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About 15 years ago, I decided it was time for me to become a divemaster and scuba instructor. I loved the ocean and had grown up watching Jacques-Yves Cousteau roaming the oceans aboard the Calypso. After coming back from Nepal I was diagnosed with asthma. I went to see a doctor specialized in diving who […]
Vincent Fichot (Twitter: @FichotVincent) is on a hunger strike at Sendagaya JR station since July 10th after years of unsuccessful efforts to see his children who were kidnapped by his mother in Japan on August 10th 2018. I encourage you to read about Vincent and the many fathers who have been separated from their children […]
I am a content writer, essayist, sometimes public radio announcer, actor, and jack-of-all trades, and have lived in Japan since the early 1980s. I moved to Toride city in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, in November 2020, and buying a house there, away from Tokyo, has both been challenging and very satisfying. Closeness with nature can inspire […]
Disaster Mitigation in Japan-Weather Information
The Japan Meteorological Agency is the best source in various languages for local weather and for real-time risks evaluation. In addition to weather forecasts, its English Home Page offers weather warnings/advisories, real-time risk maps for landslides, inundations and floods, tropical cyclones information, tsunami warnings and advisory, earthquake information and volcanic warning/forecasts. As you can see […]
Disaster Mitigation in Japan- Evacuation Information and Resources (Apps…)
With the rainy season, or “tsuyu”, the risk of landslides, inundations and floods is growing. I am posting here some information in English. Other languages are available on the websites mentioned. • For general information about Disaster Management in Japan, the Cabinet Office offers valuable resources. You can download the latest Evacuation Information in 14 […]
Two of the cats I have so far met in Toride. This one is living in a box near the river and prefers, it seems, the company of dogs. I met the second one several times on my way to the river. Always perched on a wall and very friendly.
This plant is native to North America but is said to have arrived in Japan during Meiji period. I took those pictures today at sunset. The flowers can be found everywhere on the river banks.
Tonegawa river banks in Toride
Toride offers a quality of life that cannot be found in Tokyo. I would make an exception for those who enjoy most museums and theaters, but for nature lovers, nothing beats a peaceful evening walking close to the river.
Anoplophora malasiaca (White-spotted Longicorn Beetle) Cerambycidae
This species can be disastrous for trees.
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