Japan – आवारा मुसाफिर

Dedicated artists are keeping Japan’s ancient craft of temari alive

September 23, 202487 Views

Time seems to stop here. Women sit in a small circle, quietly, painstakingly stitching patterns on balls the size of an orange, a stitch at a time. At the center of the circle is Eiko Araki, a master of the Sanuki Kagari Temari, a Japanese traditional craft passed down for more than 1,000 years on the southwestern island of Shikoku. Each ball, or “temari,” is a work of art, with colorful geometric patterns carrying poetic names like “firefly flowers” and “layered stars.” A temari ball takes weeks or months to finish. Some cost hundreds of dollars (tens of thousands of yen), although others are much cheaper. Several completed Sanuki Kagari Temari balls are on display in Eiko Araki's studio in Kawaramachi, Kagawa prefecture, Japan, on Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama) T...

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Tourist splurge in Japan creates new headache for luxury brands

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August 2, 2024207 Views

Tourists are flocking to Japan to scoop up high-end clothes and handbags at a discount thanks to the weak yen currency. Luxury goods companies like Louis Vuitton parent LVMH would rather they stayed home and shopped. The yen's sell-off - it hit a 38-year low against the dollar last month before recovering ground - has sparked an unprecedented tourist boom, drawing savvy shoppers from Asia and elsewhere. Global luxury brands aren't cheering, because their goods, ranging from designer sneakers to whisky, now tend to be cheaper in dollar terms in Japan than elsewhere, denting profits. Some tourists, especially Chinese, are holding off on buying designer goods at home and splurging in Japan. The yen's volatility means companies can't easily hike prices to accurately reflect the curre...

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Only 4000 climbers to be allowed to enter Mount Fuji per day

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May 21, 2024304 Views

Those who want to climb one of the most popular trails on Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji will have to book a slot and pay a fee as crowds, littering and climbers who try to rush too fast to the summit cause safety and conservation concerns at the picturesque stratovolcano. The new rules for the climbing season, starting July 1 to Sept. 10, apply for those hiking the Yoshida Trail on the Yamanashi side of the 3,776 meter- (nearly 12,300 feet-) high mountain that was designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2013. FILE PHOTO: Visitors take pictures of Mount Fuji from Shibuya Sky observation deck Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Only 4,000 climbers will be allowed to enter the trail per day for a hiking fee of 2,000 yen (about $18)...

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Crowds picnic to see Tokyo’s cherry blossoms at full bloom

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April 7, 2024305 Views

Crowds gathered to enjoy Japan’s famed cherry blossoms in Tokyo, where cold weather has delayed their bloom. Cherry blossoms, known as “sakura” in Japanese, are the nation’s favorite flower. People often have sakura viewing parties beneath the falling petals, where there are also picnics and sake drinking. A visitor takes photos of the seasonal cherry blossoms at the Ueno Park Friday, April 5, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) Vidyuth Lakshman, 36, a tourist from Canada, said she’d seen cherry blossoms in her homeland but “not on this scale. The scale here is crazy.” The trees usually are at peak bloom in late March to early April, at the same time the country begins a new school and business year. “They’re really breathtaking,” said Silver Shea, 47, a tourist from ...

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Spring in Japan: Welcoming the Cherry Blossom

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February 26, 2024514 Views

Japan’s eagerly awaited Cherry Blossom Forecast 2024 is now out. While March to April marks the peak of cherry blossom (Sakura in Japanese) season in most parts of Japan, Sakura can also be enjoyed as early as February in southern Japan, particularly in Okinawa Prefecture, and lasts up to May in the northern part of Hokkaido Prefecture. When one thinks of Japan, the image of cherry blossoms, or sakura, often comes to mind. Indeed, the springtime bloom of these delicate pink flowers is a celebrated event across the country. In Okinawa, cherry blossoms typically begin to bloom as early as February, heralding the arrival of spring in this subtropical paradise. While Okinawa's sakura possess a unique charm against the backdrop of turquoise seas and lush greenery. Visitors to Okin...

