The Tokyo District Court on September 24th approved the release on bail of actor Hiroya Shimizu, 26, who has been indicted for violating the Narcotics Control Act by possessing cannabis. (News On Japan)

Sapporo City has issued an unusual request, urging families not to place 10 yen coins in coffins before cremation, citing the risk of damage to cremation furnaces. (News On Japan)

Police in Hyogo Prefecture have arrested gang affiliates over the abduction of a man in his 20s in Amagasaki, who remains missing, with investigators now moving toward re-arresting several suspects on suspicion of murder. (News On Japan)

A festival float overturned at Ikeda Hachiman Shrine in Ikeda, Nagano Prefecture, on the night of September 23rd, injuring five children. (News On Japan)

Three employees of a delivery-only restaurant in Tokyo’s Edogawa Ward were sprayed with what appeared to be pepper spray on Wednesday morning, leaving them with minor injuries. Police are searching for two masked suspects who fled the scene. (News On Japan)

Princess Aiko, the eldest daughter of the Emperor and Empress, attended an event marking Horse Day, where she enjoyed hands-on experiences with horses. (News On Japan)

Although most people visiting cemeteries during the autumn equinox in Japan are accustomed to cremation as the standard form of burial, a growing number of sites are now offering traditional ground burials. The shift reflects rising demand, particularly from foreign residents, and increasingly from Japanese as well. (News On Japan)

A street in Tokyo’s Roppongi district was blanketed with white foam on September 22nd after a truck exiting a building’s parking area struck fire safety equipment, triggering sprinklers that released firefighting foam across the road. (News On Japan)

A shopping street in Gifu City was the scene of an unusual theft when a man stole six anime-related novels from a café storefront in just 20 seconds. (News On Japan)

A will left by Kosuke Nozaki, the wealthy businessman known as the 'Don Juan of Kishu,' declaring that his entire estate of about 1.3 billion yen be donated to Tanabe City has again been recognized as valid, with the Osaka High Court upholding the earlier ruling against claims by his relatives that the document was forged. (News On Japan)

Monkeys are running wild in Yugawara, one of Kanagawa Prefecture’s best-known hot spring towns, raiding homes, attacking dogs, and eating whatever they please, from bananas to bread. (News On Japan)

The Ise Grand Shrine in Mie Prefecture held the Ofunashiro Festival on September 17th, a ritual in preparation for the 2033 Shikinen Sengu, the periodic rebuilding of its sanctuary. The ceremony involves felling sacred timber used to make the vessel known as the Ofunashiro, which holds the sacred container called the Mihishiro for enshrining the deity. (News On Japan)

Three men, including the manager of an adult entertainment business, were arrested on suspicion of arranging prostitution for Chinese tourists in Osaka Prefecture. (News On Japan)

A brown bear has been captured in Sunagawa City, Hokkaido, where warnings had been issued after repeated sightings, with video footage showing the animal extending its long, sharp claws through a fence and attempting to intimidate the camera. (News On Japan)

The Okinawa Island-wide Eisa Festival, the largest event of its kind in the prefecture, is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year after growing from its postwar origins into one of Okinawa’s most representative cultural events. (News On Japan)

A foreign visitor was filmed hanging from a torii gate at a popular scenic spot in Ikeda, Osaka, known as the ‘Sky Torii,’ where the city can be seen through the frame of the gate. The footage shows a man doing pull-ups on the sacred gate while another person filmed the act on a smartphone. (News On Japan)

Sapporo Rainbow Pride was held over the weekend in central Sapporo, bringing together around 900 participants in a show of support for a more inclusive society that embraces sexual diversity. (News On Japan)

A fire broke out on Sunday night in the Shishibone area of Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, engulfing six homes and injuring one man who lived in the house where the blaze started. (News On Japan)

A woman was injured when a large tree collapsed on a cycling course at Komazawa Olympic Park in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, on September 15th. (News On Japan)

The number of foreigners living in Japan has reached a record 3.67 million. Some have realized long-held dreams of working in the country, such as a Polish woman who became an animator, while others are keeping traditions alive, like a French rickshaw puller in Kanazawa. What kind of work do these residents do, and how much do they earn? (News On Japan)