Latest posts by Matt Holland
Japan: Earthquakes Moving South? Anxiety Builds in Kansai
Just days after the massive earthquake which struck northeastern Japan, further geological tremors are taking place elsewhere on the island of Honshu. A series of quakes naturally has people living west of said areas feeling a bit nervous about what is to come.
Japan: Ogasawara Islands to be next UNESCO site?
With access limited to a chartered ship which sets sail once every six days or so, the Ogasawara Islands (小笠原諸島) are assuredly among the least accessible parts of Tokyo (where prefectural governing responsibility officially lies)! Home to a number of endemic species of wildlife and unique geological features, the islands...
Japan: 1300 years in the making, celebration in Nara
While both culturally and physically a long ways from the modern capital of Tokyo, tracing back well over a thousand years into Japanese history one comes across Nara, a quiet, highly rural area which was established as the capital in 710. In doing so, a more centralized national administration was...
Japan: Deer wrangling and antler-cutting in Nara
Nestled in the heart of the Kansai region of Japan, Nara City exudes a subdued atmosphere unique from its neighboring Osaka and Kyoto. If there is a particular symbol of Nara recognized nationwide, it is either the Buddha of Todai-ji (東大寺) or the deer of Nara Park. Over the long...
Inheritance tax and children in limbo: adoption in Japan.
Adoption in Japan is a statistically under-represented, multi-dimensional issue. Young families seeking children, inheritance tax-evading grandchild adoptions, conservative opposition to confusing family blood-lines, and loosely regulated groups illegally netting profit from international adoptions out of Japan.
The Sun went out over Japan recently.
The Sun grew dark and the morning skies dimmed down just before 11:00am on July 22, 2009 in Japan, where it has been more than four decades since a total solar eclipse has been visible.
