HEAD TEMPLE AT MOUNT KOYA URGES SUMMER VISITORS TO AVOID REVEALING ATTIRE - HASHIMOTO, WAKAYAMA JAPAN

HEAD TEMPLE AT MOUNT KOYA URGES SUMMER VISITORS TO AVOID REVEALING ATTIRE - HASHIMOTO, WAKAYAMA JAPAN

@Jr_Paku Midin Channel

HASHIMOTO, Wakayama

A leading Buddhist temple at Mount Koya, a UNESCO World Heritage site in western Japan, is asking visitors to refrain from wearing revealing clothing when visiting its holy area as summer approaches.

Setting up bilingual signboards in Japanese and English, around 30 employees and monks handed out leaflets to tourists in early May at Kongobuji temple in Wakayama Prefecture, amid a growing number of visitors wearing shorts, short skirts and tops exposing the shoulders or back during the warmer months.

The temple installed three signboards around the premises including at the entrance to Okunoin, a sacred site where the mausoleum of Kukai, the ninth-century founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism, is located. Its doctrine says he remains in eternal meditation there.

Staff may approach visitors wearing inappropriate clothing and ask them to comply with the temple's request or suggest purchasing outerwear.

"We ask visitors to please make an effort to dress appropriately," said Hogen Yabu, head of the temple's religious affairs office. "We would be grateful if this leads to a greater movement across the country."

The request comes as other major Japanese tourism spots have urged people to dress suitably.

Last year, Yamanashi Prefecture, near Tokyo, announced that hikers climbing Mount Fuji, which is also a World Heritage Site, would be required to wear appropriate climbing gear, including warm clothing and footwear. Access to a local trail may be denied for noncompliance.

The announcement for Japan's tallest peak is designed to address the issue of dangerous climbing, such as in light wear and with insufficient equipment, amid a rise in foreign visitors and concerns about overcrowding.

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RUSSIAN MAN ATTACKED BY BEAR IN WESTERN MOUNTAINOUS REGION OF TOKYO - TOKYO JAPAN

RUSSIAN MAN ATTACKED BY BEAR IN WESTERN MOUNTAINOUS REGION OF TOKYO - TOKYO JAPAN 

@Jr_Paku Midin Channel

TOKYO

A Russian man was attacked by a bear on Sunday in a town in the mountainous far-western region of Tokyo, authorities said.

According to local authorities and the fire department, the man, who is in his 30s, suffered injuries to his arm and face and was airlifted to a hospital by helicopter. He was seriously injured but remained conscious.

An emergency call was made around 12:10 p.m. reporting a bear attack in Okutama.

The man was hiking alone in the mountains when he encountered the bear and was not carrying a bear repellent bell, the authorities said.

Members of the local hunters' association and police searched the area but have not yet found the bear. The town has set up a cage to capture the animal.

Around 40 bear sightings have been reported near the site of the attack since April.

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GIANT COCROACH STATUE BRINGS NEW LIFE TO SHRINKING NARA VILLAGE - NARA TOKYO JAPAN

GIANT COCROACH STATUE BRINGS NEW LIFE TO SHRINKING NARA VILLAGE - NARA TOKYO JAPAN 

@Jr_Paku Midin Channel

NARA

A giant bronze cockroach with muscular arms and a sumo wrestler's stance is drawing tourists to a shrinking mountain village in western Japan, where the bizarre temple statue has become an unexpected tourist draw.

Installed more than 25 years ago at Rinsenji Temple in the village of Kamikitayama, Nara Prefecture, the towering "Gokiburiten" -- a cockroach deity -- was originally built as a memorial for pests.

Today, the figure attracts curious visitors from across Japan and overseas, helping bring new attention to a rural community struggling with depopulation.

Kamikitayama sits about a two-hour drive south of the city of Nara, tucked into a forested region. At the entrance to Rinsenji Temple, visitors are immediately confronted by the statue: a 170-centimeter bronze cockroach resembling a human form with six limbs -- four powerful arms extended outward and two legs with feet firmly anchored to the ground.

