Passenger train crashes into a car, killing 1

Passenger train crashes into a car, killing 1

HIGASHIOMI, Japan - Inspectors look at the totaled remains of a car which was hit by a passenger train on the JR Tokaido Line at a crossing between Inae and Notogawa stations in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, on Jan. 6, 2010. The train dragged the car for around 80 meters, killing the one man in the car, and stopped after running about 400 meters more, sucking in parts of the car that were smashed.

Passenger train crashes into a car, killing 1

Passenger train crashes into a car, killing 1

HIGASHIOMI, Japan - Aerial photo shows a passenger train on the JR Tokaido Line and a car which it crashed into at a crossing between Inae and Notogawa stations in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, on Jan. 6, 2010. The train dragged the car for around 80 meters, killing the one man in the car, and stopped after running about 400 meters more, sucking in parts of the car that were smashed.

Tomb mound in Shiga Pref., dated to early 3rd century

Tomb mound in Shiga Pref., dated to early 3rd century

OTSU, Japan - A local education board official points to the remains of the Jingokamezuka tomb mound in the town of Notogawa in Shiga Prefecture on Feb. 28. The board said the tomb mound has been confirmed to date to the early third century after some 20 shards of earthenware made in the period were found in gutters around it.

One of the oldest rectangular tombs found in western Japan

One of the oldest rectangular tombs found in western Japan

NOTOGAWA, Japan - An ancient tomb in the town of Notogawa in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, is one of the oldest burial mounds in the country with a square rear and rectangular frontage, dating from the early 3rd century, researchers said Feb. 1. The Notogawa Town Education Board, which has been excavating the tomb since December, said it has discovered at the Jingo-Kameyama Tomb site earthenware believed to date from the Yayoi period (300 BC to AD 300).

Tomb mound in Shiga Pref., dated to early 3rd century

Tomb mound in Shiga Pref., dated to early 3rd century

OTSU, Japan - A local education board official points to the remains of the Jingokamezuka tomb mound in the town of Notogawa in Shiga Prefecture on Feb. 28. The board said the tomb mound has been confirmed to date to the early third century after some 20 shards of earthenware made in the period were found in gutters around it.

Passenger train crashes into a car, killing 1

Passenger train crashes into a car, killing 1

HIGASHIOMI, Japan - Inspectors look at the totaled remains of a car which was hit by a passenger train on the JR Tokaido Line at a crossing between Inae and Notogawa stations in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, on Jan. 6, 2010. The train dragged the car for around 80 meters, killing the one man in the car, and stopped after running about 400 meters more, sucking in parts of the car that were smashed. (Kyodo)

Passenger train crashes into a car, killing 1

Passenger train crashes into a car, killing 1

HIGASHIOMI, Japan - Aerial photo shows a passenger train on the JR Tokaido Line and a car which it crashed into at a crossing between Inae and Notogawa stations in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, on Jan. 6, 2010. The train dragged the car for around 80 meters, killing the one man in the car, and stopped after running about 400 meters more, sucking in parts of the car that were smashed. (Kyodo)

One of the oldest rectangular tombs found in western Japan

One of the oldest rectangular tombs found in western Japan

NOTOGAWA, Japan - An ancient tomb in the town of Notogawa in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, is one of the oldest burial mounds in the country with a square rear and rectangular frontage, dating from the early 3rd century, researchers said Feb. 1. The Notogawa Town Education Board, which has been excavating the tomb since December, said it has discovered at the Jingo-Kameyama Tomb site earthenware believed to date from the Yayoi period (300 BC to AD 300).

Japan's oldest plow unearthed in Shiga Pref.

Japan's oldest plow unearthed in Shiga Pref.

OTSU, Japan - A plow believed to be the oldest harrow in Japan was unearthed on May 11 at a ruin in the town of Notogawa in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan. Experts believe the harrow, which has a 70-centimeter-long base of Japanese cypress and three 50 cm-long oak tines, was used in the late fourth to early fifth centuries. The photo was provided by the Notogawa town education board.