I disdain mentioning the bad and corrupt side of Shiga Prefecture which no doubt has its share of corrupt, inept, incompetent, or unsavory…
Updated: Nov. 7, 2014 The Hikone Board of Education has published a manga comic booklet in English titled, Hikone: A Journey in Time.…
Otsu’s mayoral election was held on January 22, 2012 with Naomi Koshi (越 直美) defeating two-term (8 years) incumbent Mayor Makoto Mekata (目片信)…
Chronology of Shiga Prefecture’s news bits for January-December 2011. Compiled by Philbert Ono. Jan. 9, 2011: The first episode of NHK TV’s year-long…
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…
Many festivals (matsuri) in Japan are being canceled or scaled back in consideration of the Tohoku disaster. It’s unfortunate since spring is prime…
This is a summary of Shiga’s response to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami which I will continue to update. The local Shiga TV…
The 43 students studying Japanese at The Japan Center for Michigan Universities (JCMU) in Hikone have been ordered to return to the U.S.…