Latest news with #SeaOfJapan
Condé Nast Traveler
3 days ago
- Business
- Condé Nast Traveler
On Japan's Rural Coast, One Sleepy Town's Locals Are Vying For the Megacities' Travelers
This is part of Uncovering Japan, a collection of stories that spotlight the lesser known gems that belong on your Japan itinerary, offering everything from a wellspring of local craft and a vibrant street-food culture to traditional wellness. Read more here. There is a small and rather unremarkable city of 30,000 people in one of Japan's rather unremarkable prefectures, located around three hours due north by train from Kyoto, called Obama. It would have remained that way were it not for something strange and serendipitous that happened in 2008: On the other side of the planet, the United States elected a president who shares his name with the oft-forgotten destination—an event that would unbury this little burg from its hardened obscurity. The town of Obama is located three hours north of Kyoto and stretches out into the Sea of Japan. William Sean Brecht Obama, in Japanese, roughly translates to 'little beach'—a fitting moniker for a city that yawns along a protected cove facing the northerly Sea of Japan. And when American political happenstance lent its name new relevance, its citizens came up with a plan to capitalize on their good fortune—not only to stoke the embers of tourism but to give their home a fighting chance of staving off the depopulation that has plagued many of the country's minor metropolises. Without the glittering towers of Tokyo, or the palaces and pagodas of Kyoto, Obama couldn't necessarily leverage its attractions, new or old. So locals made a bold bet on another cultural currency: its people. While soft smiles and polite words are the signature aspect of the Japanese hospitality experience, visitors can find it hard to pierce the veneer of 'omote'—an outward facing polish that can prove to be a major hindrance to the deeply connective experience many of us travelers crave. But this is not the case in Obama, where its citizens are focused on nurturing more genuine relationships with foreigners, duly inviting them into the fold. Without the glittering towers of Tokyo, or the palaces and pagodas of Kyoto, Obama couldn't necessarily leverage its attractions, new or old. So locals made a bold bet on another cultural currency: its people. And the wager is starting to pay off. With a soaring number of tourists—emboldened by the feeble yen—Japan's conduits of connectivity are already becoming clogged with the steadily accruing crowds. As a visitor, suddenly I craved the Japan I had discovered 20 years ago in my teens, and by the recommendation of a friend, I soon found myself at a rather unremarkable train station on a cold, snowless night late last December. Via MyTownObama, the author visited with geishas not for traditional dancing or shamisen playing; instead they talked for hours. Brandon Presser Obama's last remaining okiya, or geisha house, is inhabited by three generations who trained in Kyoto's illustrious hanamachi districts. William Sean Brecht I had arranged through MyTownObama for a locally based guide to pick me up, and not long after, we were ringing the doorbell of Obama's last remaining okiya, or geisha house, which is inhabited by three generations of these entertaining artisans. Although the grandmother of the house had retired, she briefly entered the salon in her house clothes to offer me an orange. Her daughter and granddaughter, both dressed in brilliant autumnal-themed robes, had trained in Kyoto's illustrious hanamachi districts, though there was no traditional dancing or shamisen playing tonight. Instead we talked for hours—no-holds-barred conversations that started with questions about life as a geisha before evolving into heated discussions about everything from favorite K-pop artists to post-Obama-era (the president this time, not the city) politics. Despite the late night I rose early the next morning to watch a fleet of fishing vessels bring in the latest catch and fill an entire depot with styrofoam boxes of crab, squid, and fish. Long ago, the fishermen explained, there existed what was called the saba-kaido, or mackerel highway, where local traders moved seafood from the port in which I stood across the mountain passes and down to feed the nobles in capital city Kyoto. This was also the channel through which many of Japan's major influences, including Buddhism, are thought to have reached the country's seat of power. Archaeological evidence proves that local merchants were trading with China as early as 300 CE; the elaborate pavilions Myotsu-ji temple complex were built contemporaneously with Kyoto's most storied—and most visited—places of worship, though you would never know it, as I had the entire campus to myself. The friendly abbot, on his break, walked me through. Fukui Hakusan Heisenji is in a valley an hour and a half north of us, about a 20-minute drive east of Fukui city. It's a great stopping-off point on the way into or out of Obama and/or as a day trip from Obama. William Sean Brecht Even today Obama is always looking beyond its borders. A walk down its main commercial streets will reveal a French-style bakery where staff serve the best croissants this side of the Pacific; a Thai restaurant that spins a mean curry (but only until 9:30 p.m., when the owner gets into his pajamas and crawls into bed upstairs); a chic vintage-eyewear boutique where the manager will let you try on every frame in the store; and an impossibly cool leathersmith who uses European techniques to craft one-of-a-kind wallets and satchels. He'll also brew you a thick cup of java from his proprietary batch of African shade-grown beans, if you ask nicely.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Fishermen are baffled as dead TIGER is spotted floating in the sea
