Temperatures forecast to remain high in September, October – Nationwide
The lingering heat is expected to remain for September and October with temperatures in the 30s, the Japan Meteorological Agency said in its three-month forecast for autumn. According to the forecast, temperatures are forecast to stay high nationwide, with some places experiencing hot days with maximum temperatures of 35° C in the first half of September, NHK reported. The agency also said that in October, there is a possibility of midsummer-like days with temperatures over 30° C.
In addition, in September and October, the Pacific coast from Kanto to Kyushu, as well as Okinawa and Amami, will be susceptible to the influence of the autumn rain front during the period, and precipitation is expected to be normal or above average. The typhoon season will also continue into the fall, the agency predicted. Autumn-like weather is expected in November, with temperatures forecast to be normal or higher than normal in northern and eastern Japan, and around normal in western Japan and Okinawa.
City near Osaka asks foreigners to apply for warlord role in parade – Osaka Prefecture
A city near Osaka recently put out a call asking foreign residents in Japan to apply to play the role of a feudal warlord in a local festival. The government of Daito in Osaka Prefecture said it is looking for someone to play the role of Miyoshi Nagayoshi, a lord who governed the region and the island of Shikoku near the end of Japan’s “Sengoku” warring states period. The person would play the role in the western Japan city’s samurai procession festival in March.
The offer comes as the area gears up for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, which opens in April next year. Applications are open to any foreign resident aged 18 or older who is willing to commit to participating in the March 1 parade. The city said it will provide the successful candidate with traditional armour and other costume elements to wear. Miyoshi was born in 1522 in what is now known as Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku. He died at a castle located in Daito in 1564.
New Sony building in Tokyo’s Ginza district completed; to open 2025 – Tokyo Prefecture
The newly completed Ginza Sony Park, a renovation project on the former site of the iconic Sony Building in Tokyo, was unveiled to the press, with the new complex promising to be a modern space that carries on the vision of its predecessor. Scheduled to open to the public in January, the new building stands five stories high with four basement levels, covering a total floor area of approximately 4,390 square meters. Based on the concept of a “park in Ginza,” it features numerous open spaces, including an atrium, to create a sense of openness.
Some of the original walls from the Sony Building, which opened in 1966 based on Sony Corp co-founder Akio Morita’s vision that “a meaningful building should be constructed as the gateway to Ginza,” have been incorporated into the basement floors of the redesigned building. After operating for around 50 years as a showroom for Sony products, including the revolutionary Walkman portable music player first released in 1979, the original building was torn down in 2017 for redevelopment. The final phase of the renovation project was completed on Aug 15.
