A giant house slipper
A short clip from ナニコレ珍百景 showing a very large house slipper:
The slipper was created five years ago by a slipper manufacturer in Yamagata Prefecture that wanted to display something cool at the entrance to its offices.
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Categories: Odd / Strange
Zenkoji to display gift from Dalai Lama
Zenkoji, the temple in Nagano that made the news for refusing to host an event for the 2008 Olympic Torch relay, will be putting a statue it received from the Dalai Lama on public display:
According to the temple in Nagano, the 21-centimeter-tall gold-bronze statue will be put on display indefinitely in one of its halls between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. free of charge.
The Dalai Lama gave the statue to Zenkoji representatives during his visit to Tokyo in November to show his gratitude for the temple’s decision to withdraw from hosting the start of the Japan-leg of the torch relay for the Beijing Olympics because of the crackdown on Buddhists in Tibet last year.
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Categories: General Japan
Claim your cash handout!
The Japanese government has passed an economic stimulus plan that will give away 12,000 yen in cash to almost everyone in Japan. If you are living in Japan, check out this page for info on how to claim your free money!
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Categories: General Japan
Restoration of Tokyo Station’s south dome
A look at the inside of Tokyo Station’s south dome, which has been hidden from public view ever since firebombs damaged the building in World War II:
Near century-old reliefs on the inside of the former south dome at JR Tokyo Station, badly damaged by a World War II air raid in May 1945, were shown to the media Thursday for the first time in 64 years.
The charred plaster reliefs, which originally contained flowers, eagles and other decorative motifs, had been hidden from view by an inner roof added during repairs soon after the war.
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Categories: General Japan
Asashoryu: a Buddhist deity?
A press conference was held yesterday at a Buddhist temple in Kumamoto Prefecture, where it was announced that sumo grand champion Asashoryu would be the model for a new statue of the Buddhist deity Tamonten:
If I recall correctly, this kind of thing is not exactly unheard of. Pro-wrestler Antonio Inoki also served as a model for Buddhist statues during the height of his popularity.
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Categories: Celebrity News, Foreigners in Japan
Japanese police aim to make life safer for foreigners
Kyodo News reports that Japanese police are planning to educate foreign residents about crime prevention:
The prefectual police forces will sponsor seminars on crime prevention and road traffic safety in foreign communities based on comprehensive basic guidelines compiled for the safety of such communities, the NPA said.
The police forces will also join hands with local government organizations, business corporations and citizen groups in implementing crime prevention measures, the NPA said, adding that they will monitor employment conditions in foreign communities as factors that may induce crime.
This effort is apparently being made to make life better for foreign residents and prevent organized crime groups and terrorists from “sneaking into certain foreign communities.”
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Categories: Foreigners in Japan