Crystal-glass Christmas trees sparkle at Hakone museum

Crystal-glass Christmas trees sparkle at Hakone museum

Photo taken on Nov. 12, 2024, shows Christmas trees decorated with crystal glass set up for display in the pond of the garden of the Venetian Glass Museum in the town of Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture in eastern Japan. Two trees, 11 meters and 8 meters high, are decorated with approximately 85,000 and 65,000 pieces of crystal glass, respectively, and will be on display until Jan. 13, 2025.

10 mil. yen gold bowl stolen from Tokyo department store

10 mil. yen gold bowl stolen from Tokyo department store

Photo taken on April 11, 2024, shows Takashimaya department store's Nihombashi outlet in Tokyo's Chuo Ward. A pure gold bowl priced at over 10 million yen ($65,000) was stolen from an exhibition held at the store the same day, with police seeking a man caught on camera taking the item.

10 mil. yen gold bowl stolen from Tokyo department store

10 mil. yen gold bowl stolen from Tokyo department store

Photo taken on April 11, 2024, shows Takashimaya department store's Nihombashi outlet in Tokyo's Chuo Ward. A pure gold bowl priced at over 10 million yen ($65,000) was stolen from an exhibition held at the store the same day, with police seeking a man caught on camera taking the item.

Matsushita to sell vacuum cleaner that detects allergy-causing dust

Matsushita to sell vacuum cleaner that detects allergy-causing dust

OSAKA, Japan - Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said April 4 it will put on sale on May 1 in Japan a new vacuum cleaner (in handout photo) that can detect and remove pollens, ticks and microscopic allergy-causing dust. The cleaner, aimed at consumers sensitive to dust, has a sensor that can detect dust as small as 20 micrometers, and it has an indicator that remains lit until such dust is fully vacuumed, the company said. The cleaner is expected to sell for around 65,000 yen.

Painting of Matsui auctioned for Special Olympics

Painting of Matsui auctioned for Special Olympics

NEW YORK, United States - A painting of New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui was among Yankees memorabilia auctioned at Christie's in New York on April 12 to benefit the Special Olympic Games scheduled for the winter of 2005 in Japan. American artist LeRoy Neiman's painting of Matsui raised $65,000.

Japanese envoy optimistic on Sri Lanka peace prospects

Japanese envoy optimistic on Sri Lanka peace prospects

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Japanese government envoy Yasushi Akashi (fore) is in talks with leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in northern Sri Lanka on Nov. 8. Back in Colombo later in the day, Akashi expressed strong optimism on the prospects of ending Asia's longest-running ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. ''Everybody is astonished by the degree of progress of the Norwegian-brokered efforts to end two decades of war costing over 65,000 lives,'' Akashi told a press conference at the end of his six-day visit.

65,000 fake World Cup items seized by Japan customs

65,000 fake World Cup items seized by Japan customs

OSAKA, Japan - The customs office at Kansai airport in Osaka Prefecture displayed for the media July 3 about 100 confiscated fake World Cup items, including shirts and caps of Japan's national soccer team. Customs officers at ports and airports across Japan have blocked about 65,000 such fake items from being imported into the country. (World Cup 2002)

4-day robot exhibition opens in Yokohama

4-day robot exhibition opens in Yokohama

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Honda Motor Co.'s ''ASIMO'' humanoid robot waves to visitors at the ''ROBODEX2002'' robot exhibition at the Pacifico Yokohama exhibition hall in Yokohama on March 28, which is scheduled to run through March 31. Organizers expect the event to draw about 65,000 visitors.