Applications for Shiga Prefecture's car license plate which depicts an island in Lake Biwa are increasing satisfactorily. At two months after issuance began, there were 1,136 applications, placing it at 11th of the 41 regions nationwide that have introduced their own patterned plates. Nearly 90 percent of applications were people...

"Trick Art," or an intriguing type of painting that visitors can enjoy using AR, or Augmented Reality, technology, has debuted at the bathing facility "Sagano Onsen Tenzan no Yu" in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto. The picture starts moving when seen through a smartphone. The location has been gaining popularity as a...

  The "kanji," or Chinese character, pronounced "sai," meaning "disaster," was selected as "Kanji of the Year" for 2018 in an annual December event to choose one kanji character which reflects the year. The selection was announced at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing...

A test illumination of "Kyoto Arashiyama Hanatouro," or a lighting attraction of Kyoto's winter nights, was held in the Saga-Arashiyama region of Kyoto City on December 6. Passers-by were entranced by the scenery as the Togetsu-kyo Bridge, restored from its typhoon damage, and mountain skirts blurred by rain emerged in...

Shop owners and other businesses in the Nishijin and Kitano area in Kyoto's Kamigyo Ward have newly prepared two hands-on programs using traditional art materials as part of efforts to draw more foreign tourists as well as students who come to the western city from other parts of Japan on...

Beer brands brewed on the premises of a theme park in Kyotango, Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan, have gained a high reputation in domestic and international contests. One of the brands is made using a local rice and another has a distinctive smoky flavor. A representative of the company which operates...

The long-established Japanese confectionery "Hashiriimochi Roho," in Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture, created the sweet treat, "Shokado Afternoon Tea," which was inspired by the quartered meal boxes of "Shokado-bento" that originated in Yawata City. Bite-size rice cakes and other items are arranged into the cross-partitioned box. It has a colorful appearance,...