Iwate

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  General News

  Earthquake hits Aomori, Iwate on Monday Morning; Seismic Intensity 4 in Aomori City

  A magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit Aomori and other prefectures at around 6:01 a.m. Monday, with seismic...

  November 20, 2023

  #Earthquake #Aomori #Iwate

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  Japan In Focus

  Morioka’s Pop-up Pedestrian Zone Draws Crowd for Food Stalls, Mochi Pounding

  MORIOKA — Pedestrians took over a street near Morioka Station in Iwate Prefecture last month. Despit...

  November 8, 2023

  #Iwate

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  General News

  Bear Knocked Out by Tranquilizer Dart 30 Hours After Entering Barn in Northern Japan

  A bear that entered a barn at a residence was captured after being hit with a tranquilizer dart in O...

  October 30, 2023

  #Iwate #Bear Attacks

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  Travel Spots

  ‘Trick Art’ Brightens Up Japan City Affected by 2011 Earthquake, Tsunami

  OFUNATO, Iwate — Seventeen “trick art” paintings, spanning a distance of about 600 meters on a break...

  October 13, 2023

  #Iwate

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  Crime & Courts

  Three 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake Victims Newly Identified

  MORIOKA — Previously unidentified remains of three victims of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake h...

  August 4, 2023

  #Iwate

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  General News

  Morioka’s Sansa Odori Parade Kicks Off Tohoku Festival Season

  Taiko drummers parade down the street on the opening day of the Iwate Morioka Sansa Odori Festival i...

  August 2, 2023

  #Iwate #Festival

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  Japan In Focus

  Wood From Japan’s ‘Miracle Lone Pine’ Turned into Tax Gift

  RIKUZEN-TAKATA, Iwate — Incense made from the “miracle lone pine,” which remained standing after the...

  July 10, 2023

  #Iwate

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  Japan In Focus

  Iwate Pref. Villagers to Produce Film Depicting Local Life

  KUNOHE, Iwate — A group of villagers has launched a project to produce a film to attract new residen...

  May 15, 2023

  #Iwate

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  Japan In Focus

  New JR Train Station Opens in Morioka for 1st Time in 25 Years

  MORIOKA — Many residents came out to take part in a ceremony held to commemorate the opening of Maeg...

  April 16, 2023

  #Iwate

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  Japan In Focus

  Event Marks 100 Days Until Tree-Planting

  RIKUZEN-TAKATA, Iwate — A Feb. 25 countdown event marked 100 days until the 73rd national tree-plant...

  April 16, 2023

  #Iwate

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  Japan In Focus

  Local Groups in Iwate Prefecture Wow New Year’s Crowds with Folk Dances

  OTSUCHI, Iwate — The Toramai tiger dance and the Shishi Odori deer dance were among the performances...

  February 12, 2023

  #Iwate

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  Japan In Focus

  Yuming and Ayaka Hirahara Perform at Save the Snow Concert in Iwate Prefecture

  HACHIMANTAI, Iwate — Save the Snow Concert, a two-day event to raise awareness about global warming ...

  February 12, 2023

  #Iwate

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  Travel Spots

  Cold Air Creates Mirage off Iwate Pref.

  An optical illusion whereby a ship and an island look as though they are floating above the sea’s su...

  January 30, 2023

  #Iwate

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  Travel Spots

  NY Times Nod Puts Morioka on The Map

  Visitors from Japan and overseas have been flocking to a city in the Tohoku region since its inclusi...

  January 29, 2023

  #Iwate

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  Japan In Focus

  Iwate: Time capsule unsealed 30 yrs after tunnel opening

  OFUNATO, Iwate — A time capsule has been opened some 30 years after it was buried to mark the openin...

  December 11, 2022

  #Iwate