A series of graffiti markings discovered along the shores of Lake Biwa has drawn sharp criticism from local residents after damage was found on a site long regarded as one of Japan’s Three Famous Bridges, adding to a growing number of defacements occurring at renowned destinations across the country. (News On Japan)

In Kyoto’s Gion district, the annual ritual known as Kotohajime, when preparations for the New Year formally begin, took place on December 13th as geiko and maiko visited their teachers to offer thanks for the past year and convey greetings for the year ahead. (News On Japan)

The Kanji of the Year for 2025 was announced at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto on December 12th, with the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation selecting the character for bear for the first time after nationwide sightings, record-high damage and injuries. (News On Japan)

A train running on the Akita Nairiku Jukan Railway derailed and overturned near Kayakusa Station in Kitaakita City on the morning of December 12th, with the incident reported to police and fire authorities shortly before 6:50 a.m. (News On Japan)

The Nobel Prize award ceremony was held on the evening of December 10th, or early on December 11th in Japan, at the Stockholm Concert Hall, where King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden presented the highest honors — the medal and certificate — to Osaka University specially appointed professor Shimon Sakaguchi, 74, the recipient of this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and Kyoto University distinguished professor Susumu Kitagawa, 74, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. (News On Japan)

A strong earthquake that registered an intensity of 6-plus on the Japanese seismic scale struck Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture, and as daily routines slowly resumed on December 10th with schools reopening, workers and local representatives at Chōjazan Shinto Shrine spent the morning dealing with extensive damage, including fallen stone lanterns, as they worked urgently to clear debris and restore the grounds. (News On Japan)