once a familiar and comforting presence on urban streets, Japan's cherished ramen stalls are quietly fading away as stricter regulations, an aging workforce, and evolving consumer preferences make their survival increasingly difficult.

A bear attacking a live deer outside a hotel in Kamikawa, Hokkaido, has shocked onlookers and prompted heightened alert from local authorities.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A man in his 40s was arrested in Tokyo’s Akabane area for leading a group that organized illegal rides on heavily modified motorcycles. The group, active on social media, would gather and ride together using bikes equipped with flashing tail lights, exaggerated seat designs, and slogans referencing rebellion and anti-social behavior.

The Emperor sowed rice seeds on April 15th in a paddy near the Biological Laboratory on the Imperial Palace grounds, marking the start of this year's rice cultivation.

A fire broke out on April 14th at an abandoned ryokan in Hannan City, Osaka Prefecture, which has become known online as a "ghost spot." Authorities suspect arson, possibly by trespassers.

A Peruvian man detained at the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau has been awarded 110,000 yen in compensation by the Osaka District Court, which ruled on April 16th that keeping him handcuffed for an extended period was illegal.

A bear attacking a live deer outside a hotel in Kamikawa, Hokkaido, has shocked onlookers and prompted heightened alert from local authorities.

An 80-year-old man who calls himself an Expo enthusiast was arrested on April 14th for obstructing operations at the entrance gate of the Osaka-Kansai Expo after falsely claiming that he had a bomb in his backpack.

A group of teenagers were taken into custody by police in a late-night sweep in Tokyo's Kabukicho district, including a runaway girl who had traveled from Hyogo Prefecture.

Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has released its latest population estimate, showing that Japan's total population, including foreign residents, stood at 123,802,000 as of October 1st last year, a decrease of 550,000 from the previous year. This marks the 14th consecutive year of population decline.