Chronology of Shiga Prefecture’s news bits for January-December 2013.
Compiled by Philbert Ono.
Updated: April 27, 2025
Jan. 4, 2013: Shiga Governor Yukiko Kada announces that she is resigning from her Tomorrow Party of Japan (Mirai no To) political party that she and Ichiro Ozawa formed a little over a month ago. Tomorrow Party of Japan’s Diet numbers shrank from 61 seats to only 9. Meanwhile, Ichiro Ozawa took over the party and renamed it. More details…
Feb. 24, 2013: Miki Ito wins World Cup dual moguls in Inawashiro, Fukushima. It is her first freestyle moguls World Cup victory. She is from Hino, Shiga Prefecture. It is her first freestyle moguls World Cup victory.
Dual moguls has two skiers compete against each other on each run. Ito, along with Aiko Uemura and Junko Hoshino, advanced to the final round of 16 competitors. For her final run, she beat an American to win the World Cup. She is gunning to appear in the Winter Olympics.
Feb. 26, 2013: Shiga Governor Yukiko Kada rejects the governor of Kyoto’s statement favoring a merger of Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures. More details…
April 1, 2013: Over 70 percent of supermarkets in Shiga Prefecture starts to charge 5 yen for a plastic shopping bag. Some 150 supermarkets in Shiga, including 71 Heiwado supermarket branches (like Friend Mart), starts charging 5 yen plastic shopping bags (レジ袋) for groceries. The money collected from shopping bag sales will be used for environmental preservation. Currently, about 50 percent of shoppers bring their own bags for groceries. The prefecture wants to raise this to 80 percent in three years. More details…
June 20, 2013: Shiga Prefectural government employee, 32-year-old HOTTA Satoru (堀田 悟), an engineer (主任技師) in the Agricultural Operation Division of Shiga Prefecture’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (農政水産部・農業経営課 is arrested for using his camera phone to take upskirt photos of a 27-year-old woman sitting next to him on the train. The incident occurred on June 19, 2013 at around 5:45 pm while the suspect was on a JR Tokaido Line train on his way home to Kyoto’s Fushimi-ku. The train was running from Yamashina Station to Kyoto Station. More details…
Under a new Shiga News blog category called Shiga History, I shall be posting a summary of Shiga Prefecture’s news bits every two months gleaned from Shiga Headlines on Twitter. This is the first installment covering July-August 2013. Since I started tweeting from July 17, 2013, it starts from that date.
Chronology of Shiga Prefecture’s news bits for July-August 2013 (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).
| 2013/07/17 21:51 | Fifty new microorganism species unique to Lake Biwa discovered over the past 7 years. Attracting int’l attention. |
| 2013/07/18 1:27 | “Art from the Lakes” exhibition of 7 Shiga artists at Lansing Art Gallery, Michigan, Aug. 2-Sept. 28, 2013. |
| 2013/07/19 6:14 | In July, they start fermenting nigorobuna carp to make funazushi. Shiga fishing cooperatives offer day-long classes. |
| 2013/07/19 8:46 | Shiga post offices are selling funazushi die-cut postcards, the 5th in the series. Looks more like dried persimmons. http://t.co/thlybOcFoF |
| 2013/07/20 0:15 | Steam locomotive SL Kita-Biwako runs from Maibara Sta. to Kinomoto every Sunday at 10:09 and 13:16 till Aug. 25. For Rsvn call 0088−24−5489. |
| 2013/07/20 0:39 | Watch or help them build the new Higashi-Omi giant kite at the Higashiomi Odako Kite Museum till Aug. 8. |
| 2013/07/20 23:50 | New book about abandoned train stations shows old Kojaku Railway Omi-Imazu Station buildng, nice but in disuse. |
| 2013/07/20 23:51 | Cosplayers posing with Hikonyan at the Japan Expo in Paris in early July. Can’t do this in Japan. He’s too popular. http://t.co/Y7ng314HTR |
| 2013/07/23 10:36 | Sumo wrestler Nionoumi from Otsu did poorly in Nagoya with 1 win, 14 losses. He will sink down from Juryo No. 4. http://t.co/ffdzKGBwRb |
