(English) Mt. Takasaki Monkey Election

    (English) Mt. Takasaki launched its popular “monkey election” event today (May 24). Located in Oita, Mt. Takasaki is a habitat of wild Japanese monkeys (Japanese macaques). The “monkey election” concept is based on AKB48 elections, in which the Japanese public can vote for their favorite members of the pop idol group. The AKB48 members who receive the most votes participate in the recording of the group’s next single and are heavily promoted. This year there are 15 popular monkeys in the zoo including some candidates from last year, plus one human representative (a zookeeeper). Because this year’s AKB48 election will crown the top seven members the “God Seven”, the zoo has decided to call the top seven monkeys the “Saru Seven” (saru is monkey in Japanese!) The zookeeper has expressed that he looks forward to be one of the Saru Seven. The end of Mt. Takasaki’s “monkey election” is planned to coincide with the end of this year’s AKB48 election. You can place your voting ballot in a box located inside the zoo, or make your voice heard on their website (http://www.takasakiyama.jp/mailform.html). Nishinippon Shimbun May 24.
    Web source: http://www.takasakiyama.jp / http://www.takasakiyama.jp/event/senkyo.pdf

    Read More 2013年05月24日 18:25

    (English) Kitakyushu Has Most Quasi-Legal Herb Poisonings

    (English) According to a survey by Fukuoka Prefecture, 51 people were taken to the hospital by ambulance in 2012 for drug-induced poisoning after smoking quasi-legal herbs. Of these, 40 were from Kitakyushu. In similar surveys, only six people were taken to the hospital in Kumamoto, while Saga, Nagasaki, Oita and Kumamoto reported zero cases. The surveys were conducted after request issued by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare last March. This year as well, Kitakyushu has seen several persons taken to the hospital, so, in a rare move, the city government has decided to begin buy quasi-legal herbs from head shops in order to conduct its own investigation into the legality of their contents. These surveys are typically conducted by the department in the Prefectural Office in charge of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, but Kitakyushu hopes to gain more detailed information by conducting its own secondary investigation. A survey conducted in March of this year revealed that Fukuoka Prefecture has 12 head shops selling quasi-legal herbs, the most in Kyushu, and half are located in Kitakyushu. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, May 22

    Read More 2013年05月23日 18:18

    (English) Regional Strategy Council to Strengthen Inbound Tourism

    (English) The Kyushu Regional Strategy Council, which is composed of the Kyushu Governors Association and various business groups, announced plans to strengthen inbound tourism in accordance with its Kyushu Tourism Strategy for 2014~2023. The group aims to quadruple the number of foreign visitors, primarily from Asia, over the next ten years, and in turn, rejuvenate the economy and employment. “The most important factor for increasing inbound tourism is relaxing visa restrictions,” said Susumu Ishihara, head of the Kyushu Association of Corporate Executives and Chairman of JR Kyushu. The Kyushu Tourism Strategy, which the Council has been debating since last August, comprises four pillars: (1) building a Kyushu brand, (2) improving tourism infrastructure, (3) encouraging people to visit Kyushu, and (4) encouraging visitors to stay longer and consume more. The Council has focused particular effort on attracting foreign tourists. There were 1.056 million foreign visitors to Kyushu in FY2012, and the goal is to boost this more than four times to 4.406 million by 2023. In an effort to strengthen its position as the core organization behind these inbound tourism efforts, the Kyushu Tourism Promotion Organization will become a general incorporated association next April. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, May 22

    Read More 18:16

    (English) Asahi Super Dry Extra Cold Bar – Tenjin Open!

    (English) Asahi Super Dry Extra Cold Bar opened to the public today (May 22) in Tenjin. The bar is a dedicated facility for beer lovers to enjoy Asahi’s special super chilled and crisp “Asahi Super Dry Extra Cold” which is served from special ice encrusted taps for glasses served between zero and -2.0 degrees celsius. The shop will only be open until September 30, so don’t wait too long to try it out! Besides beer, a pub food menu is offered, including “Okogesuta” charred rice crackers (free with your first beer!), mentaiko crackers (¥200), “Jidori-no-tataki-ponzu” chopped grilled chicken with ponzu (¥450), cheese plate (¥400) and more.

    Read More 2013年05月22日 18:17

    (English) Kurume Specialties Join B Grade Gourmet Fair in Korea

    (English) Two local restaurants from Kurume – “Kurume Yakitori” and “Chikugo Udon” – will join a huge international food exhibition in Busan, Korea on May 25. The “Global Gathering 2013” food fair is comprised of 150 booths, with 90 food categories from over 72 countries! “Kurume Yakitori” will sell enoki no buta-bara maki (pork-wrapped enoki mushrooms), as well as chicken thigh and pork rib yakitori. “Chikugo Udon” makes its overseas debut, passing out free udon samples.

