HAKONE

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Knife law tough shuck for oysters

Be careful next time you're about to shuck a fresh oyster at a restaurant - you may be using a knife considered illegal under the Firearm and Sword Control Law. Possessing certain types of oyster knives will be punishable from Sunday, after the moratorium expires on a revision to the law that was implemented in January. (Japan Times)

Young adults turn to home sharing

Rather than forking out money to rent their own apartments, young people struggling during the economic downturn are increasingly moving in with friends or acquaintances as they try to make ends meet. Many of these young adults used to place priority on having a good time, but are now unemployed or working in low-paying jobs. They appear to be moving toward cheaper, shared accommodation, and with it, finding emotional support in these bleak times. (Yomiuri)

Japanese scientists to breed 'super tuna'

Japanese scientists will have bred a new "super-tuna" within a decade that will be stronger, more resistant to disease and taste better than the bluefin presently in the oceans. Stocks of tuna have declined by as much as 90 per cent in some waters and the World Wildlife Fund has warned that the Atlantic bluefin will have been wiped out within three years unless radical measures are taken to protect stocks. (telegraph.co.uk)

If Paul Krugman were Japanese

Narika Hama, a professor of economics at Doshisha University in Kyoto, is a sort of Japanese version of Paul Krugman -- if Paul Krugman were a woman with a purple rinse, pink jacket, funky blue jeans, black patent leather pumps, and a vague British accent. Hama, who lived in the United Kingdom as a child in the 1960s, is something of an intellectual celebrity in Japan. (NewsWeek)

Japan's 1st case of Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 influenza detected

The health ministry said Thursday it has detected a genetic mutation of the new H1N1 strain of influenza A that develops resistance to Tamiflu, marking the first case of the new influenza in Japan that did not respond to the anti-flu drug. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said the Tamiflu-resistant virus was detected in a woman in her 40s infected with the new influenza in Osaka Prefecture. (AP)

Japanese love hotels boom in the recession

In Japan, where the global financial meltdown has especially taken its toll, not all industries are languishing. In fact, one of the most notably resilient industries seems to be 'love hotels' (the kind where one may pay by the hour, rather than by the night), according to CNN. One such establishment, the Bonita Hotel in Isawa, currently enjoys a 257 percent occupancy rate. And the industry as a whole is estimated to take in $40 billion per year. (huffingtonpost.com)

NASA, Japan map most of planet

CNN's goinggreen blog has an entry today on the new digital topographical map created by NASA and Japan. It's the most complete map to date. The map was built from 1.3 million images taken by NASA's Terra satellite. CNN says the images were taken by a Japanese imaging instrument called the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, or ASTER. (baltimoresun.com)

Reputations on line as Japan pulls out stops to win rail contracts

A global boom in infrastructure projects worth more than £200 billion has prompted Japan to launch its most expansive charm offensive in the international game of railway diplomacy. From Washington to Ho Chi Minh City, via Delhi and Dubai, Japan has embarked on an unprecedented frenzy of salesmanship. (timesonline.co.uk)

Japan claims disputed islands

Japan's parliament on Friday passed a law asserting sovereignty over four islands at the centre of a dispute with Russia, adding to tensions as the countries' leaders prepare to meet. A law calling the four Kuril islands an 'integral part' of Japan was unanimously passed by the opposition-controlled upper house after the lower house also approved it in May when the bill sparked a protest from Moscow. (Straits Times)

Japan may add noise to quiet hybrid cars for safety

Japan's near-silent hybrid cars have been called dangerous by the vision-impaired and some users, prompting a government review on whether to add a noise-making device, according to an official. The petrol-electric vehicles, which in recent months have become the country's top-selling autos, hum along almost soundlessly when they are switched from fuel to battery mode. (AFP)

Japan still a bridge too far on many fronts

The global economic landscape may see a milestone change this year, for China is widely regarded to replace Japan as the second largest economy in the next few months. But for that to happen China's economy has to grow by 6 to 8 percent, while Japan's has to contract further. Last year, China's GDP was $4.22 trillion against Japan's $4.84 trillion. And even though China's GDP may overtake Japan's, the two economies have major quantitative and qualitative differences. (China Daily)

