Pretty much everyone who visits Nara stops by the park to feed crackers to the deer, so are the smaller crowds leaving them hungry? (soranews24.com)

Restaurants in Japan are navigating rough waters amid the COVID-19 pandemic, inspiring new ideas as they try to come up with ways to remain afloat. (Japan Times)

Female flight attendants working for Japan Airlines will be allowed to wear pants and abandon high heels next month, the company said on Thursday, after a feminist campaign took off. (Japan Today)

Large queues formed at supermarkets and stores in Tokyo on Friday as residents in the Japanese capital prepared for a weekend at home, after the city's governor called on them to remain indoors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (Japan Today)

A man was arrested Friday on suspicion of obstructing business after he allegedly delayed a domestic flight in Japan on Thursday immediately before takeoff by telling cabin crew he was infected with the novel coronavirus. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 29-year-old man over the alleged molestation of a girl in Sumida Ward earlier this month, reports TBS News (Mar. 26). (tokyoreporter.com)

The Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that captured headlines after an outbreak of COVID-19 among those on board, left a pier in Yokohama port Wednesday after nearly two months of quarantine. (Japan Times)

Japan's approach to social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic might seem to other nations around the world like it is very social, and not so distant. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 23-year-old man over the alleged molestation of a woman in Kodaira City earlier this month, reports TV Asahi (Mar. 25). (tokyoreporter.com)

Veteran comedian Ken Shimura has tested positive for the new coronavirus, his agency said Wednesday, making him the first Japanese entertainment figure to announce their infection publicly. (Kyodo)

Police in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, said Sunday they have arrested a 44-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of killing a 70-year-old man by beating him to death with a small concrete block last week. (Japan Today)

A law, set to take full effect in April that will ban people from smoking indoors in government buildings and other places in Japan, appears to be backfiring as outdoor smoking is making a brash comeback in all the wrong places. (Kyodo)

Eldest daughter of a heartthrob graduates high school and enters the world of fashion. (soranews24.com)

Some time before the coronavirus outbreak put a damper on this year’s hanami (blossom viewing) parties and other social activities, the media had already noted that the decline in alcohol consumption by younger Japanese has been accelerating. This phenomenon even made the front page of the Nikkei Marketing Journal (Feb. 21). (Japan Times)

The new version of Harajuku Station opened on Tokyo’s busy Yamanote loop line Saturday as visitors in masks gathered to gawk despite the coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

People have been enjoying walking beneath cherry blossoms at a popular viewing spot in Tokyo on Saturday, but there are no gatherings this year due to the new coronavirus threat. (NHK)

Hyogo Prefectural Police have disciplined a police sergeant in Amagasaki City for engaging in sex with a subordinate female officer while on duty, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Mar. 19). (tokyoreporter.com)

The quarantine station at Narita airport has been temporarily closed, as one of the airport workers accidentally dropped a glass tube containing a coronavirus reagent. Reports say that the worker dropped the tube earlier this month, contaminating the whole room. (soranews24.com)

A man at the center of a high-profile child abuse case was sentenced to 16 years in prison Thursday for causing the death of his 10-year-old daughter. (Japan Times)

The planned state visit by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to Britain in the second quarter of this year will be postponed due to the new coronavirus outbreak, Japan’s top government spokesman said Thursday. (Japan Times)