Ueno Zoo’s panda will be returned to China in late January, according to an announcement made by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on December 15th, prompting long lines at the zoo on the morning of December 16th as visitors gathered to catch a final glimpse and shared their sadness over the approaching farewell. (News On Japan)

Record snowfall across eastern Hokkaido on December 15th continued to disrupt daily life on the 16th, with widespread school closures, suspended waste collection and transportation delays. In Kitami, where accumulated snow reached as much as 53 centimeters on December 15th, residents spent the morning clearing heavy, wet snow from their entrances and driveways. (News On Japan)

The latest “Jalan Popular Hot Spring Destinations 2026” ranking, based on responses from more than 12,000 members of the travel site Jalan, has named Gunma Prefecture’s Kusatsu Onsen as the top hot spring area people most want to revisit, marking its third consecutive year at No. 1, with Hakone Onsen in Kanagawa coming in third and Beppu Onsenkyo in Oita second. (News On Japan)

At Oi Racecourse, the Tokyo City Flea Market has emerged as an unlikely gathering spot for overseas visitors even though it is far from a standard sightseeing destination, with the walkways filled on recent weekends with a mix of languages that reflects how sharply foreign tourism patterns are shifting. (News On Japan)

Otsu’s centuries-old festival tradition has been approved for inscription on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, marking a significant recognition of the cultural and communal value of the Otsu Festival’s Hikiyama parade. (News On Japan)

JR Group companies will introduce extensive timetable changes in March next year, with JR Central announcing that it will raise the maximum number of Tokaido Shinkansen Nozomi services to 13 per hour during peak periods. (News On Japan)

As the end of the year approaches, companies across Japan are scaling back on traditional calendar giveaways, with major airlines such as JAL and ANA joining a growing list of firms ending long-standing distribution programs even as demand among some consumers remains strong. (News On Japan)