Japan housewives to shun currency markets on new rule

A plan to increase restrictions on Japan's margin-trading market may drive individual investors away, paving the way for more volatile currency movements, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Japan's Financial Services Agency, which regulates the nation's margin-trading industry, intends to cap the leverage permissible on currency trades at 50 times the amount of cash being committed starting in 2010, and reduce it to 25 times in 2011. (Bloomberg)

Japan may deploy troops near disputed islands

Japan's defence ministry is considering deploying troops on an island in the East China Sea near a group of islets that is claimed by Tokyo, Beijing and Taipei, according to a ministry spokesman. "We are studying (the deployment) so that it could be included in the planned year-end revision of the basic defence programme," the official said, confirming a news report on the plan to send an army unit to Yonaguni island. (AFP)

Japan students rush for English-language education

At 28,000 dollars a year, a popular English language cram school course in Japan doesn't come cheap, but its students hope the rewards will more than make up for the hefty tuition fee. The class is called "Route H" -- short for "Route to Harvard". Hundreds of schools like it have opened across Japan in recent years to prep a new generation of students who have their educational sights set far beyond Japan's shores, at the top universities of the West. (AFP)

Struggling Japanese PM turns to comedian for help

Taro Aso, the increasingly desperate Japanese prime minister, is appealing to a former stand-up comedian to join his cabinet and save the administration just weeks ahead of the general election. Hideo Higashikokubaru, recently elected governor of Miyazaki Prefecture, initially rebuffed an indirect approach from Mr Aso by saying he would only accept a portfolio if he was listed as the Liberal Democratic Party's candidate for prime minister in the election, which has to be held before Sept 10. (telegraph.co.uk)

Visa overstayers given too many breaks: rightist

Daisuke Arikado believes the government is too easy on foreigners overstaying their visa and this frustrates him. Arikado is a former member of an ultra-rightist group who founded and heads the 30-strong nonprofit organization Movement to Eradicate Crimes by Foreigners. (Japan Times)

Total ban on child porn sought / Diet debate starts on revision to close possession loophole in law

The Diet has begun debate on bills to revise the law banning child prostitution and child pornography, with discussions focused on whether to conform to international standards and completely prohibit the possession of child pornography. (Yomiuri)

Japan to generate solar power in outer space, then beam it to earth

This may sound ridiculous first time you hear it, but Japan is thinking about solar power from panels located in space to mother earth, or to be more exact, the nation of Nippon itself. According to the Nikkei, the government plans to ask local technology companies to participate in the endeavor as early as next month. (crunchgear.com)

At long last, Korea and Japan return to trade talks

After four years of stalled negotiations, Korea and Japan are ready to restart free trade agreement talks. Korea and Japan will hold their third working-level meeting on resuming negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement deal today in Tokyo, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade yesterday. (joins.com)

Ferry service now links Japan, South Korea, Russia

The cargo-passenger ferry Eastern Dream arrives in Sakai port in Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, on Tuesday, inaugurating a new service with calls in Japan, South Korea and Russia. The 14,000-ton ferry, operated by South Korea's DBS Cruise Ferry Co., will start regular service on July 7, linking the ports of Vladivostok, Donghae (South Korea) and Sakaiminato. (Asahi)

Law enacted to support reclusive youngsters

The Japanese parliament enacted a law Wednesday to help young people who have withdrawn from society to stand on their own feet, approving it unanimously at a House of Councillors plenary session. The growing presence of socially withdrawn juveniles and those not in education, employment or training, dubbed NEETs, has become a social issue in recent years. Prime Minister Taro Aso called for legislation to support such people in his policy speech last September. (AP)

Japan: Automation Nation?