    Read More 14:27

    (English) ANA Launches Ippudo In-Flight Ramen

    申し訳ありません、このコンテンツはただ今　English　のみです。

    Read More 2013年05月21日 14:25

    (English) Yame to Hold Fair, Open New Shop in Fukuoka

    (English) To express its appreciation for support received after last year’s torrential rains and showcase its recovery, Yame City will hold the Yame Tourism and Specialty Goods Fair on May 25 and 26 at the Fukuoka City Hall Fureai Hiroba. The fair runs from 10:00 to 17:00 on Saturday and 10:00 to 16:00 on Sunday and will feature fresh vegetables and hand-made foodstuffs. Visitors can also sample Yame’s 12-time award winning green tea. There will be musical guests, and the fair will coincide with the 2nd Yame City Local Gourmet Competition (Competing dishes include wild boar curry). Admissions is free of charge. To further promote Yame’s attractions, the city will open a so-called “antenna shop” called Yame Honten (Sunlight Bldg. 1F, 5 Watanabe-dori, Chuo-ku) on June 1. The first 100 customers who make a purchase will receive a free small bag of Yame tea. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, May 20

    Read More 2013年05月20日 17:26

    (English) Kyuden to Pursue More Geothermal Power

    (English) On May 17 Kyushu Electric Power announced plans to establish a Geothermal Power Center within the Power Generation Division in order to bolster geothermal power initiatives. After the meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, the government loosened restrictions on building geothermal power plants in national parks, and with the establishment of a fixed rate system last July, interest in renewable energy has increased. Amid this backdrop, Kyuden plans to begin a new survey for geothermal energy on the northern side of Mt. Heijidake, a mountain that sits on the borders of Yufu City, Taketa City and Kokonoe Town in Oita Prefecture. The Geothermal Power Center, formed by reorganizing the Geothermal Power Group, will add six more staff members and focus efforts on new projects in addition to the long-term maintenance of Kyuden’s five existing geothermal power plants. At a press conference in Tokyo, President Uryu expressed his motivations for geothermal energy by saying, “It will take some time, but we would like to boost our geothermal power output in Kyushu to 700,000 kilowatts” Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, May 20

    Read More 14:29

    (English) International Student Nihon Buyo Performance

    (English) Koi-no-Kai, a Nihon Buyo troupe composed of 10 exchange students from several countries, will hold its 30th annual international exchange performance at the Fukuoka Youth Science Culture Center on May 26. Hakata-based Nihon Buyo performers Kochika Nishikawa and his son Goro established Koi-no-Kai in 1983 to “help foreign students understand the Japanese spirit”. Every year, a group of students begins weekly lessons in the Fall in preparation for the annual performance. To date, the Nishikawas have taught Nihon Buyo to roughly 950 students from 24 countries. The elder Nishikawa remarked, “Over the past 30 years students’ interest in Japanese culture has grown and meaningful exchanges have deepened. We have achieved more than I ever imagined and will continue to work hard.” Admission to the performance, which is sponsored in part by Nishinippon Shimbun, is ¥5,000. For details, call the Koi-no-Kai at 092-281-1787. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, May 17

    Read More 2013年05月19日 13:00

    (English) Oita Cannot Trademark “Onsen Ken” Moniker

    (English) Sources have revealed that Oita Prefecture was informed by Patent Office that it was not permitted to trademark the term “Onsen Ken” (hot spring prefecture) that it is using to promote its abundant hot springs. After filing the trademark application, people from other prefectures objected on the grounds that Oita isn’t the only place with hot springs. The Prefecture was seeking trademark approval for the phrase it coined last August (“Japan’s Number One Onsen Ken—Oita” ), so that private businesses could not use it for commercial purposes. It its rejection notice, the Patent Office noted that other areas of Japan also have abundant hot springs and that Nagano and Gunma already use the phrase “Onsen Ken” (written in kanji as opposed to Oita’s hiragana phrase). Oita Prefecture has 40 days to submit a written request for re-screening. A prefectural official said the Prefecture would “consider how to respond” but would still use the phrase even without the trademark since its tourism campaign has started to gain momentum. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, May 17

    Read More 2013年05月18日 15:49
    1 2 3 4 5 6 … 462
    Page Top