All posts tagged "News"

  • Japan: No need for a driver’s license to use an e-kick scooter from July

    Japan is set to relax the road rules on electric kick scooters starting July 1st allowing people aged 16 or older to use them without a driver’s license. Electric scooter sharing businesses and others welcome the move,...

    • Posted June 26, 2023
    • 0
  • Tokyo Disneyland raises max price of 1-day ticket

    Families are really going to feel priced out with the recent announcement by Tokyo Disney Resort operator Oriental Land Company. Starting October 1 this year, the maximum price of a one-day admission ticket for Tokyo Disneyland and...

    • Posted June 25, 2023
    • 0
  • Cyclists beware: Bikers who don’t wear helmets 2.4 times more likely to die, Japan data says

    Japan started obliging all cyclists to make an effort to wear helmets in April this year. However, there are still many of them who hit the road without helmets. The other day in a busy street in...

    • Posted June 20, 2023
    • 0
  • It’s too early to say goodbye to Covid.

    Although there’s been an established pattern that COVID-19 transmits best in winter,  a panel of Japanese health ministry experts warned the public on Friday of a potential summer surge in the country. The warning comes as the...

    • Posted June 17, 2023
    • 0
  • Harry Potter Studio is now open

    An indoor facility featuring the world of the popular Harry Potter movie series opened at the former site of the Toshimaen amusement park in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward on Friday. The facility, called Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo,...

    • Posted June 16, 2023
    • 0
  • Starbucks welcomes the summer with three new refreshing drinks

    There are plenty of great reasons to stop by Starbucks this month.   Try the Setouchi Lemon Cake Frappuccino. It is not a cake but tastes like one.  It’s a nice blend of fresh milk and homegrown...

    • Posted June 12, 2023
    • 0
  • Please save as much power as possible to avoid brownouts.

    As Japan continues to deal with last year’s energy crisis, Tokyo residents are again being asked to conserve energy in July and August to avoid brownouts. Last year in June, when eastern Japan had a record heat...

    • Posted June 12, 2023
    • 0
  • What you should know about the International Mathematical Olympiad 2023

    The 64th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), a highly prestigious and competitive mathematical competition attracting the best high school  mathematicians worldwide, will be held in Chiba, Japan from July 2 to 13. The event this year will be...

    • Posted June 9, 2023
    • 0
  • Japan digitalizes divorce procedures

    Since the pandemic, a lot of things have slowly been going digital in Japan – from job interviews to visa renewals — and now even divorce is hopping on the bandwagon. Getting divorced puts a couple in...

    • Posted June 8, 2023
    • 0
  • Long-Term Residency to be offered to 4th-Gen of Japanese Descent

    Japan’s Immigration Services Agency plans to launch a new program as early as this year to grant long-term residency to fourth-generation foreigners of Japanese descent, government sources said Tuesday. Under the program, those eligible for long-term residency...

    • Posted June 7, 2023
    • 0
  • AI could replace 80% of jobs ‘in next few years’: expert

    Artificial intelligence could replace 80% of human jobs in the coming years – but that’s a good thing, says US-Brazilian researcher Ben Goertzel, a leading AI guru. Mathematician, cognitive scientist and famed robot-creator Goertzel, 56, is founder...

    • Posted June 2, 2023
    • 0
  • Why are electricity prices rising again in June?

    Power costs are set to rise, once again. In June of last year, electricity rates leaped by about 10 to 20 percent compared to 2021, the highest it’s been in the past five years. This was due...

    • Posted May 31, 2023
    • 0
  • U.S. dollar slightly drops to 139 JPY range.

    The dollar fell into the upper 139-yen range in Tokyo trading Wednesday, pulled down by the Nikkei stock average’s fallback and lower U.S. long-term interest rates. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at 139.74-75 yen, down from...

    • Posted May 31, 2023
    • 0
  • U.S. Dollar Briefly Tops 140.90 Yen in Tokyo

    The dollar temporarily rose past 140.90 yen in Tokyo trading Monday, amid expectations of a wider Japan-U.S. interest rate gap and receded concerns over a potential U.S. debt default. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at 140.46-46...

    • Posted May 30, 2023
    • 0
  • Foreigners disappointed with Japan Rail Pass price hike, poll finds

    If taking a train trip around Japan with children and visiting relatives fills you with trepidation, you’re not alone. When JR Lines announced its most aggressive price hike to happen from October this year, foreign travelers were...