More than any other country in the world, Japan is a case study in the triumphs of human engineering. Every Japanese manufacturer prides itself on energy efficiency and zero-landfill waste policies. The train and subway stations are models of precision and the application of information technology. (NewsWeek)

British followers of Japanese fashion

An underground youth culture in Japan with distinctive music, fashion and make-up, where the skin is darkened using tanning products is spreading worldwide. Young people in the UK have been learning about the intricacies of 'manba' by making friends on the other side of the world using social networking sites and learning how to re-create the style through videos on YouTube. (BBC)

Japanese Emperor back to Canada after 56 years

Japan's Emperor Akihito said Tuesday he was looking forward to his first return to Canada since making his first-ever overseas trip there as a teenage prince 56 years ago. The 75-year-old monarch and Empress Michiko, one year his junior, are scheduled to leave here on Friday on a 15-day goodwill tour of Canada and the US Pacific island state of Hawaii. (AFP)

Sony struggling as Walkman hits 30th anniversary

When the Sony Walkman went on sale 30 years ago, it was shown off by a skateboarder to illustrate how the portable cassette-tape player delivered music on-the-go _ a totally innovative idea back in 1979. Today, Sony Corp. is struggling to reinvent itself and win back its reputation as a pioneer of razzle-dazzle gadgetry once exemplified in the Walkman, which Wednesday had its 30th anniversary marked with a special display at Sony's corporate archives. (Las Vegas Sun)

Japan City Guides: Hakone

Comprehensible information can be found on the website Japanvisitor.com

Hakone

How to get there

Hostels, Guesthouses, Ryokans in Tokyo

Komagatake, Hakone.

Hakone - everyone getting away from it all

Hakone by moonlight.

For the visitor to Japan or a resident of the Kanto region, Hakone is the ideal getaway destination. Within a couple of hours from Tokyo by ryokan or train, Hakone is an area blessed with mountainous natural beauty and bracing rural air. Full of natural hot springs ( onsen ), it is the ideal cold weather destination. Also, with its elevation, it is the perfect place to escape the sweltering greenhouse that is heavy, smoggy Tokyo in summer.

Hakone Open-Air Museum

Two stops before Gora on the Hakone Tozan line, at Kowakidani, is the Hakone Open-Air Museum: one of Hakone's must-sees. It features, among others, the huge sculptures of the British sculptor Henry Moore, and has its own dedicated Picasso Museum.

Fujiya hostel, guesthouse

Komagatake Ropeway.

Hakone Art Museum

Hakone Ashinoko Museum of Fine Art

Hakone Mononofu no Sato Art Museum

Hakone Open Air Museum

Hakone Picnic Garden Art Museum(spring through autumn)

Homma Museum of Art

Lalique Museum, Hakone.

Mental Image Art Museum ( Shinshouha no Kan )

Moa Museum of Art (sister museum to the Hakone Museum of Art)

Museum of Saint-Exupery and The Little Prince in Hakone

Nakagawa Kazumasa Art Museum, Manazuru

Narukawa Art Forum

Pola Museum of Art

Recorve Hakone Art Museum

Sano Art Museum

Yugawara Art Museum

Crafts

Hakone Ashinoyu Flower Center

Hakone Folkcraft Hall ( Hakone Kankou Bussankan ) 'Hakone Glass Forest': a Venetian glass museum

Hakone Gora Park Craft house (Handicrafts Studio)

Hakone Music Box Museum (and Hakone Garden Museum)

Hakone Museum of Art (sister museum to the Moa Museum of Art and specializing in Japanese ceramics through the ages)

Hakone Teddy Bear Museum

Hakone Toy Museum (and Hakone Garden Museum)

Kamaboko(steamed fish paste) Museum of Suzuhiro Corp.

Sengokuhara Cultural Center

Wooden Handicraft Center ( Hatajuku Yoriki Kaikan )

From Tokyo : a regular ( futsuu ) train takes about 90 minutes from JR Tokyo station to Odawara on the Tokaido line, and the fare is about 1500 yen. Trains depart every 15-30 minutes and it costs about Y1500.
The bullet train from Tokyo station takes about 40 minutes and costs just over 3000 yen.
From Odawara change to the Hakone-Tozan line to Hakone-Yumoto.

From Shinjuku Station, the cheapest way to go is on the Odakyu line (under the big Odakyu Department Store on the west side of Shinjuku Station). For 850 yen take the Odawara line limited express ( kaisoku kyuuko )
Odakyu offers what is called the 'Hakone Freepass' (actually 5,500 yen for adults - 4,700 on weekdays) that, as well as covering your return trip to Hakone, gives you unlimited access for three days to seven types of transportation in Hakone and discounts at a huge number of shops and facilities. More than pays for itself if you are spending more than a day moving around Hakone.

Book hostel, guesthouse Accommodation in Hakone Here

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