Random Japan

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MUCHO MOJO

Two women in western Japan are suing the operator of a yoga studio for threatening them with possession by evil spirits if they didn’t fork over millions of yen. They’re being supported in their efforts by the delightfully named National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales.

A professor at Keio University has developed a robot that can pass along the sensation of the things it touches to human hands.

A trio of climbers was arrested for attempting to scale Nachi Falls in Wakayama Prefecture. The falls and a nearby shrine are both UNESCO World Heritage sites, which led the head of the shrine to say the stunt was “an insult to our religion.”

Meanwhile, a delegation from UNESCO will travel to Gunma to judge whether the Tomioka silk mill is worthy of World Heritage status. The mill was established by the government way back in 1872.

stats

  298

Tour bus companies that were investigated by the transport ministry for unsafe business practices following the fatal crash of a highway bus in April

250

Number of the companies that were found to be in violation of the law

96.1

Percent of Japanese who are “aware” of the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea, according to a Cabinet Office survey

10,000

Estimated number of babies born through artificial insemination in Japan since the procedure was first adopted in 1949