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The Mainichi
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Hong Kong 'Super Fan' from Japan weaves art in city's vivid colors
OSAKA -- Japanese embroidery artist Katsumi Takeoka features Hong Kong themes such as pandas and "yum cha" dim sum and tea breakfasts in her works that are catching eyes both in Hong Kong and Japan. Based in Osaka, Takeoka is passionate about Hong Kong and was certified as a "Hong Kong Super Fan" by the Hong Kong Tourism Board in 2021. Among her creations is "Panda Paradise," with fuzzy pandas so cute one wants to pet them, gathered around a table. Other motifs include hanging roasted ducks found in shopfronts, bottles of oyster sauce and "bo lo yau" buns with butter in the center, closely reflecting daily Hong Kong life. Takeoka uses a technique called "punch needle" to give her embroidery a three-dimensional, fluffy look, employing thick yarn rather than traditional embroidery thread along with a specialized needle. The result is visually dynamic, and she sometimes adds beads or sequins to further accentuate the "kawaii" (cute) appeal. The artist spoke about how the lively image of Hong Kong seen in vibrant signboards or neon lights owes itself to traditional feng shui color practices. "Colors like red and gold, which symbolize health and prosperity, are preferred and used everywhere in the city, perhaps making it feel so energetic," Takeoka said. After graduating from art university, Takeoka worked as a designer for a baby bedding manufacturer. Her first visit to Hong Kong was in 1999. As someone accustomed to pale pastel hues for baby products, she found the Hong Kong cityscape to be a stimulating "flood of color." As her work involved using computers, she realized she wanted to create something by hand. She then remembered a "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" embroidery kit her mother bought her when she was a child. Takeoka resumed embroidery, starting her career as an artist in 2000. About 10 years ago, she purchased beads and sequins in Hong Kong and began thinking it might be interesting to make Hong Kong-themed works using the materials. In 2021, the Hong Kong Tourism Board ran a coloring contest featuring scenes of the city as part of a campaign. Although Takeoka was unable to enter during the application period, she converted a coloring design into an embroidery piece and posted it on Instagram, catching the attention of tourism board officials. In 2023, she was invited to participate in an art exhibition in Hong Kong, where she also worked on a joint project with a local artist. People often ask if Takeoka plans to move to Hong Kong, but her answer is a no. "I always want to keep the sense of excitement I feel as a tourist." For future projects, she is interested in the theme of "Neo-Hong Kong:" "I want to express a futuristic, ever-evolving Hong Kong," she said, her eyes gleaming with creative determination. Aside from embroidery, Takeoka also creates pieces with tufting, a weaving technique for carpets and other fabrics. (Japanese original by Mayu Maemoto, Osaka City News Department)
The Mainichi
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: The Osaka mayor says sorry about dirty school lunch dishes
OSAKA -- The mayor of Osaka said sorry on May 20 about many problems with food at a city elementary school. Since April, there have been problems like dirty bowls and hair on the food. Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama said to the Osaka city government, "I am very sorry. This is a serious problem." These food problems started at an Osaka elementary school in April, when a different lunch company began making the food. On April 3, the school principal and teachers tasted the food. They told the city's education board, "The rice was not cooked well. The pork smelled too oily. Teachers could not finish it." Soon, the lunch company got advice from the education board on how to cook rice. On April 11, the school found bowls were not cleaned well. Some bowls still had rice and dirty spots. Because of this, the principal stopped side dishes that day. Students ate only milk and bread for lunch. Later in April, the education board went to check the lunch company's kitchen. Still, problems continued. People found hair in rice, a kitchen worker cooking food with broken gloves, and a worker touching trash and then touching pizza. Someone also found hair in Chinese soup. On May 16, parents and teachers from the school had a meeting. Parents asked if children could bring their own lunches from home and if cameras could check the lunch company's kitchen. From May 19, the principal said children could bring lunch from home if they wanted. On May 19, 35 students brought lunches from home. On May 20, 57 students did so. Some people from the city government want to end the contract with this lunch company. But the city's education head, Katsuya Tada, said, "No students have become sick so far. We must think carefully first." Mayor Yokoyama said, "If problems continue, we may have to stop using this lunch company. But we must also carefully follow rules and laws." (Japanese original by Shunsuke Takara, Osaka City News Department) Vocabulary - mayor: the leader of a town or city. - principal: the person in charge of a school. - education board: a group that helps make rules for schools. - elementary school: school for young children. - contract: a written promise between people or groups to do something. - kitchen worker: a person whose job is cooking or cleaning in a kitchen. - company: a group that provides or sells things or services, like school lunches. - government: a group of people who make rules and lead a city or country.
