Society | Jun 02

Japan slowly opens tourist spots amid concerns over coronavirus flare-ups

Jun 02 (Kyodo) - Many tourist spots across Japan reopened Monday, a week after the full lifting of a state of emergency, with precautions in place against the novel coronavirus amid growing concern over a second wave of infections.

The Japanese capital's landmark Tokyo Skytree tower reopened with shortened visiting hours and measures to prevent infections after a three-month closure.

The operator of the 634-meter tower asked elementary school students and older visitors to wear face masks and use sanitizers at its entrance, among other measures.

Shirakawa and Nanto, central Japan, each opened a group of traditional thatched-roof houses after closing them for about a month. The two areas are registered on the World Heritage list as a cultural site straddling Gifu and Toyama prefectures.

In southwestern Japan, Kumamoto Castle, currently undergoing reconstruction work after massive earthquakes in 2016, welcomed residents of Kumamoto Prefecture with a newly constructed passage. It plans to accept other visitors from June 19 when a request for people to avoid crossing prefectural borders ends.

On Monday, the Imperial Household Agency said it will reopen the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace grounds to the public from Tuesday after a closure of around two months. It will limit the number of visitors to 50 each in the morning and afternoon, and ask them to wear face masks as a measure against the coronavirus.


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The Nagoya District Court delivered a severe sentence on Monday to Mai Watanabe, 25, who operated under the alias "Itadakijoshi Riri-chan (Riri the sugar baby)" and was charged with fraudulently obtaining cash from men. She has been sentenced to nine years in prison and fined 8 million yen.

The official Instagram account of the Imperial Household Agency, launched on April 1, has been actively sharing updates about the activities of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress.

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A cherry tree located at one of Kyoto's busiest pedestrian streets, Sanneizaka, a main pathway to Kiyomizu Temple, suddenly fell at 11:45 AM on Tuesday, trapping a school teacher beneath.

The biannual Spring Garden Party, hosted by the Emperor and Empress, took place at Tokyo's Akasaka Imperial Garden on Tuesday, with Princess Aiko gracing the event, warmly engaging with the guests.

The site of the former Tsukiji Market is set for a major transformation, including a stadium with a capacity of 50,000 people and a launch pad for flying cars.

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In a historic move, the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) has issued its first administrative sanction against American tech giant Google.

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