| 2013/07/23 14:06 | Shiga Lakestars have a new head coach in Chris Boettcher, American from BYU. Former Mormon missionary in Japan. http://t.co/qJq5DbFd7F |
| 2013/07/24 4:36 | For 3 years in a row, over 90% of adult residents surveyed thought living in Shiga was “Nice” or “Very nice.” http://t.co/wPpDNFzGQB |
| 2013/07/29 11:02 | Hikone Higashi High School beat Omi Kyodaisha 3-1 to represent Shiga at the national high school baseball tourney at Koshien in Aug. |
| 2013/07/31 9:41 | Successful Tonda bunraku puppet show by 10 foreigners on July 28 in Nagahama. Covered by NHK TV Otsu news tonight. |
| 2013/08/02 8:48 | Inazuma Rock Fes snagged PUFFY as one of the acts on Sept. 21 at Karasuma, Kusatsu. Tickets on sale from Aug. 17. http://t.co/EGV0N9Kzxp |
| 2013/08/04 16:29 | Uminoko, Shiga’s “Floating School,” marked its 30th anniversary. Its 1st voyage with 5th graders was on Aug. 2, ’83. http://t.co/9KWBaWl5Yy |
| 2013/08/06 14:03 | Aug. 4 in Higashi-Omi, a fireman, 2 kids, and 7 others badly burned when he splashed alcohol on a flaming pan for a fire extinguisher demo. |
| 2013/08/12 6:37 | New Higashi-Omi giant kite completed Aug. 8. Displayed at Kite Museum annex until 18th. “Connections for bonding 繫.” |
| 2013/08/13 6:36 | Hikone Higashi H.S. lost their 1st game at Koshien to Hanamaki Higashi (Iwate) 5-9. As long as you did your best, we’re still proud of you. |
| 2013/08/22 7:56 | My video of the Yokaichi Shotoku Matsuri Goshu Ondo dance on July 27, 2013. http://t.co/XMjeC8jcoh |
| 2013/08/27 13:05 | Controversial Osprey planes and US Marines in Okinawa may come to Takashima this Oct. for joint training with the Ground Self-Defense Force. |
| 2013/08/27 13:31 | Shiga’s 6th graders and 3rd-year jr high students scored lower than the national average on scholastic achievement tests in April. |
| 2013/9/3 9:49 | Time Scoop Hunter movie about the demise of Azuchi Castle now showing in theatres. タイムスクープハンター 安土城 最後の1日 |
| 2013/9/3 9:49 | One of 2 active reactors at Oi Nuclear Power Plant was shutdown today for regular inspection. The other reactor will go offline on Sept. 15. |
| 2013/9/7 14:26 | Shiga native and Olympic foil fencing silver medalist Ota Yuki spoke English well at the IOC in Buenos Aires today. Good coaching. |
| 2013/9/7 21:08 | Nice that a Shiga native (Ota Yuki) had a hand in bringing the Olympics to Tokyo in 2020. Let’s pray that we won’t have any megaquakes. |
| 2013/9/9 9:14 | Yuki Ota’s tearful outburst is now a symbol of Japan’s Olympic joy in news media all over Japan and the world. http://t.co/RRCbGt7tKt |
| 2013/9/13 12:52 | Beware of the venomous redback spider spotted in eastern Shiga. They will be active till late Oct. when they hibernate. セアカゴケグモ |
| 2013/9/13 13:15 | Shiga Board of Education is in panic over below-average scholastic achievement test scores. They sent people to Akita and Fukui to observe teaching methods |
| 2013/9/15 20:13 | Heavy rain/flood warnings in effect for Shiga, Kyoto, and Fukui this morning amid the typhoon. Expected to be the worst in decades. |
| 2013/9/15 20:27 | In front of Otsu City Hall, what should be a road is now a river. Trains in Shiga are delayed. |
| 2013/9/16 15:33 | In Shiga, Kutsuki (Takashima), Tsuchiyama, and Shigaraki got the most rain. Landslide killed a 71-year-old woman at home in Ritto. #typhoon |
| 2013/9/17 13:30 | Keihan Keishin Line between Otsu and Kyoto is disabled due to landslides. Shigaraki Kogen Railway also disabled due to collapsed bridge. |
| 2013/9/18 14:35 | Hikone Castle’s Nishinomaru turret got rain damage. 51 traffic lights and 300 road signs were damaged in Shiga, most already fixed today. |
| 2013/9/18 22:39 | Due to typhoon-damaged roads, Miho Museum will be closed until Sept. 24, 2013. http://t.co/m9szpnOgLw |
| 2013/9/18 22:42 | Buses are running in place of the Shigaraki Kogen Railway between Kibukawa and Shigaraki Stations. Map of bus stops: http://t.co/VMn4TVCH4T |
| 2013/9/18 22:53 | In Hikone, avoid climbing Mt. Sawayama (Mitsunari’s castle) due to possible landslides or loose rocks caused by the heavy typhoon rains. |