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Japan to reopen to cruise ships after 2 1/2-year ban

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November 15, 2022699 Views

Japan will lift a more than 2 1/2-year ban on international cruise ships that was imposed following a deadly coronavirus outbreak on the cruise ship Diamond Princess at the beginning of the pandemic, transport officials said Tuesday. The Transport Ministry said cruise ship operators and port authorities’ associations have adopted anti-virus guidelines and that Japan is now ready to resume its international cruise operations while receiving foreign ships at its ports. FILE PHOTO: A small boat navigates near the Diamond Princess cruise ship anchoring off the Yokohama Port, near Tokyo on Feb. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) “Japan is now ready to start receiving international cruise ships again,” said Transport and Tourism Minister Tetsuo Saito. “We will create an environment tha...

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Japan to reopen to mass tourism in October

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September 23, 2022678 Views

Japan’s strict border restrictions will be loosened next month, the prime minister announced Thursday, allowing tourists to easily enter for the first time since the start of the pandemic. In a news conference at the foot of Central Park in New York, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said independent tourists would again be welcomed as of Oct. 11, not just those traveling with authorized groups. A cap on the number of tourists—currently set at 50,000—who are granted entry — which has been gradually increased this year — will be nixed altogether. And visa requirements that were imposed in response to the pandemic will also be rescinded. It may revise regulations on hotels, allowing them to refuse guests who don't abide by infection controls, such as mask wearing, during an outbreak, domes...

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He ran up and down Mt Fuji 4 times in under 10 hours

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July 16, 2022484 Views

Japanese mountain runner Ruy Ueda sets a new speed record for all four trails. Ruy Ueda has successfully run himself into the record books after setting the new fastest-known time for running all of Mount Fuji’s main trails in one stroke. The 28-year-old Japanese athlete completed the 57.06km with 6,772m of total elevation in 9h 55m 41s. The 'Mt. Fuji in One Stroke' project began from the Fujinomiya Trailhead 5th station at 4.51am local time on Wednesday, July 13. Ruy Ueda attempts for ONE STROKE at Mt.Fuji, Japan on July 13, 2022. Photo: Keisuke Kato / Red Bull Content Pool Sitting at 3,776m, Mt Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and one of the country’s ‘Three Holy Mountains’. The main four routes to the summit are the Fujinomiya, Gotemba, Subashiri and Yoshida trails. On...

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As COVID fears ebb, Japan readies for tourists from abroad

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June 28, 2022217 Views

The rickshaw men in Tokyo are adding English-speaking staff, a sure sign Japan is bracing for a return of tourists from abroad. Japan’s border controls to curb the spread of coronavirus infections began gradually loosening earlier this month. That’s great news for Yusuke Otomo, owner of Daikichi, a kimono rental shop in Asakusa, an old district of Tokyo famous for its temples, quaint restaurants and rickshaw rides. He can barely contain his excitement. A rickshaw puller carries his customers around Tokyo's Asakusa area famous for sightseeing, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) “Those were a hard three years. But we managed to endure until today. And after such an experience, to think people from abroad can finally come back is simply thrilling,” Otomo told The Ass...

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Tokyo June heatwave worst since 1875 as power supply creaks under strain

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June 28, 2022161 Views

Japan baked under scorching temperatures for a fourth successive day on Tuesday, as the capital's heat broke nearly 150-year-old records for June and authorities warned power supply remained tight enough to raise the spectre of cuts. The heatwave comes less than two weeks before a national election in which prices, including the cost of electricity, are among key issues picked by voters in opinion polls that show the government's approval rating slipping - with politicians including Tokyo's governor urging power price cuts. Passersby are seen through a heat haze during hot weather at Sugamo district in Tokyo, Japan June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato Temperatures in the capital hit 35.1 C by 1 p.m local time on Tuesday (0400 GMT), after three successive days of temperatures topping...