Latest news with #Tokushima
NHK
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- NHK
Awa Odori dance festival in western Japan in full swing
Hundreds of dancers have demonstrated their skills simultaneously at the Awa Odori festival in the western Japanese city of Tokushima. Full-scale outdoor performances started at several venues on Tuesday. As the climax of the day, "so-odori" dancing was staged at one of the sites, involving 1,700 dancers from 15 groups showing off their superlative skills. Women executed elegant dance moves in sync with one another, while men danced energetically. Some spectators took videos, and others clapped their hands in time to the music. A boy who came from Tokyo with his family said he enjoyed the show because the dancers were impressive and they performed with smiles. He said the festival was even better than he had hoped, and he wants to see it again. The Awa Odori festival will continue through Friday. The so-odori starts at around 9:40 p.m. each day.
NHK
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- NHK
Tokushima City's 5-day Awa Odori dance festival begins
The renowned Awa Odori summer dance festival opened in the city of Tokushima on Monday with a dazzling stage performance. The five-day event began with a ceremony at a local hall, followed by performances by about 600 dancers from top troupes. A woman in her 80s who had come from Hyogo Prefecture with her family said she was impressed with the expressive movements. One of the dancers said she gave her all to showcase the essence of real Awa Odori. She said she will keep dancing with a smile on her face and hopes spectators will have a lot of fun. From Tuesday, dancers will take the show onto the streets and outdoor stages. The annual festival draws more than 1 million visitors from across Japan and abroad each year. This year's event will run through Friday.
The Mainichi
19-07-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Can Japan hit 7% yearly minimum wage hike in push for 1,500 yen/hour national target?
The Mainichi Shimbun answers some common questions readers may have about the Japanese government's minimum wage council which has commenced this year's deliberations. Question: What's this year's focus? Answer: Just a single issue: How much will Japan's minimum wage rise as prices surge and wage hike momentum continues? The administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is pledging to move up the target announced by the previous Prime Minister Fumio Kishida government -- to raise the hourly minimum wage to 1,500 yen (approx. $10.10) on national average by the mid-2030s -- into the 2020s. For this to happen, the minimum wage needs to rise by about 7% each year for the next five years. Whether such a hike can be realized in the first round of discussions after bringing forward the timeline is a key test. Q: Is a 7% annual increase really that difficult? A: The Central Minimum Wages Council, an advisory body to the health, labor and welfare minister, sets central guidelines on minimum wage, and the rates of increase have been rising recently. In fiscal 2023, the increase topped the previous 3% range and hit 4.3% (up 41 yen, or about 28 cents), pushing the hourly wage above 1,000 yen for the first time. In fiscal 2024, the hike was 5% (up 50 yen), bringing it to 1,054 yen. But a 7% increase would be unprecedented in recent years. Q: The council's guideline isn't the final decision. Why is there a difference? A: The council drafts recommended increase amounts based on each region's economic conditions, ranking areas accordingly. Actual rates are decided by regional minimum wage councils in each prefecture. Since fiscal 2023, it has become common for regions to set minimum wages that significantly surpass the national guideline. In fiscal 2024 especially, Tokushima Prefecture's decision exceeded the guideline by 34 yen -- a move dubbed the "Tokushima shock." Q: Why are rural regions rushing to raise minimum wages? A: In the case of Tokushima Prefecture, which is connected by a bridge with Awaji Island of Hyogo Prefecture where minimum wage is higher, pay disparities will cause a labor outflow. The central and local wage councils both include labor and management representatives as well as experts. While the management side usually hesitates to support increases, there may be more regions deciding that wage hikes are unavoidable amid labor shortages.
NHK
14-07-2025
- Automotive
- NHK
2 dead after highway bus, truck collide in Tokushima, western Japan
A highway bus and a truck have collided head-on on an expressway in the western Japanese city of Awa, in Tokushima Prefecture, killing two people. The collision occurred on the Tokushima Expressway in the city's Ichiba-cho district at around 12:30 p.m. on Monday. The bus caught fire and soon both vehicles were engulfed in flames. Police say a passenger on the bus and the truck driver died. The 12 other people onboard the bus including the driver sustained a range of injuries. The bus operator, Iyotetsu Bus, says the vehicle was heading to Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture, from the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture. Police say the crash occurred along a section of single-lane road where the lanes are separated by poles. They believe the two vehicles collided near the center line after one of the vehicles veered into the oncoming lane. An investigation continues.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Strange Reason Flights to This Popular Country Are Being Canceled
Japan's red-hot tourism boom just hit an unexpected turbulence thanks to an old comic book. Reuters reported that airlines are suspending flights, tours are being slashed in half, and travelers across Asia are rethinking their vacations, all because of a viral rumor predicting a catastrophic earthquake on July 5, 2025. The prediction didn't come from scientists. It came from the pages of a manga titled The Future I Saw by Ryo Tatsuki, first published in 1999. The comic gained a second life online after readers connected its reference to a 2011 disaster with recent claims that a new catastrophe would strike this summer. Panic quickly spread through social media, especially in Hong Kong, prompting widespread concern and real-world fallout. Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines announced this week it would suspend service to Tokushima, Japan, citing weak demand. The airline isn't alone. Tour agencies like EGL Tours reported that bookings to Japan were cut in half, despite offering steep discounts and earthquake insurance to offset fears. 'The rumors have had a significant impact,' said Steve Huen, executive director at EGL Tours. Japan had recorded an all-time monthly high of 3.9 million international visitors in April. But in May, arrivals from Hong Kong dropped 11% compared to the previous year. Even individual travelers are second-guessing their plans. One visitor from Hong Kong told Reuters, 'If possible, I might delay my trip and go after September.' Japan sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes are common, but experts say there's no scientific basis for the manga's claims. 'None of the predictions I've experienced in my scientific career have come close at all,' said University of Tokyo seismologist Robert Geller. Even the manga's author issued a statement saying she is not a prophet. Still, the damage has been done. While many travelers like Seattle's Serena Peng continue their trips, others are holding back. Airlines and tour operators are watching closely to see whether fear fades or lingers long enough to reshape Japan's tourism Reason Flights to This Popular Country Are Being Canceled first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 5, 2025