Fishermen sailing off the eastern Russian coast were shocked to discover the preserved corpse of a tiger floating in the sea. Disturbing footage taken from the boat in the Sea of Japan off the coast of Vladivostok on Sunday shows the rare adult Amur tiger floating past their vessel. The big cat showed no signs of injury, but the baffling find has prompted the city prosecutor's office to launch an investigation into the mysterious discovery. Police confirmed that the dead animal was an Amur, or Siberian, tiger, a critically endangered species that typically inhabits the forests of Russia's Far East. City prosecutors said: 'All circumstances of the incident, including the reasons for the animal's death, will be established.' The regional hunting supervision service said they are trying to verify the sighting and locate the tiger's body to find out how it died. A spokesperson said: 'Specialists are carrying out urgent measures to search for and recover the predator's body from the water.' The clip of the floating tiger was shared on social media platform Telegram and has gone viral. There is currently a population of 750 Amur tigers in Russia, according to The mysterious find comes five years after a beheaded tiger was discovered among several other animal corpses during a wildlife trafficking raid at a private zoo in Thailand. Thai wildlife officials made the shocking discovery at the Mukda Tiger Park and Farm in the northeastern province of Mukdahan in December 2020. They found a severed tiger head and other tiger carcasses, including body parts, in a crackdown on suspected wildlife trafficking. Five live tiger cubs suspected of being illegally smuggled into the zoo were also seized during the raid. The five tigers had been declared as having been born at the facility, but DNA tests showed that three of them - one female and two males - were not related to any tigers in the park, suggesting they had been smuggled in, officials said. Authorities removed the two other tigers for further forensics testing and are currently investigating the discovery of the tiger's head at the zoo. The results of DNA tests on a further 20 tigers, including two cubs, will be released in December, according to the Bangkok Post.
NHK
09-05-2025
- Politics
- NHK
North Korea: Kim Jong Un oversees tactical ballistic missile drill
North Korea says its leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a joint striking drill of ballistic missile and long-range artillery systems on Thursday. Friday's edition of the ruling Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported that the drill involved a 600-millimeter multi-layer rocket system and the Hwasong-11-Ka tactical ballistic missile. The report said that ahead of the firing, training was conducted to make soldiers master the procedures and processes for rapidly switching over to the nuclear counterattack posture. Kim reportedly stressed the need to steadily enhance the pivotal role of the nuclear force in all aspects of the strategy to deter war and the strategy to fight war. The report also said that Kim underscored the importance of steadily perfecting the normal combat readiness of the nuclear force. South Korea's military said on Thursday that North Korea had fired short-range ballistic missiles of multiple types toward the Sea of Japan. South Korean officials said the launches may have been a performance test linked to the North's arms exports to Russia.
Al Jazeera
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
North Korea fires missiles off east coast, South Korea says
North Korea has fired a flurry of short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military has said, in what Seoul called a possible test of weapons intended for export. North Korean forces launched the missiles from an area near the eastern port city of Wonsan between 8:10am (23:10 GMT on Wednesday) and 9:20am (00:20 GMT), South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Thursday. The missiles flew up to 800km (500 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan, the JSC said. The launches are the fourth round of ballistic missile tests carried out by North Korea this year, after launches in January and March. 'Our military, under the strong South Korea-US combined defense posture, is closely monitoring various North Korean activities to prevent any misjudgment (by the North),' the JSC said in a statement. Lee Sung Joon, a JSC spokesperson, said in a briefing that launches may have been to test the 'performance or flight stability' of planned missile exports. Lee did not specify which country might receive the missiles, but Pyongyang has been a key backer of Russia in its war in Ukraine. North Korea has sent missiles, artillery and some 15,000 soldiers to Russia to support its war effort, according to South Korea's National Intelligence Service. About 4,700 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured in fighting so far, according to the intelligence service. Pyongyang last month acknowledged the deployment for the first time, with state media quoting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un saying his forces would help 'annihilate and wipe out the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate the Kursk area in cooperation with the Russian armed forces'. North Korea signed a landmark mutual defence treaty with Russia last year following a state visit to the reclusive country by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Thursday's missile launches also drew condemnation from Japan, with Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen telling reporters that Tokyo had lodged a protest with Pyongyang.