    • Posted May 29, 2023
    • 0
  • Why you may have to pay more when you use Narita airport from September 2023

    Japan’s Narita airport fees are set to rise for international passengers from September amid price and labor cost hikes, according to local media sources. The new price increase that will result in higher travel fares for families,...

    • Posted May 26, 2023
    • 0
  • The U.S. Dollar Tops 139 Yen in Tokyo

    The dollar topped 139 yen in Tokyo trading Thursday, briefly rising to the highest level in six months. At 5 p.m., the U.S. dollar was 139.38, up by 0.75 yen from Wednesday’s 138.63 exchange rate. The euro...

    • Posted May 25, 2023
    • 0
  • Netflix expands password-sharing crackdown worldwide

    Netflix on Tuesday expanded its crackdown on users sharing passwords with people beyond their immediate family as it seeks to shore up revenue at the leading streaming television service. A Netflix account is for use by one...

    • Posted May 25, 2023
    • 0
  • ‘Godfather of AI’ quits Google to warn of the tech’s dangers

    Geoffrey Hinton, often dubbed the godfather of artificial intelligence has quit his job at Google to speak out about the dangers of the technology, US media reported Monday. The computer scientist who created a foundation technology for...

    • Posted May 11, 2023
    • 0
  • Eleven-year old Japanese girl prepares to climb Mount Kilimanjaro

    Scaling Mount Kilimanjaro, the world-famous climbing destination located in Tanzania, Africa, used to be just for adults. Now, young kids from all over the world are climbing summits inspiring a whole new breed of mountaineers. Eleven-year-old Rei...

    • Posted May 8, 2023
    • 0
  • Japan plans to attract foreign talent by expanding industries covered by work visas.

    The Japanese government plans to expand the industries where foreign workers with specified skills qualify. As a result of Japan’s declining birth rate, the proposed change presented at a meeting by the ruling LDP,  aims to fill...

    • Posted April 26, 2023
    • 0
  • Fusion Launches Children’s Activities, Special Packages Ahead of Summer Holidays

    Wellness-inspired hotel brand Fusion has introduced a suite of family-friendly kids’ activities and exclusive stay packages just in time for summer school holidays. The activities have been specially designed to help children put down their digital devices...

    • Posted April 25, 2023
    • 0
  • Six Percent of Foreign children registered in Japan do not attend school

    Foreign children registered as residents in Japan were not or may not have been receiving compulsory education according to a recent survey by the Ministry of Education. Records reveal there are a total of 8,183 children not...

    • Posted April 24, 2023
    • 0
  • Junior High School students take their first English Test today.

    Third year – Junior high school students in Japan will take the Spoken English test online for the first time today as part of the education ministry’s national achievement test. The 2023 nationwide achievement test, the first...

    • Posted April 18, 2023
    • 0
  • Japan Panel to reconvene regarding Joint Custody

    The Legislative Council’s family law subcommittee which advises the justice minister, held a meeting behind closed doors on Tuesday to discuss the introduction of Joint Custody. Under Japan’s current family law, joint custody of children applies only...

    • Posted April 18, 2023
    • 0
  • Helmets shortage hits Japan after new law went into effect

    Starting this month, cyclists of all ages are now required to wear a helmet in Japan after the revised Road Traffic Act went into effect. Although there is no fine for violation, the ordinance currently in force,...

    • Posted April 10, 2023
    • 0
  • Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto dies at 71

    Academy Award-winning Japanese music maker Ryuichi Sakamoto best known for his film scores, The Last Emperor and Nagisa Oshima’s Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, has died at age 71 on Tuesday. Keyboardist in the legendary electronic music band...

    • Posted April 3, 2023
    • 0
  • Australia asks Japan to adopt joint custody

    Responding to cases of cross-border parental child abduction, Australia has asked Japan to introduce a joint custody system where divorced parents can share custody of their children. In a written opinion submitted by the Australian government to...

    • Posted March 23, 2023
    • 0
  • Covid-19 revised guidance: Mandatory masking lifted today throughout Japan but…

    Wearing a mask is now optional throughout Japan leaving the choice of whether to mask or not indoors and outdoors, to the public. Masking indoors was relaxed in May 2022 yet there had been reports that people...

    • Posted March 13, 2023
    • 0
  • We have work to do. Eating too much salt is killing 2 million people every year.

    One in four adults today die from high blood pressure, warns WHO director, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, Dr. Francesco Branca, renewing calls for reduced salt consumption. Did you know that you should eat no more than...

    • Posted March 12, 2023
    • 0