Minobu Travel Guide
Would you try blue cheese and port kaikigori? A Kyoto hotel that makes traveling with kids easier (and more fun!) Check out our handpicked list of Tokyo festivals happening this month A look into life in Japan as a woman 'The Fabric of Macao' Wows Guests in Tokyo A one-stop beauty and anti-aging salon Check out the designs of Japan's new generation of banknotes A glimpse into Shibuya's artistic and culinary past, present and future
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SoraNews24
an hour ago
- SoraNews24
What to do if you forget your camera or other belongings on the Shinkansen
We get an unexpected lesson in bullet train property retrieval procedures. 'Ahhh, that was fun!' said our Japanese-language reporter Natsuno Futon, sitting down at her desk the morning after coming back from a research trip for her upcoming project. As she fired up her PC and got ready to start putting the article together, she grabbed her backpack and reached in to pull out her camera, so that she could transfer the photos she'd taken while in the field. And it was only then that she realized she'd lost her camera. Yes, Natsuno's fancy new mirrorless camera, which she'd just bought the other day and was so excited to get to use, was gone, and since its list of features doesn't include an autonomous free-roaming mode, that means that she'd left it someplace. Thinking back, she clearly remembered using during her Shinkansen ride home, but couldn't recall touching it again after that, meaning the most likely scenario was that she'd forgotten to stick it back in her backpack before she got off the bullet train. Now that she was pretty sure what had happened, the next step was to figure out how to get her camera back. Generally, there are two places you want to report your lost property to: the police, and whoever manages the facility or location where you think you lost it. For the police, Japan's National Police Agency website has a list of links to prefectural police lost and found departments, in English here and Japanese here. There's also additional information about the process, in English, on their website here and here. Since Natsuno had gotten off the Shinkansen at Tokyo Station, she filled out a report with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, following the link from the NPA page and providing information about what she'd lost and where/when she thought she'd lost it. Next, Natsuno needed to contact JR/Japan Railway Company, the Shinkansen operator. However, here's something important to remember: while most JR lines in the Tokyo area are operated by JR East/East Japan Railway Company, the Tokkaido Shinkansen, the Shinkansen line which connects Tokyo with Kyoto and Osaka, is an exception. The whole Tokkaido Shinkansen is administered by JR Central/Central Japan Railway Company (also known as JR Tokai), so they're who you need to contact about lost property on that part of the bullet train network, and their lost property forms can be found in English here and in Japanese here. Meanwhile JR East's English guidance page for passengers with lost items can be found here, JR West's here, and JR Hokkaido's here. JR Kyushu doesn't appear to have an English lost and found page, but its Japanese-language page is here and directs users to its Line chat. Natsuno filled out and submitted her report to JR Central, and about three hours later, she got a politely worded email response regretfully informing her that, at the present time, her camera had not been found. However, it did leave a sliver of hope, telling her that they would continue looking for it and contact her if it turned up. As Natsuno kept her fingers firmly crossed, she took solace remembering the time she'd found a child's bag that had been dropped on the sidewalk in front of an elementary school, and turned it in to office. She thought back about the time she'd turned in a 100-yen coin someone had left behind at a coin locker, apparently not realizing they'd get their money back when they returned the key. She even reminisced about the time she'd found someone's grocery shopping list wedged between two books on a library shelf, and had turned that in to the staff. After doing so many good deeds herself, surely Natsuno had built up enough karma to be rewarded the same way, right? And sure enough, later that day Natsuno got a second email from JR Central, this one telling her that the camera had been found! JR Central can mail recovered property back to owners, with the owner responsible for paying shipping fees on delivery. They also have a lost and found office at Tokyo Station, though, located outside the ticket gates of the Yaesu-chuo entrance, so Natsuno opted to pick it up there. You'll need to bring some form of photo ID with you, and you'll also need to provide a six-digit confirmation code that JR Central will provide you with when they contact you to tell you they've found your stuff. After waiting for the staff at the counter to reunite someone else with a bag that they'd left on the Shinkansen, it was Natsuno's turn. After showing her ID, giving her confirmation code, and filling out and signing some paperwork, Natsuno and her camera (still inside its spiffy carrying case) were at last together again! So while it's never a good thing to realize you got off the Shinkansen with fewer items than you got on with, don't panic if it happens to you. Photos ©SoraNews24 Screenshot: National Police Agency ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
SoraNews24
3 hours ago
- SoraNews24
Studio Ghibli releases Japanese sake flask and cup set for anime lovers
Porco Rosso steals the spotlight with a tokkuri and ochoko you won't find anywhere else. Out of all the animated movies Studio Ghibli has ever produced, Porco Rosso remains one of the most underrated. The tale of a pig who flies planes sadly missed its mark with some audience-goers, but for director Hayao Miyazaki, whose been known to depict himself as a pig, it remains a firm favourite — so much so that we can imagine a smile fluttering over his face if he were to see this sweet sake set that honours the film. Called the 'Porco Rosso Tokkuri Ochoko Set Kanpai with Porco', this two-piece set includes a sake flask, known as 'tokkuri' in Japanese, and an ochoko ('sake cup'), which are like no others you'll find in Japan. ▼ The tokkuri is designed to look like the wine bottle seen in the film… ▼ …while the sake cup is shaped like Porco, complete with the character's distinctive moustache and sunglasses. ▼ The set lets you 'kanpai with Porco' ('cheers with Porco'). The wine bottle's label features a motif of the Savoia S.21 Prototype Fighter Seaplane that Porco flies, along with an Italian phrase that translates as 'This is what it means to be cool', and the year of the movie's release. The flask measures 16.5 centimetres (6.5 inches) in height and 5.8 centimetres in width and holds 200 millilitres (6.8 ounces) of liquid. The sake cup masures 3.5 centimetres in height and 5.2 centimetres in diameter and holds 35 millilitres of liquid. Both the flask and cup are made from porcelain and are microwave and dishwasher safe. Initially released in 2018, the set has been out of stock for around seven years but is now available to purchase at Donguri Kyowakoku stores and online, priced at 4,950 yen (US$34.64). Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
NHK
6 hours ago
- NHK
Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors' experiences depicted in stage play in Brazil
A group including survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima has performed a stage play in Brazil based on their experiences, highlighting the importance of peace. The group performed in Portuguese in Sao Paulo on Saturday. The play was based on accounts of three survivors, who emigrated to the South American country after the end of World War Two. One act told the story of 84-year-old Bonkohara Kunihiko, who was exposed to radiation from the bombing when he was 5. It depicted what areas near ground zero were like right after the attack, including how numerous people wandered in search of water. Another act was based on the testimony of Morita Takashi, who died last year at the age of 100. He had been a leading member of the group. An actor of Japanese descent played Morita's part this year. The group first performed in 2013. It currently faces difficulty as survivors are advanced in age. But it says it wants to continue holding the events. A local audience member in her 20s called the play "incredible." She said she believes it is important to not forget the bombing by listening to survivors share their experiences. Bonkohara said he wants people to think about how to realize a world without war.
