Three men, including a company executive, are suspected of smuggling gold from Hong Kong into Japan dozens of times last year to avoid paying consumption tax and other charges, with investigators believing the precious metal was handed over inside a toilet at Kansai International Airport. (News On Japan)

Universal Studios Japan (USJ) has begun renting out a wayfinding device for visually impaired visitors, becoming the first theme park in Japan to introduce the technology. (News On Japan)

A black bear was filmed walking directly toward a camera from only a few meters away at around 2 p.m. on May 21st in the parking lot of a tourist facility in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, as the person recording the scene could be heard saying, "Call someone. Wait a minute. This is bad, it is coming this way. We could get hurt." (News On Japan)

The Nozomi service on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines, which has already switched to all-reserved seating during extended holiday periods such as the year-end and New Year break, will also operate with reserved seats only on three-day weekends from October this fiscal year. (News On Japan)

After days of near-summer heat through May 20th, rain believed to mark the start of Japan's rainy season front swept across the country on May 21st, bringing sharp temperature drops, strong winds, and warnings for potentially heavy downpours. (News On Japan)

More people are skipping the couple's getaway in favor of booking a flight with their closest friend. It's a shift that says something about how priorities have changed. (News On Japan)

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region. (News On Japan)

Traditional ukai cormorant fishing, a seasonal custom signaling the arrival of early summer, began on May 20th along the Chikugo River in Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, following the opening of ayu sweetfish fishing on the river that flows through southern Fukuoka. (News On Japan)

Video footage appears to show graffiti being carved into bamboo at Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Taisha, with witnesses claiming two foreign visitors were involved in the vandalism. (News On Japan)

Surrounded by mountains in Kyoto Prefecture, Miyama’s Kitamura district preserves one of Japan’s most iconic rural landscapes, where rows of traditional thatched-roof houses have been maintained for generations through strong community cooperation and deeply rooted village traditions. (News On Japan)

Dazaifu Tenmangu in Fukuoka Prefecture, which enshrines Sugawara no Michizane, the deity of learning, opened its restored main shrine to the media on May 18th after completing its first major renovation in 124 years. (News On Japan)

The Japanese government has released a set of guidelines titled "Six Rules to Avoid Encountering Bears" as bear sightings across the country continue to rise sharply compared to the same period in previous years. (News On Japan)

A 78-year-old man who drove off a brown bear by punching it in the nose has recounted the terrifying ordeal, as an unusual surge in spring bear sightings continues across Japan, including in the Kanto region and Tokyo. (News On Japan)

A bear sighting in a residential area of Hachioji, western Tokyo, at the end of April has heightened concerns among local residents as encounters involving bears continue to increase across Japan. (News On Japan)

A Russian man in his 30s suffered serious injuries after being attacked by a bear while hiking on Mount Mutsuishi in Okutama Town, western Tokyo, at around 12:10 p.m. on May 17th, according to the Metropolitan Police Department and the Tokyo Fire Department. (News On Japan)

A female koala named Komachi, which arrived from Tokyo's Tama Zoological Park for a breeding program, was unveiled to the public at Awaji Farm Park England Hill, a popular tourist destination in Minamiawaji, Hyogo Prefecture. (News On Japan)

The Sanja Festival at Asakusa Shrine in Tokyo’s Taito Ward, one of the capital’s signature early summer events, reached its peak on May 16th as nearly 100 mikoshi portable shrines from 44 local neighborhood associations paraded through the downtown streets, filling the area with excitement and energy. (News On Japan)

A graceful procession made its way through the streets of Kyoto on May 16th as the "Roto no Gi," the main highlight of the Aoi Festival, got underway in Kyoto City. (News On Japan)

I have often thought that the true rhythm of a city like Tokyo is best understood not from the high-rise lobby of a luxury hotel, but from the quiet side streets where the local vending machines hum through the night and the scent of a neighborhood bakery begins to drift at dawn – a perspective that is becoming increasingly attractive as we all try to navigate through (and at times, away from) a more and more complicated digital world. (News On Japan)

A popular geological attraction in Toyooka known for its distinctive volcanic rock formations has reopened after being temporarily closed following a large-scale rock collapse. (News On Japan)