In Fukuchiyama City, Kyoto Prefecture, workers carried out the traditional practice of “komo-maki,” wrapping straw mats around pine trees to protect them from harmful insects as the autumn season deepens. The activity takes place each year around “Kanro” (Cold Dew), one of the 24 solar terms marking the seasonal transition toward winter. (News On Japan)

In the heart of Nara Prefecture lies Imai, a town that has miraculously preserved its Edo-era landscape and traditions to this day. Established in the mid-Muromachi period as a temple-based settlement, Imai developed under the same Buddhist sect as Ishiyama Honganji. (News On Japan)

Nissan, currently in the midst of rebuilding its business, has unveiled a new model of its world-first mass-produced electric vehicle, the Leaf, as part of efforts to revive the company’s fortunes. The automaker will begin domestic sales of the third-generation Leaf on October 17th. (News On Japan)

Prices continue to squeeze businesses across Japan, with the number of bankruptcies caused by rising costs reaching a record 488 cases in the first half of this fiscal year, according to data compiled by Teikoku Databank. (News On Japan)

Typhoon No. 23 (Nakri), currently located southeast of the Kanto region, is moving eastward and is expected to become an extratropical low over the far western Pacific on October 15. As of 3 p.m., the storm was positioned about 260 kilometers east of Hachijojima and traveling northeast at around 35 kilometers per hour. Although Hachijojima has now exited the typhoon’s storm zone, Nakri’s area of strong winds remains extensive and will continue to impact coastal regions even as the system moves away. (News On Japan)

Learning Japanese as a beginner feels a bit like standing at the foot of Mount Fuji — exciting, but a little daunting. (News On Japan)

Japan and Indonesia have signed an agreement aimed at facilitating trade by simplifying customs procedures. Under the deal, both countries will apply the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) system to companies that are officially recognized as trustworthy by customs authorities. (News On Japan)

During their visit to the Kansai region, the Japanese Emperor and Empress arrived in Kyoto aboard the “Imperial Train,” which operates on a special schedule reserved solely for the Imperial couple. During its operation, no other train is allowed to overtake or run alongside it, ensuring absolute safety and privacy. (News On Japan)

TeamLab has opened a new art space, “TeamLab BioVortex Kyoto,” in Kyoto’s Minami Ward, featuring around 50 works including several unveiled in Japan for the first time. Spanning approximately 10,000 square meters, the facility offers an immersive interactive experience where light, sound, and motion respond dynamically to visitors’ movements. (News On Japan)

Beer deliveries from Asahi Group Holdings have been disrupted following a ransomware cyberattack, causing shortages that have already begun to affect izakaya and other establishments across Japan. Some bars have reported their beer stock falling to “only one left” as supply chain delays ripple through the industry. (News On Japan)

The Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education has dismissed a 39-year-old junior high school teacher from Nagaokakyo City who was arrested on suspicion of secretly filming a female student in his classroom. (News On Japan)

Elementary and junior high school teachers in Japan still work the longest hours among their peers worldwide, according to an OECD report released on Tuesday. While the 2024 results by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed working hours had fallen by around four hours per week compared with the previous survey in 2018, Japan’s teachers still far exceeded their global counterparts. (News On Japan)

A bear entered a supermarket in Numata City, Gunma Prefecture on Tuesday night, attacking two male customers before escaping to the south. (News On Japan)

Two police officers from the Hyogo Prefectural Police have been arrested for possessing marijuana, admitting they kept it for personal use. (News On Japan)

Footage filmed near the Harumi Flag Apartments in Tokyo shows groups of motorcycles revving their engines loudly into the night at a nearby intersection, disrupting the peace of families living in the new residential complex built on the former site of the Tokyo Olympic Athletes’ Village. (News On Japan)

Police have arrested a 43-year-old former employee of Tsuda College in Kodaira, western Tokyo, on suspicion of property damage after he allegedly took a female student’s shorts from a locker and defiled them with bodily fluid. (News On Japan)

Amid growing expectations for Liberal Democratic Party leader Sanae Takaiichi’s economic policies, stock and bond markets have seen significant movements. The question now is how her inflation-relief measures will shape people’s daily lives once implemented. (News On Japan)

Household spending in Japan rose 2.3% in August from a year earlier, marking the fourth consecutive month of increase, according to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. (News On Japan)

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) under President Takaichi has finalized its executive appointments, marking the start of a new leadership structure. In the afternoon, the party is scheduled to begin coalition talks with its junior partner, Komeito. (News On Japan)

The Nikkei Stock Average climbed again on October 7th, setting another record high amid growing expectations surrounding the Liberal Democratic Party’s new leader, Sanae Takaichi. The benchmark index at one point rose more than 500 yen, marking the second consecutive day it reached an intraday record. (News On Japan)