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Japan Today
an hour ago
- General
- Japan Today
Tokyo's Hydrangea Mountain is a spot of beauty created by one son's love for his parents
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 As we flip the calendar over to June, we're getting close to the start of hydrangea season in Japan, or ajisai season, to use the flowers' Japanese name. Many of the best places to see hydrangeas in Japan are temples or gardens that once belonged to local lords whose descendants eventually opened up their lands to the public, but the origin of Minamisawa Ajisaiyama ('Hydrangea Mountain') in Akiruno, a district in western Tokyo, is different. This beautiful forested area is filled with hydrangeas because of a local resident named Chuichi Minamisawa, seen in the photo below. Minamisawa's roots in the area go back generations, and his parents' grave is nearby, along a path that winds up into the mountains. A little over 50 years ago, he got the idea to beautify the trail, and so he started planting hydrangeas along it. A self-taught cultivator, Minamisawa started with 20 seedlings. As his experience and expertise grew, he added more every year, eventually planting thousands and thousands by himself. Though he occasionally got some help from friends and relatives, for the most part Ajisaiyama was something Minamisawa tended to by himself, making him a community celebrity. A few years ago, he was approached by members of Do-mo, a local entrepreneurial organization that was hoping to produce a hydrangea tea and hoped Minamisawa could help them with sourcing some of the ingredients. 'Sure, I can let you use some of the hydrangeas,' Minamisawa told them. 'But I'm getting older, and I don't have that many years left, and once I'm gone, there's no one to take care of the flowers.' Seeing a way they could both help each other, Do-mo then agreed to take over as the hydrangeas' caretakers, with Minamisawa imparting his knowledge about how to differentiate the different varieties of hydrangeas that grow on the mountain, and when and how to prune and otherwise care for each of them. ▼ Minamisawa with members of Do-mo Sadly, Minamisawa passed away in July of 2023, shortly after the end of that year's hydrangea season, at the age of 93. The hydrangeas, now some 15,000 in number, still bloom every June, and this year's petals are about to unfold. This year's hydrangea season peak is expected to be from June 7 to July 6, during which the Minamisawa Ajisaiyama will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with no admission charged. The hydrangea mountain is 40-minutes on foot from Musashi-Itsukaichi Station on the Itsukaichi Line, but between June 13 and 30 there's also a shuttle bus that runs from the station to the mountain for 300 yen roughly twice and hour between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., with the full timetable available on the official website here. Location information Minamisawa Ajisaiyama / 南沢あじさい山 Address: Tokyo-to, Akiruno-shi, Fukasawa 368-362 東京都あきる野市深沢368−362 Website Source: PR Times, Minamisawa Ajisaiyama Insert images: PR Times Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Starbucks Japan has a new limited-edition Frappuccino for summer, but does it taste any good? -- Studio Ghibli releases new Totoro neckties to brighten up your office wear -- Old soba restaurant on Japanese train station platform serves noodles with a side of nostalgia External Link © SoraNews24
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Japan Today
Fewer Japanese people traveling domestically; gov't blames birthrate, others blame foreign crowds, costs
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 On May 27, the cabinet of Japan released its annual tourism white paper, based on data for the 2024 administrative year. The report found that roughly 36.87 million foreign tourists visited Japan last year, a record-setting number. But while Japan's travel destinations are proving more attractive than ever to visitors from overseas, the local population is traveling less. 540 million Japanese residents traveled domestically last year, which is an 8.2-percent drop compared to 2019, the last year before the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The report points to Japan's declining birthrate and contracting population as key reasons for the lowered number, and says that efforts should be made to increase the number of times Japanese people travel domestically and the length of their stays. Among the initiatives aiming to do that is one in the town of Kotohira, Kagawa Prefecture, in which coordinators arrange for travelers spend a portion of their time working in local restaurants or inns to offset the cost of their trip. Another program matches travelers with locals in rural parts of Niigata and Nagano Prefectures for agricultural experiences, giving them a chance to meet locals and work alongside them at their farms, creating interpersonal connections and hopefully encouraging repeat visits to the area once it starts to feel like a second hometown. However, online reactions to the report aren't quite so sure that lowered domestic travel numbers are something that can be pinned entirely on Japan's low birthrate. After all, it's not like the population has shrunk by 8.2 percent since 2019. Instead, online commenters have been pointing to two other reasons they haven't been traveling as much: crowds and costs. Starting with the crowds, the sudden surge in inbound overseas tourists has been dampening domestic travel demand, especially in the country's most famous sightseeing spots. Not that places like Kyoto and Shibuya weren't already crowded with domestic travelers before, but the influx of overseas visitors has raised the congestion to unprecedented levels, and with a growing public perception that some of them have very poor manners, the atmosphere isn't exactly