As rice planting season gets underway, a rare seasonal sight known as the “Upside-Down Hyono Mountain” has appeared in Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture, where the image of Mount Hyono is reflected on the surface of flooded terraced rice fields. (News On Japan)

As ferries cut across the open waters between Wakayama and Tokushima during the Golden Week holidays, passengers aboard the Nankai Ferry found themselves enjoying a slower pace of travel far removed from Japan’s notorious highway congestion. (News On Japan)

Major sushi chain Sushiro will make its first entry into the United States this autumn, with plans to open its inaugural North American outlet near Times Square in New York. (News On Japan)

Changes are emerging within PTAs that support children's school lives as growing numbers of dual-income households make it increasingly difficult for parents to participate in traditional school activities. (News On Japan)

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on May 7th that Tokyo has been selected as a host city for the Olympic Qualifying Series, where athletes will compete for places at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. (News On Japan)

Police searched the offices of a bus company on May 8th following a crash on the Banetsu Expressway in Fukushima Prefecture on May 6th that left one high school student dead and 20 others injured, with the driver of the microbus claiming he was not asleep at the wheel. (News On Japan)

The "Okihiki" ceremony, in which citizens transport timber to the Outer Shrine of Ise Grand Shrine ahead of its next Shikinen Sengu reconstruction seven years from now, began in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, on May 9th. (News On Japan)

A man has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and murder after a woman was killed at a hotel in Osaka’s Minami district. (News On Japan)

As bears increasingly appear in residential areas across Japan, emergency gun hunts to eliminate the animals have also been carried out repeatedly in Aomori Prefecture, where a local hunter has spoken publicly about the difficulties involved in firing a weapon in populated areas. (News On Japan)

The fifth annual "Japan Parade" was held in Manhattan on May 9th, drawing large crowds as around 100 groups and approximately 2,700 participants showcased Japanese culture through martial arts performances, traditional dance, and cosplay. (News On Japan)

Security camera footage obtained by reporters captured a person placing a suitcase beside a fence in a quiet Tokyo residential neighborhood before walking away and never returning, highlighting a growing problem of abandoned luggage around Ikebukuro. (News On Japan)

Japan’s so-called “national debt,” which includes government bonds, borrowings and other liabilities, reached 1,343.8426 trillion yen as of the end of March, marking a record high for the 10th consecutive year, the Finance Ministry announced. (News On Japan)

Toyota Motor has become the first Japanese company to surpass 50 trillion yen in annual revenue, although the automaker expects profits to decline this fiscal year due to the impact of Middle East tensions and U.S. tariff policies. (News On Japan)

A series of monkey sightings has been reported across urban areas in Hyogo Prefecture, including Kobe and Himeji, with several residents injured after encounters with the animal, as investigators uncovered surprising details about the monkey’s behavior. (News On Japan)

As the number of foreign residents living in Japan continues to rise, so too does the number of foreign children attending Japanese schools, prompting educators to strengthen support not only for language learning but also for cultural adaptation. (News On Japan)

A discount supermarket chain known for its ultra-low prices has raised the price of kaiware radish sprouts for the first time in 34 years, as worsening tensions in the Middle East continue to drive up oil-related costs and disrupt supplies of plastic products across Japan. (News On Japan)

A father arrested over the killing of his elementary school-aged son in Kyoto Prefecture has told investigators that he acted alone throughout the crime, including the murder and disposal of the body, police sources said. (News On Japan)

Rising tensions in the Middle East are beginning to affect not only fuel and transportation costs, but also the prices of everyday foods ranging from cooking oil and fish to onions, with experts warning that the impact could continue for at least another year even if fighting comes to an end. (News On Japan)

A steam leak was detected early on May 8th at the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant's Unit 3 in Fukui Prefecture, prompting Kansai Electric Power to manually shut down the reactor. (News On Japan)

Japan’s real wages in March rose for the third consecutive month, supported by continued growth in base salaries and a slowdown in inflation, according to data released by the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry. (News On Japan)