Its creator, sculptor Hiroo Amano, 72, from Mizunami in Gifu Prefecture, said he wanted to challenge expectations of how such a creature might be represented.

"I wanted to create a powerful-looking cockroach," Amano said.

He drew inspiration from the dramatic "mie" poses of Kabuki, as well as the ritualistic energy of sumo wrestling's ring-entering ceremonies. The result is a figure frozen in a theatrical stance, more symbolic than realistic.

Amano also embedded a miniature human city within the statue's abdomen, a detail he said reflected a reversal of points of view.

"When creating this memorial statue, I decided to reverse the roles and depict humans as parasitic on the cockroach," he said.

Although the word for cockroach, "gokiburi," is not usually written in kanji characters, he chose to do so to give it a sacred tone while preserving its layered meaning.

The statue was commissioned by Sono, an Osaka-based building maintenance company that has worked in pest control for more than 30 years, carrying out more than 2,000 cockroach extermination jobs annually.

Its founder, Ryozaburo Minamisono, 84, said the idea was born from a desire to create something out of the ordinary.

"I wanted to create something off the wall," he laughed.

Minamisono had a long-standing personal connection to the temple. He and the former head priest of Rinsenji were childhood classmates, a relationship that eventually led to the statue being installed at the temple in November 2000.

Since then, the bronze figure has steadily taken on a life of its own.

Groups of young people now visit regularly to see the unusual landmark. International tourists, including travelers from China and Poland, also make their way to the remote village, turning the statue into an unexpected point of cultural curiosity.

For residents, the attention has brought both surprise and a sense of connection.

Miho Kojima, the wife of the temple's former head priest, has lived alongside the statue since its installation. Over the years, she has watched as visitors from outside the prefecture arrive in increasing numbers, transforming the quiet temple grounds into a place of interaction.

"This statue is a source of strength for me," Kojima said.

The statue has also helped create bonds between locals and outsiders, offering moments of conversation and exchange that are increasingly rare in a village facing demographic decline.

More than 25 years on, its surface has grown smoother and more lustrous, polished by time and by the hands of those who stop to examine it closely.

Kojima encourages visitors to approach the statue freely and hopes they will enjoy it "as a work of art."

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MAGNITUDE 6.3 EARTHQUAKE JOLTS NORTHERN JAPAN - TOKYO JAPAN

MAGNITUDE 6.3 EARTHQUAKE JOLTS NORTHERN JAPAN - TOKYO JAPAN 

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TOKYO

An earthquake with a preliminary ‌magnitude of ⁠6.3 ⁠hit ⁠northern ‌Japan ⁠on Friday, the ⁠Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The ⁠epicenter ⁠of the earthquake, which hit at 8:22 p.m., ‌was off the ‌coast of Miyagi prefecture at a depth of ​50 kilometers, ‌the agency said, adding that ‌no tsunami ⁠warning ⁠had been ​issued.

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JAPAN URGES PUBLIC NOT TO HOARD TRASH BAGS AMID NAPHTHA SHORTAGE - TOKYO JAPAN

JAPAN URGES PUBLIC NOT TO HOARD TRASH BAGS AMID NAPHTHA SHORTAGE - TOKYO JAPAN

@Jr_Paku Midin Channel

TOKYO

Japan's Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara called Friday the public not to stock up on household trash bags more than necessary amid a naphtha shortage caused by the Middle East situation.

"We have secured the necessary supply of garbage bags. Please remain calm and avoid panic buying," Ishihara told a press conference, noting that some municipality-designated plastic trash bags have been in short supply due to stockpiling.

Garbage bags are often made from polyethylene derived from naphtha. Many local governments in Japan require residents to use designated trash bags, which are commonly sold at convenience stores, supermarkets and other retail outlets.

According to the Environment Ministry, while major manufacturers' shipment volumes in April were 1.1 to two times higher than the previous year, some regions have seen purchase volumes surge by up to three times.

Some local governments have allowed residents to dispose of household garbage in bags other than those designated.

According to a survey by the ministry, the supply of garbage bags is expected to remain at last year's levels.

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