Chronology of Shiga Prefecture’s news bits for January-March 2014 (according to the year, month, day, and time posted at Japan time).
Originally posted on Twitter under Shiga Headlines by Philbert Ono. Twitter posts are limited to 140 characters including spaces and links (shortened by Twitter).
| 2014/1/1 11:31 | Happy New Year 2014! Visited Taga Taisha today. Lot more crowded than before. Sacred dances were nice too. https://photoguide.jp/pix/thumbnails.php?album=138 |
| 2014/1/4 4:56 | During Jan. 1-3, 2014, Taga Taisha saw 490,000 worshippers (5,000 more than last year), Omi Jingu 150,000, and Nagahama Hachimangu 150,000. |
| 2014/1/7 15:33 | Hikone’s official mascot, Hiko-nyan, received 12,352 New Year’s postcards from all over Japan and even Taiwan during Jan. 1-6, 2014. |
| 2014/1/8 4:39 | Very pretty rendition of Biwako Shuko no Uta, Shiga’s most famous song. Sung by a choir called Harmonia Ensemble. http://t.co/QyfCXmhLR9 |
| 2014/1/12 11:44 | My comprehensive video about Lake Biwa’s endemic fish and microscopic life. 琵琶湖博物館 http://t.co/FOdugpiUkn |
| 2014/1/14 16:41 | Hikone Higashi High School newspaper aims to connect with Fukushima Pref. – The Japan News http://t.co/aHc4gFVZKv |
| 2014/1/15 14:08 | Kansai region’s first roundabout circular intersection opened today in Tatsuta, Moriyama for a trial until late Mar. http://t.co/CAaZH61wpL |
| 2014/1/16 14:01 | Construction of Niu Dam in Nagahama to be canceled as per the Kinki Regional Development Bureau’s decision to improve river systems instead. |
| 2014/1/16 14:12 | Himeno Kaoruko 姫野カオルコ, from Koka, has won the prestigious Naoki Prize for her novel, “Showa no Inu” 「昭和の犬」 (Dog of the Showa Era). |
| 2014/1/19 14:17 | The Kuroda Kanbee Expo opened today in Nagahama. Held in concert with this year’s NHK Taiga Drama called Gunshi Kanbee. 黒田官兵衛博覧会 軍師官兵衛 |
| 2014/1/20 17:22 | Moguls skier Miki Ito from Hino and halfpipe snowboarder Rana Okada from Otsu will represent Japan at the Sochi Winter Olympics. |
| 2014/1/24 14:26 | Led by fraud and auto theft, the number of crimes in Shiga in 2013 increased by 2% to 15,448 over 2012 amid an average crime rate of -4.4%. |
| 2014/1/28 12:12 | To curb the declining no. of visitors (360,000 in 2013), Lake Biwa Museum’s exhibits will have a major overhaul for its 20th anniv. in 2016. |
| 2014/1/28 12:23 | Pay cuts for most of the 17,000 Shiga Pref. employees (police, teachers, etc.) since 2003 will be abolished at the end of this fiscal year. |
| 2014/1/30 11:59 | Flu and viral gastroenteritis warnings issued in Shiga. Higashi-Omi, Koka, & Otsu have the most flu patients. Wash your hands, avoid crowds. |
| 2014/2/2 14:06 | Breakfast for ¥100 at Ritsumeikan University’s Kusatsu campus a hit among students. The day’s most important meal. http://t.co/aXumtIQHJ7 |
| 2014/2/6 13:35 | Visitors to Mt. Ibuki will start paying ¥300 on weekends and holidays this May-Nov. 2014. To help maintain hiking trails, toilets, & flora. |
| 2014/2/6 15:55 | Miki Ito had to skip the Women’s Moguls Qualifying Run 1 at Sochi today due to a flare-up of her injured right knee. http://t.co/pOTtYOT39v |
| 2014/2/7 13:29 | Sadly, Miki Ito is unable to compete at Sochi due to her injured right knee. She withdrew from the Women’s Moguls Qualifying Runs 1 and 2. |
| 2014/2/12 18:36 | Otsu native Rana Okada 岡田良菜 placed 5th in the ladies’ halfpipe at the Sochi Olympics. The highest ever for a Japanese in this event. |
| 2014/2/24 15:43 | Kumamoto’s Kumamon is Japan’s most popular mascot with 156,462 FB likes, overtaking Hiko-nyan’s 47,678 likes. https://t.co/qxHmhzilA0 |
| 2014/2/25 13:28 | Enryakuji’s main hall, Konpon Chudo (National Treasure), to be renovated from 2016. Last renovated in 1955. http://t.co/0l1TG3CMet |
| 2014/2/28 2:25 | Shigaraki Kogen Railway aims to reopen in Dec. 2014 after starting repairs in March. Buses currently ply between Kibukawa-Shigaraki. |
| 2014/2/28 8:46 | Feb. 26: Notogawa High School students in Higashi-Omi marked Pink Shirt Day by wearing pink “No Bullying” T-shirts at a nursery school. |
| 2014/3/1 10:40 | The hundreds of tons of radioactive wood chips abandoned along Kamo River in Takashima last April was finally removed on Feb. 26. |
| 2014/3/3 2:25 | Mar. 2: Ethiopian Bazu Worku won the 69th Lake Biwa Marathon in 2 hr 9 min 10 sec. Satoru Sasaki 佐々木悟 was 2nd, and Yuki Kawauchi 川内優輝 3rd. |
| 2014/3/3 2:41 | Mar. 1: Amphibious bus tours start in Nagahama. 45-min. tour from Otabisho for ¥2,800. Tours held daily 9 am-5 pm. http://t.co/w0U1VMOWgM |
| 2014/3/6 9:47 | The movie, 偉大なる、しゅららぼん (Idai na Shurara Bon), filmed in Shiga, will open on Mar. 8. Buy advance tickets by the 7th. |
| 2014/3/6 13:07 | The Shozu-no-Sato Committee 針江生水の郷委員会 in Harie has won the top Ecotourism Grand Prize エコツーリズム大賞 sponsored by the Japan Ecotourism Society. |
| 2014/3/8 6:34 | The movie, 偉大なる、しゅららぼん (Idai na Shurara Bon), filmed in Shiga, opened today. Main stars appeared at Marunouchi Toei theater at 2 pm in Tokyo. |
| 2014/3/14 11:39 | Cultural Affairs Agency recommending Nagahama Hikiyama Matsuri as one of 30 float festivals for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. 無形文化遺産 |
| 2014/3/19 11:11 | My movie review of Idai Naru, Shurarabon filmed in Shiga. しゅららぼん http://t.co/ZrgF46sNR8 |
| 2014/3/27 9:14 | Gov. Yukiko Kada still has not announced whether she would seek reelection on July 13, 2014, election day. |
| 2014/3/27 9:22 | Kusatsu, having Shiga’s highest rate of bicycle thefts, is Japan’s 2nd city to have a law requiring bicyclists to lock their bicycles. |
| 2014/3/28 12:34 | 2.06 mil tourists visited Hikone in 2013, 30,000 more than in 2012. One-third of them gave Hiko-nyan as the main reason for visiting. |
| 2014/3/30 14:20 | Mitsui Outlet Park in Ryuo and other shopping malls were busy this weekend as shoppers try to beat the 8% tax hike starting on April 1. |