attractive to many Japanese residents. As for costs, a major factor for the inbound tourism boom is the weak yen. Seeing waves of foreign travelers with fat stacks of yen converted from their home-country currencies, hotels have dramatically raised their prices, and so have restaurants and other tourism-related businesses. But while the weak yen means the increased prices are still very palatable to foreign tourists, locals find themselves in the opposite situation. The weak yen and inflationary trends mean that the cost of just about everything (groceries, utilities, clothing, commuter train fares, etc.) has gone up in Japan considerably over the past few years, but without corresponding wage increases for the vast majority of workers. With most Japanese people trying to figure out how to tighten their belts and adjust to having less disposable income, many are balking at the high prices hotels and other travel providers are charging. Add it all up, and it's not surprising that, when faced with the prospect of carving more money out of a shrinking household budget to have a less enjoyable vacation, many Japanese people are deciding it's not worth it, as shown by online reactions to the cabinet's white paper such as: 'Stuff's too expensive, and hotels are way too expensive. Simple as that.' 'I feel like I'm getting ripped off when I travel domestically these days.' 'It's clear that places are raising their prices because they're aiming for foreign tourists.' 'This was inevitable. It's gotten hard to find a place to stay that isn't being affected by inbound overtourism.' 'I already have to ride a crowded train to work every day, so no way am I going to spend my vacation somewhere crowded too.' 'There are a lot of places I'd go if they weren't so jam-packed with foreign tourists.' 'I mean, it's gotten hard to find available hotel rooms, and even when you can, they're so expensive, and the sightseeing spots are so crowded…I only take day trips now.' 'I got no money.' Unfortunately for anyone bothered by inbound tourism-triggered price increases and congestion, the situation has the potential makings of a self-accelerating cycle. If domestic travelers avoid certain hotels or destinations because they're too expensive and crowded with foreign tourists, those businesses will naturally become more reliant on inbound foreign tourists leveraging their currency exchange advantages, which will in turn lead to larger crowds and higher prices, making those places even less attractive to domestic travelers. Finally, it's worth noting that despite the decreased number of domestic Japanese travelers, last year those who did travel domestically spent over 25 trillion yen, the largest amount on record. With fewer total domestic travelers, though, that means that those who are traveling domestically are spending more per person, suggesting that even domestic travel currently feels like a luxury to many Japanese people, with a growing gap between those in a position to splurge and those whose finances are compelling them to stay home. Source: NHK News Web via Jin, Twitter/@nhk_news Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- 'Foreign travelers are Japan's guests' – Governor against charging tourists more than locals -- Japanese government wants to build luxury resorts in all national parks for foreign tourists -- As more foreign visitors visit Kyoto's top sights, Japanese travelers increasingly staying away External Link © SoraNews24
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Beyond matcha sweets: Japan's favorite katsu sandwich maker releasing matcha pork cutlet sandwich
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 It might be hard to believe, but matcha sweets are, for the most part, actually a relatively recent addition to the Japanese culinary scene. Yes, green tea ice cream has been a thing for a long time, and a handful of traditional Japanese confectionaries used matcha, but for the most part matcha was a beverage, not a flavoring. Of course, modern Japanese society has now fully embraced all sorts of sweet matcha treats. But what about using matcha as a seasoning for something savory? Image: Maisen Maisen is a Tokyo pork cutlet restaurant that was founded in 1965, which also has pre-prepared takeout shops in some Japanese department stores' food sections. One of their biggest hits is their hire katsu (pork tenderloin cutlet) sandwich, pictured above. This summer they're offering a new version, created in partnership with tea-brand Iemon (part of the Suntory group): a katsu sandwich made with matcha. Image: PR Times The cutlet itself is the same deep-fried slice of tenderloin that Maisen fans know and love, but the soft, crustless bread is matcha infused, with Iemon green tea powder kneaded into the dough before baking. Maisen promises a refreshing green tea flavor and aroma as you bite into the bread, and even the sweet and savory katsu sauce that's poured on the cutlet slices is a special matcha version made just for this collaboration. Image: PR Times Maisen's Iemon Hire Katsu Sandwich goes on sale June 1, priced at 540 yen. In recognition of the Iemon brand's Uji/Kyoto Prefecture roots, it'll be available at the Maisen branches in the Kyoto Daimaru, JR Kyoto Isetan, Kyoto Porta department stores/shopping centers, and will also be coming to the Osaka World Expo via a Maisen food truck, though there's no exact date announced for that yet. Meanwhile, here in Tokyo we'll be keeping our fingers crossed and our stomachs growling that this special sandwich eventually makes its way to east Japan too. Source: Maisen, PR Times via Japaaan Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Japan's favorite pork cutlet sandwich maker also has awesome katsudon restaurant in Tokyo Station -- Katsudon vs. tonkatsu vs. katsu sandwich – What's the best way to eat pork cutlet in Japan? -- What happens when a sweet bun maker teams up with a tonkatsu sandwich specialist? External Link © SoraNews24