| 2013/9/18 23:04 | In Takashima, the hiking trail from Gulliver Village to Yatsubuchi-no-taki waterfalls is closed. 八ツ淵の滝 |
| 2013/9/20 23:07 | Avoid Shiga’s mountains/hills. Many roads are closed. Kutsuki in Takashima and western Otsu. Buses from Otsu to Shigaraki are suspended. |
| 2013/9/21 0:17 | Ishiyama-dera temple’s hillside garden behind the Hondo hall is closed due to landslide. Structures are all OK. |
| 2013/9/21 1:09 | Shiga will need more time to clean up after the typhoon. Debris on the lake and shore, muddy/closed roads/sidewalks, murky waters, etc. |
| 2013/9/21 23:29 | Lakeshore road to Kaizu-Osaki from JR Makino Station is closed. Avoid mountains. Closed roads (red) in Takashima: https://t.co/xes40pa0nw |
| 2013/9/22 4:10 | Kawachi Fuketsu Cavern in Taga is closed due to typhoon-damaged access road. When it can reopen is unknown. http://t.co/QdCT9aiuyO |
| 2013/9/22 4:24 | Part of Azuchi Castle is off limits due to landslide. Stone steps damaged at Tachiki Kannon temple in Otsu. http://t.co/aa8Cf6LXJ4 |
| 2013/9/22 5:51 | Shiga/Biwako Brand Fair is being held at Osaka Station City 5th floor Toki-no-Hiroba till Sept. 25. Food, crafts, etc. |
| 2013/9/24 20:11 | In Otsu, Miidera temple Kondo Hall’s kamebara foundation 亀腹 was damaged. Typhoon blew off the relatively new plaster. http://t.co/xvV5rO3fNR |
| 2013/9/25 20:10 | Fearing Ospreys? Many more people die from traffic accidents than from plane crashes. In 2012, 79 fatalities and 10,419 injured in Shiga. |
| 2013/9/25 23:31 | The word “POLICE” in English is being emblazoned on Shiga’s police cars to stand out more and to make sure foreigners understand. 滋賀県警察 |
| 2013/9/29 12:39 | The Keihan Keishin Line between Otsu and Kyoto that was out of service due to landslides is fully restored from Sept. 30, 2013. |
| 2013/9/30 21:32 | Shiga Kaikan in Otsu closed yesterday. Opened 1954, it had event/wedding hall, library, hotel, etc. Pref. sold the land to NHK Otsu. 旧滋賀会館 |
| 2013/9/30 21:39 | Besides a collapsed bridge, Shigaraki Kogen Railway got buried with mud at 24 spots. Will likely be out of service until 2014. |
| 2013/10/3 3:12 | Sayonara to Shigaraki Kogen Railway? Repairing the collapsed bridge and railway may prove to be too costly. It may be shut down for good. |
| 2013/10/3 3:37 | Pieri Moriyama shopping mall, struggling with only a few tenants, has a new owner wanting to reopen with 100-200 shops by 2015. Good luck. |
| 2013/10/6 11:26 | The Oct. 7 start of US-Japan joint military training in Takashima has been postponed because the US Marines will not arrive in time. 日米共同訓練 |
| 2013/10/7 14:51 | Welcome US Marines training at Takashima, Shiga! Hope you have time to go sightseeing here and eat the local food like funazushi. |
| 2013/10/14 11:22 | Art & history buffs shouldn’t miss the rare exhibition of Japan’s largest dotaku bronze bell at Dotaku Museum in Yasu http://t.co/G3RHrKOQtS |
| 2013/10/15 9:46 | Two Ospreys from Okinawa are now in Iwakuni on their way to Takashima. Will fly to Takashima on the 16th morning despite the typhoon. |
| 2013/10/16 3:47 | Amid rain and winds, two Ospreys landed on Takashima’s GSDF Aibano training site at 10:20 this morning for US-Japan joint exercises. |
| 2013/10/16 11:01 | Japan’s first US-Japan training exercise with Ospreys ended well today in Takashima. Always proud to see peaceful US-Japan cooperation. |
| 2013/10/17 1:24 | The unsightly ferris wheel in Katata is finally being dismantled. To be sold to a Vietnamese co. It was part of Biwako Tower closed in 2001. |
| 2013/10/18 11:32 | Gov. Kada is not requiring schools to reveal their scholastic achievement test scores. Shiga’s 6th graders had Japan’s 2nd lowest scores. 学力テスト |
| 2013/10/18 15:52 | Farewell US Marines! US-Japan joint military exercises with about 230 soldiers in GSDF Aibano, Takashima ended on Oct. 18. 日米共同訓練 饗庭野演習場 |
| 2013/10/24 4:57 | Otsu primary school teacher Masashi Kazama (35) 風間政司 arrested for sneaking into the women’s restroom at a nat’l university in Otsu in April. |