The Mainichi
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Dirty dishes, hair in food: Osaka elementary school lunches rife with problems since April
OSAKA -- The mayor of this west Japan city apologized May 20 after it came to light that unsanitary conditions for meals served at a municipal elementary school here, such as unclean bowls and hair in food, have been recurring since April. At a meeting of the Osaka Municipal Assembly's education and children committee, Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama bowed in apology, saying, "I take this very seriously and deeply apologize." The mayor was answering questions from Hiromi Fuchikami, a committee member belonging to a group affiliated with the Liberal Democratic Party. According to Fuchikami and the municipal board of education, the sanitary issues with school lunches began after their supplier was changed in April. The school's principal, after a taste-testing April 3, had told the education board, "The rice is not cooked properly. The pork also smelled oily. None of our teachers could finish the meal." Guidance on rice preparation was given the following day. On April 11, due to rice grains and stains still on multiple pieces of dishware intended to be used for servings, the principal made the call to stop serving side dishes except for milk and bread. In light of the issues, the education board in late April implemented in-person checks of the meal preparation. However, incidents continued. Hair was found in a food can containing rice, and a kitchen worker was found to be continuing to cook with torn gloves. Later, a faculty member found a pizza being cooked with hands that had touched a trash can, and the pizza was discarded. Hair was also found in a can of Chinese soup. The school held a parent-teacher conference on May 16. Parents called for ideas including bringing bento boxed lunches and installing security cameras in the food preparation area. The principal approved students bringing their own boxed lunches from May 19, and of the more than 400 students, 35 on May 19 and 57 on May 20 brought their own lunches. Fuchikami has called for an early termination of the contract with the supplier. "The school's students have not experienced any health problems at this point, so we need to decide carefully," said Katsuya Tada, head of the municipal education board. He added, "We will continue to study the feasibility of various options about the contract." After the committee meeting, the mayor told reporters, "If a situation arises that makes it impossible to keep the contract or causes damage, the contract cannot continue. On the other hand, we have to check the laws. We want to make careful and appropriate decisions." (Japanese original by Shunsuke Takara, Osaka City News Department) Timeline of incidents related to school lunches at municipal elementary school in Osaka April 3: The school principal noted that rice wasn't properly cooked and pork smelled oily during a meal trial. April 10: A delay of 15 minutes was caused by a staffer not knowing how to use the fryer. April 11: Dishes that were wet or with sticky rice and dirt on them were seen, leading the principal to cancel serving side dishes excluding bread and milk. April 17: After cutting a cooking glove, staff concluded there was no further contamination and resumed meal preparation. Hair was found in rice. April 25: A stained ladle was replaced. May 1: A teacher found a staff member handling pizza after touching a trash can, leading to the disposal of the food. May 8: Rice was like porridge and was recooked.
The Mainichi
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Event for S. Korea held at Osaka Expo featuring parade reenacting old diplomatic mission
OSAKA -- A National Day event to introduce South Korean culture was held at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kanai on May 13, one month after its opening. A parade reenacting the Joseon Tongsinsa, a diplomatic mission sent by the Joseon dynasty to Japan, energized the venue in Osaka's Konohana Ward. The Joseon Tongsinsa were diplomatic envoys dispatched to Japan mainly during the Edo period (1603-1867). During the parade, participants dressed in vibrant traditional yellow and blue costumes marched in rhythm to percussion music. During the commemorative ceremony, South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ahn Duk-geun, noted that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea, and expressed his hope that this Expo would serve as a starting point for leading society together for the next 50 years. In conjunction with the event, a replica ship of the Joseon Tongsinsa arrived at a port near the venue. (Japanese original by Akiko Kato, Osaka City News Department)
The Mainichi
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: Man uses 85-year-old expo ticket to visit Expo Osaka
OSAKA -- A man had a very old ticket from an event 85 years ago. He used it to visit the new Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, on May 5. The ticket was for an earlier expo planned for Tokyo in 1940. But that expo did not happen because of war. The 1940 event was called the "2600 Japan International Exposition." People call it the "phantom expo" because it never really took place. Many tickets were not used. Later, people could use these tickets at other expos, like the 1970 Osaka Expo. The man with the old ticket is Fumiya Takenawa, 25, from Tokyo. He was visiting his parents in Osaka Prefecture. He likes the "Tower of the Sun," the famous building from Osaka's 1970 Expo. He collects things from old expos. In March, he found and bought an old 1940 expo ticket online. He first put it in his home as a decoration. Then he wondered if he could use the old ticket for Expo 2025. He asked the expo organizers, and they said yes, he could use it if it was a real ticket. Takenawa was happy. He said, "This is my first expo, and I feel part of history. Expos help people come together in peace. The person who had this ticket before me waited 85 years, and now their wish finally came true." He visited the Czech and Saudi Arabian pavilions. He said that he wants to visit the Expo again every time he comes to Osaka to see his family. In 1938, people bought about 1 million ticket books for the 1940 expo. Each book had 12 tickets and cost 10 yen at that time. (That is around 17,000 yen today, or about $118.) For the 2025 Expo, one whole old ticket book can be exchanged for two adult one-day tickets, and visitors keep the old ticket book afterward. In the past, people exchanged around 3,000 tickets at the 1970 Osaka Expo and about 100 tickets at Aichi Expo 2005. (Japanese original by Yukiko Hayashi, Osaka City News Department) Vocabulary phantom: a ghost, or something not real war: Fighting between groups or countries. organizer: A person or group who plans and runs an event. pavilion: A special building at an expo where countries show interesting things to visitors. exchange: To give one thing and receive another in return.
