Japan's Hizen Kashima-higata designated as Ramsar Site

Japan's Hizen Kashima-higata designated as Ramsar Site

Yoichiro Fujita (R), vice mayor of Kashima, receives a Ramsar Site certificate from Christopher Briggs, secretary general of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on June 3, 2015. Hizen Kashima-higata, a tidal mudflat in Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan, has been added to the List of Wetlands of International Importance: The Ramsar List. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

4 more Japan sites given certificates of wetland preservation

4 more Japan sites given certificates of wetland preservation

The leaders of Japanese communities pose for photos with Christopher Briggs (5th from L), secretary general of the Ramsar Convention, in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on June 3, 2015. Certificates of the preservation of wetlands were issued under an international treaty to four more sites in Japan: Yoshigadaira, Hinuma, Higashiyoka and Hizen-Kashima, bringing the total number of Ramsar Convention-registered sites in Japan to 50. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Ritzy pottery found from middle-class feudal warrior's house

Ritzy pottery found from middle-class feudal warrior's house

Some 1,200 pieces of pottery and porcelain, including ritzy Hizen ware in the early Edo period (1603-1867), are on display in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, on Jan. 6, 2015. Unearthed from the homestead of a feudal middle-class "samurai" warrior belonging to the Matsue Domain, the ceramics are baffling experts as only a warlord could afford such earthenware. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The Shimabara-han Fief Second Residence

The Shimabara-han Fief Second Residence

This location is the present day Tsunazaka slope at Mita 2-chome. The house on the right was the residence of the Matsudairas of the Hizen(present day Nagasaki Prefecture) Shimabara-han fief, the house on the right going up the slope was the residence of the Matsudairas of the Iyo(present day Ehime Prefecture) Matsuyama-han fief, and the one on the left was the second residence of the Matsudairas of Mutsu(present day Aomori and part of Iwate Prefectures). Right now there stands Keio University at the bottom of the slope and the Italian Embassy on top of the slope. The site of the residences of Satohara-han and Matsuyama-han belongs to the Mitsui Club in Tsuna-machi. The photo is presumed to have been taken in 1863(the 3rd year of Bunkyu).==Date:unknown, Place:Tokyo, Photo:F. Beato, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number36‐20‐0]

The Shimabara-han Fief Second Residence

The Shimabara-han Fief Second Residence

This location is the present day Tsunazaka slope at Mita 2-chome. The house on the right was the residence of the Matsudairas of the Hizen(present day Nagasaki Prefecture) Shimabara-han fief, the house on the right going up the slope was the residence of the Matsudairas of the Iyo(present day Ehime Prefecture) Matsuyama-han fief, and the one on the left was the second residence of the Matsudairas of Mutsu(present day Aomori and part of Iwate Prefectures). Right now there stands Keio University at the bottom of the slope and the Italian Embassy on top of the slope. The site of the residences of Satohara-han and Matsuyama-han belongs to the Mitsui Club in Tsuna-machi. The photo is presumed to have been taken in 1863(the 3rd year of Bunkyu).==Date:unknown, Place:Tokyo, Photo:F. Beato, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number104‐5‐0]

Taka Island near Genkai nuclear power plant

Taka Island near Genkai nuclear power plant

The Takashima Hizen Ohashi bridge, seen in this photo taken on Dec. 21, 2017, is the only road out of Nagasaki Prefecture's Taka Island (background), linking it to the city of Karatsu in Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan, which is near Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Genkai nuclear power plant. But this means in the event of a nuclear disaster at the plant, residents fleeing the island by car will be heading toward the plant instead of away from it. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo