The number of people who moved into the greater Tokyo area exceeded that of people moving out by 117,868 in 2016, marking a net population inflow for the 21st consecutive year, the internal affairs ministry said Tuesday (1). But the inflow into the eastern Japan area–Tokyo and the three neighboring prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and […]
A panel of government and private-sector consultants says several commonly used map symbols should be revised in order to make Japan more visitor-friendly. The members studied 90 pictograms that differ from international standards. Of 7 marked for review, they suggested 5 be changed. They include the signs for parking lots, first aid rooms and other […]
A protest has been staged in Tokyo against US President Donald Trump’s immigration restrictions. About 30 people, many American residents, attended a rally near the US Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday. The protesters raised banners reading “No Muslim ban” and “Immigrants make America great” while shouting “Build bridges not walls” and other slogans. They called […]
Short taxi rides in central Tokyo just became cheaper. Starting today (Jan 30), most taxis set their initial fare at about 3.6 dollars for just over 1 kilometer. The previous fare was about 6.4 dollars for the first 2 kilometers. Rides will get cheaper for up to 1.7 kilometers, but turn higher when the distance […]
A lunar New Year festival with more than 15,000 lanterns is underway in Nagasaki, western Japan. The Nagasaki Lantern Festival coincides with the Chinese New Year and symbolizes the city’s long history of exchanges with other countries. A lighting ceremony was held in Minato Park to open the festival on Saturday evening. The main display […]
The operator of Narita Airport near Tokyo says the number of foreigners who used the facility for international flights last year marked a record high and exceeded that of Japanese passengers. The operator says more than 32 million people flew to and from the airport’s international terminals in 2016. It says that with transit passengers […]
A weather observatory in Japan’s northernmost city of Wakkanai says it has spotted ice floes offshore for the first time this winter. The observatory reported seeing ice drifting near the coast of Wakkanai on Wednesday. The observation was made 19 days earlier than usual. The season’s first ice floes in the region are usually seen […]
The operator of Narita International Airport launched a demonstration trial on Monday for a robot that takes away the used dishes of lounge users at the airport in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. Narita International Airport Corp. plans to promote the use of robots to improve passenger service ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and […]
Tokyo police have arrested 3 Chinese people who they suspect are members of the “Pink Panda” crime gang for allegedly stealing jewelry at a trade fair in January last year. Police believe the suspects stole a diamond ring worth 2.8 million yen, or about 25,000 dollars, at the fair, one of Japan’s biggest trade shows […]
A cold air mass gripping Japan is bringing record heavy snowfall in the mountainous regions of Tottori and other western prefectures. Weather officials say Daisen in Tottori had 2.1 meters of snow on the ground as of Tuesday morning. Snow was 1.2 meters deep in Shobara City in Hiroshima Prefecture. Up to 60 centimeters of […]
