Video link: http://youtu.be/VcPg0WcY0Gs The Hachiman Matsuri in Omi-Hachiman is held annually on April 14-15. I saw it for the first time on April 14, 2011 when they set fire to giant… Read more
Fukushima’s nuclear power plant crisis has rattled the nerves of Shiga’s residents and local governments. We are beginning to realize how vulnerable Japan’s nuclear power plants are, how vulnerable nearby… Read more
Many festivals (matsuri) in Japan are being canceled or scaled back in consideration of the Tohoku disaster. It’s unfortunate since spring is prime time for festivals. The Kusatsu Shukuba Matsuri… Read more
This is a summary of Shiga’s response to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami which I will continue to update. The local Shiga TV news broadcast by NHK Otsu on March… Read more
From April 2011, JR trains in Shiga and the Kansai area will be running less frequently. West Japan Railway Co. announced that factories in Tohoku and Ibaraki Prefecture which make… Read more
The 43 students studying Japanese at The Japan Center for Michigan Universities (JCMU) in Hikone have been ordered to return to the U.S. by March 25, 2011. The 2011 Spring… Read more
An NPO in Otsu called National Managerial Council for Multicultural Information & Assistance (Tabunka Kyosei Manager Zenkoku Kyogikai 多文化共生マネージャー全国協議会) has set up a telephone hotline for foreigners in Japan wanting… Read more
Northern Japan got hit with a major earthquake on March 11, 2011. We felt it in Tokyo as well, and it was the worse earthquake I ever experienced. I was… Read more