Japan Today
4 days ago
- Japan Today
Convenience store manager saves elderly customer from being scammed
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 On the night of April 21, an elderly man walked into the Namioka Fukuda branch of convenience store chain Lawson in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture. Working the register at that time was the store's manager, 45-year-old Indonesian national Heni Susilawati. Susilawati recognized the man, since he's one of her regular customers. However, there were a few things that made this shopping run different from his usual ones. For starters, the man usually comes in to the store in the morning, and second, this time he was buying something he'd never purchased at the store before: prepaid online payment cards. Granted, we're living in an age where more and more people are ordering stuff online, but the two cards the man brought to the register had a combined total value of 180,000 yen, which is a whole lot for someone who hadn't previously displayed such enthusiasm for e-commerce. So Susilawati asked the man what sort of payment he was planning to make using the cards, and he informed her: 'My computer got infected with a virus. I have to buy these to pay for the repairs.' That's not how PC maintenance is supposed to work, though, so Susilawati strongly suspected the man was being scammed. She tried several times to talk the man out of buying the cards, but each time he cheerfully brushed aside her concern, saying 'No, it's not a scam. I need to fix my computer.' With Susilawati unable to convince him, the man completed his purchase and left the store, but she was still worried about him, and so she contacted the police and told them what had happened. By examining security camera footage, the quick-working investigators were able to follow the man's path from the store back to his home. Once they'd determined his location, officers were dispatched, and they were able to convince the man not to hand over the card information to the party claiming to he needed to pay them for repairs. The incident comes as Aomori is strengthening its efforts to prevent fraud. According to the Aomori Prefectural Police Department, in 2024 investigators prevented roughly 27.29 million yen from being transferred from private citizens to scammers, more than three times the amount for 2021. However, you can't prevent money from being lost in frauds unless it was targeted in the first place, showing that there are still plenty of crooks going after people in Aomori, and as is often the case, senior citizens are some of the most at-risk individuals. Susilawati says she's happy to have been able to save someone from getting ripped off, and that she'll continue to tell customers, of all ages, that they might be getting scammed if the transactions they're making seem fishy. It's a sign of Japan's growing internationalization that foreign-born service convenience store workers aren't just responsible for stocking shelves and ringing up purchases, but now are helping with crime prevention too. Source: Yomiuri Shimbun, Lawson Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Heroic Japanese convenience store owner saves foreigner from online scam artist -- Japanese woman reported to police for 'not looking right in a suit,' turns out she's a crook -- Foreigner convenience store clerk in Japan saves elderly woman from scammers with quick thinking External Link © SoraNews24
Japan Today
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Japan Today
Japan's bullet train upholstery chairs bring shinkansen style to your living room
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 Yes, the shinkansen is very, very fast. That's why they call it the 'bullet train,' after all. It's not just the speed that makes the shinkansen a joy to be on, though, but also the relaxing atmosphere, the smoothness of the ride, the soothing tones of the 'Welcome to the shinkansen' audio announcement, and the soft seats. Now Japanese furniture maker Emoor is offering the relaxing comfort of a shinkansen ride even if you're not going anywhere, with a pair of chairs inspired by those found on the high-speed trains. Specifically, these chairs take their inspiration from the chairs onboard JR East's E7-type carriages on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line, which connects Tokyo and Kanazawa. Both use the same upholstery as the shinkansen's actual seats, with the red-and-gray pattern matching the material used in the standard-class cars and the blue fabric identical to that of the first-class Green Car seats. ▼ They also both feature those classy little headrest cover cloths. The frames aren't exact copies of the shinkansen seats, however. Instead the red chair is based on Emoor's 'Leon' chair model, and the blue on the company's 'Kanata' design. So while you're getting the authentic Shinkansen experience in terms of fabric feel and aesthetics, you also get an expanded range of reclining, height, and headrest angle options. ▼ Fittingly, the Green Car-inspired chair has more height adjustment options than the normal-class one. This is actually Emoor's second batch of Shinkansen-style chairs, as the original stock sold out. As of May 20, though, orders are once again open through JR East's JRE Mall online store here and the official Emoor e-store here, with the regular-class chair priced at 65,000 yen and the Green Car version 70,000 yen, with shipping slated for late July. Source, images: PR Times Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Shinkansen bullet trains adding semi-private booths on most popular travel route【Pics】 -- JR East announces awesomely cheap one-day all-you can ride pass, Shinkansen included -- What's the rule for where to put strollers on Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains? External Link © SoraNews24
