Chronology of Shiga Prefecture’s most important and interesting news headlines for July-Sept. 2015 (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). Dates and times below are based on GMT instead of Japan time.
| 2015/7/6 10:32 | In 2014, over 4.62 mil tourists lodged in Shiga, 550,000 more than in 2013. This 13% increase is the highest in Japan. |
| 2015/7/8 2:29 | All hotels in Shiga now can use a 24/7 multilingual call center for telephone interpreting and text translation services for foreign guests. |
| 2015/7/8 2:36 | The 24/7 multilingual call center is available only to hotel staff, not to tourists. For English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and Portugese. |
| 2015/7/8 2:36 | In 2014, a record 230,000+ foreign tourists lodged in Shiga. |
| 2015/7/12 14:26 | Japan’s heaviest meteorite (174 kg) found in Otsu in 1885 now on display at Lake Biwa Museum until Aug. 31. On loan from a Tokyo museum. |
| 2015/7/15 5:02 | Moriyama City Hall waterworks worker Toshihiro Kitada (59, 北田利廣) arrested for taking bribes totaling ¥500,000 from waterworks contractors. |
| 2015/7/15 15:55 | To mark the 200th anniversary of Ii Naosuke’s birth, Hikone Castle’s Tenbin Yagura is showcasing his life and a drone video until Sep. 27. |
| 2015/7/15 16:00 | Typhoon No. 11 is expected to bring heavy rains to Shiga on July 16 and 17. |
| 2015/7/18 13:49 | Due to heavy rains from the typhoon yesterday, landslide warnings are in effect in Yogo, Kutsuki, and MInami-Komatsu until the 19th. |
| 2015/7/19 14:27 | In early July, all 12 cities (Himeji, Hikone, etc.) with an original Edo-Period castle tower have formed an alliance to attract foreigners. |
| 2015/7/20 16:24 | Rainy season ended yesterday. High temps of 34 C are expected today in Otsu, Nagahama, and Higashi-Omi. Avoid the sun & stay hydrated. |
| 2015/7/22 4:30 | 琵琶湖周航の歌、ルーツは英国に 再び英訳、ＣＤ化も (Kyoto Shimbun article about Biwako Shuko no Uta) http://t.co/4RWfFyvZtC |
| 2015/7/22 4:51 | Last month, met the Nanka Shiga Club, a Shiga Kenjinkai in Los Angeles, CA. The Biwako Senbei from Imazu was a hit. http://t.co/C2zH9oK8YI |
| 2015/7/23 4:39 | Summer 2015 fireworks schedule in Shiga Prefecture: http://t.co/CzHHBde76B #滋賀県花火2015年 |
| 2015/7/26 20:59 | July 26 was the hottest day yet so far this year in Shiga with Higashi-Omi reaching 37 C. |
| 2015/7/27 13:14 | Catfish expert Prince Akishino and 2nd daughter Princess Kako visited Lake Biwa Museum today. They saw the Lake Biwa Giant Catfish, etc. |
| 2015/7/27 13:29 | 83% of respondents to a public opinion poll by Shiga Pref. didn’t think it was necessary to change “Shiga” as the prefectural name. #当たり前じゃん |
| 2015/7/28 13:57 | Hiei-zan High School beat Ohmi 5-0 today to represent Shiga at the national high school baseball tournament at Koshien this summer. |
| 2015/7/28 14:02 | A hole in the roof and bullet was found in an Imazu home on July 16, apparently from the Self Defense Force’s target practice range nearby. |
| 2015/7/28 14:14 | Welcome high school students from nationwide in Shiga this week for Japan’s largest high school culture festival until Aug. 1. #全国高校総合文化祭 |
| 2015/7/30 15:31 | Need a miracle for the Shiga Lakestars to get a 5000-seat arena in Shiga to qualify for the top division of the new pro basketball league. |
| 2015/8/3 5:55 | High temperature warnings remain in effect in Shiga with daytime temps around 35˚C. The high humidity also makes it a penetrating heat. |
| 2015/8/6 13:33 | In Konan this afternoon, 12 people stranded on 3 sandbars in Yasu River had to be rescued by helicopter due to a sudden rise of river water. |
| 2015/8/8 0:05 | NHK TV Sogo will broadcast Hiei-zan High School’s baseball game against Osaka Kaisei Gakuen at Koshien today at 2 pm. |
| 2015/8/8 7:51 | Hiei-zan High School lost their 1st game at Koshien today to Osaka Kaisei Gakuen 3-7. Entire game online: http://t.co/fQm3YDjqPr |
| 2015/8/18 22:13 | Jr. high teacher (53) in Hikone embezzled ¥130,000 from his school’s badminton club & used it to play pachinko. He was the club’s advisor. |
| 2015/8/23 11:44 | From April 2016, all kids at all 37 Otsu primary schools will learn English with Oxford Univ. materials. Five of the schools start in Sept. |
| 2015/8/27 2:09 | Shiga’s 6th graders and 3rd-year jr high students scored lower than the national average on scholastic achievement tests in April. #全国学力テスト |
| 2015/9/1 2:58 | Shiga Lakestars made it to the top division of the new basketball league. But they can still get demoted if they can’t get a larger arena. |
| 2015/9/1 13:39 | Kusatsu’s fire dept. has formed a rare, all-foreigner unit of 9 Asian language assistants to help foreign residents in times of disaster. |
| 2015/9/4 11:52 | In July, Shiga BOE failed to attract any bidders to build a new Uminoko Floating School ship. It will be delayed by at least a year to 2018. |
| 2015/9/6 2:56 | Sadly, TV Asahi drama on Sep 5 “Meitantei Katherine” with Charlotte Kate Fox never showed much of Shiga. My friend was an extra. #名探偵キャサリン |
| 2015/9/6 4:38 | Trailer for TV Asahi’s Sep 5 “Meitantei Katherine” with Charlotte Kate Fox: https://t.co/MkneR8QonS |
| 2015/9/8 13:51 | Typhoon No. 18 (Etau) is heading directly for Shiga. Peak rain/wind will be on Sept. 9 around lunch time. Avoid rivers, mountains, etc. |
| 2015/9/9 2:15 | All 322 public elementary and jr. high schools in Shiga are closed today due to the typhoon. Kids, do your homework! Study English! |
| 2015/9/9 3:21 | Parts of Hikone Castle are closed to tourists. Stay home folks or stay in your hotel today. Landslides are possible even in light rain. |
| 2015/9/10 14:42 | No typhoon-related injuries in Shiga reported. Closed roads opened this morning, but eastern Shiga sustained damage to crops. |
| 2015/9/21 15:55 | After the shocking kidnap/murder of 2 preteens in Osaka, Shiga will install more security cameras to add to the existing 23,600 cameras. |
| 2015/9/24 13:49 | Otsu Matsuri Festival #大津祭 coming soon on Oct. 10-11. My video shows the best highlights: https://t.co/qqntYmBL34 |
