Hiko-nyan at Tokyo Marathon 2013

I saw these two runners wearing a Hiko-nyan cap near the finish line at Tokyo Big Sight today, Feb. 24, 2013. The man on the left has a T-shirt printed… Read more

Summer 2012 in Shiga Prefecture

Japan has re-entered the age of nuclear power, starting with Shiga’s backyard. Despite widespread opposition, the Japanese government has given the green light to restart the Oi nuclear power plants in… Read more
HikoneManga1

Hikone: A Journey in Time (manga review)

Updated: Nov. 7, 2014 The Hikone Board of Education has published a manga comic booklet in English titled, Hikone: A Journey in Time. Targeting tourists, the black-and-white manga explains about… Read more

Heavy snowfall in Shiga

Shiga and the Japan Sea Coast (especially Niigata Prefecture) got a heavy dump of snow during Feb. 2 and 3, 2012. Nagahama and Imazu (Takashima) in northern Shiga have gotten… Read more

Shiga History 2011

Chronology of Shiga Prefecture’s news bits for January-December 2011. Compiled by Philbert Ono.Updated: April 27, 2025 Jan. 9, 2011: The first episode of NHK TV’s year-long Taiga Drama called Go–Himetachi… Read more

New Year’s worshippers in Shiga

The Shiga Prefectural Police Department has estimated that 1.31 million people will pray at shrines and temples in Shiga during the first three days of 2012. This is more than… Read more

2011 FISA World Rowing Tour in Lake Biwa, Japan

Video link: http://youtu.be/Fo4fc8AufeY During June 4-12, 2011, about 40 rowers from Europe, Australia, and the US visited Shiga Prefecture to row completely around Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake. It is unusual… Read more

JCMU students evacuating Shiga

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