| 2013/10/28 2:42 | Kunimasu salmon, thought to be extinct in its native Lake Tawaza in Akita in 1940, now displayed alive at Lake Biwa Museum till Nov. 24. |
| 2013/11/01 2:51 | Moriyama City Hall dept. head (57) disciplined and resigned in disgrace on Oct. 31 after sexual harassment of a female city hall worker. |
| 2013/11/01 3:01 | According to NHK, the whereabouts of 2 Important Cultural Property Buddhist statues from Daikoji temple in Koka are unknown. Stolen & sold. |
| 2013/11/01 8:07 | My friend Austin Moore in Hino talked to the Wall Street Journal about renovating and living in a huge Japanese home. http://t.co/glKxXyWD2K |
| 2013/11/01 9:27 | Nenga New Year’s postcards now on sale. Shiga version has a small drawing of Ritto racehorses for Year of the Horse. |
| 2013/11/03 12:57 | Today, Omi Jingu Shrine held its annual Yabusame Festival, Shiga’s best horseback archery today. http://t.co/X7vnA8kSFm |
| 2013/11/05 12:24 | Nagahama City Hall General Affairs (総務課) worker 伊戸昇平 (24) arrested for stealing woman’s underwear from an apt. balcony. Caught red-handed. |
| 2013/11/05 12:28 | Otsu City Hall worker Morita Yoshimitsu (59) 森田佳光 arrested for leaking bid price to a co. bidding for Otsu Municipal Hospital wing design. |
| 2013/11/06 4:34 | Besides Morita’s arrest, this year has seen a string of arrests and scandals of Otsu City Hall workers for embezzlement, unpaid taxes, etc. |
| 2013/11/08 15:12 | Due to diastrophism, Lake Biwa has moved southeast by about 20 cm during 2001-2012. Width also shrank by 3 cm. ##地殻変動 #琵琶湖３センチ縮む |
| 2013/11/09 12:58 | Kansai governments 関西広域連合 want the Hokuriku shinkansen from Tsuruga/Fukui to go thru Maibara instead of the Kosei and Obama/Wakasa routes. |
| 2013/11/13 2:13 | Gov. Kada favors helping Koka with the ¥350 mil. cost of restoring Shigaraki Kogen Railway. Japanese govt. will only bear 25% of the cost. |
| 2013/11/16 5:06 | Yukinoyama Tumulus 雪野山古墳 in Ryuo, Omi-Hachiman, and Higashi-Omi to become Shiga’s 47th National Historic Site. http://t.co/f6DxH9go0F |
| 2013/11/20 13:26 | A female Steller’s Sea Eagle オオワシ arrived on Mt. Yamamoto-yama in Nagahama for the 16th winter in a row. Big bird. http://t.co/NdYCt6Wnqf |
| 2013/11/23 1:59 | Otsu primary school teacher Masashi Kazama (35) 風間政司 arrested for sneaking into the women’s restroom at a nat’l university in Otsu in April. Kazama was fined ¥100,000 and suspended from work for 1 month starting Nov. 22, 2013. He submitted a letter of resignation. |
| 2013/11/25 12:40 | Strong winds today toppled canopy structures at HigashiOmi’s Sogenji temple 曹源寺 during a funeral, killing a man and injuring a man & woman. |
| 2013/12/05 15:54 | Bicyclists are now required to ride on left shoulder of the road if there are no sidewalks. Over 1000 bicycle accidents in Shiga in 2013. |
| 2013/12/05 15:57 | As of Oct. 31, 2013, 11 fatalities and 1,034 injured in bicycle accidents in Shiga this year. |
| 2013/12/05 16:10 | Hundreds of tons of cesium-tainted wood chips abandoned along Takashima’s Kamo River since April will be removed during late Dec. to Jan. |
| 2013/12/18 15:19 | Education Ministry found Shiga’s 5th graders scoring lower than the national average on physical fitness tests. 体力と運動能力 |
| 2013/12/26 7:50 | Koka estimates that it will cost almost ¥700 million to restore Shigaraki Kogen Railway. It will apply for subsidies from the central gov. |
| 2013/12/26 7:59 | Built in 1974 and expanded in 1985, the Omi Ohashi Bridge is now toll-free from Dec. 26 since its cost is all paid up. One-way toll for ordinary cars was ¥150. |
| 2013/12/30 13:02 | RT @Astro_Wakata: 立命館守山中学校の皆さん、ISSアマチュア無線の「ARISSスクールコンタクト」イベントで素晴らしい質問をありがとう。皆さんの持っている好奇心を大切にして、目標をはっきり持ってこれからも頑張ってください。 |
| 2013/12/30 13:18 | On Dec 29, Ritsumeikan Moriyama Jr. High students spoke for 10 min. with astronaut Koichi Wakata on Int’l Space Station via ham radio ARISS. |
Shiga History 2014: https://shiga-ken.com/blog/2014/04/shiga-history-jan-mar-2014/
