Kuniyoshi grabs 1st-round lead at NST Niigata Open

Kuniyoshi grabs 1st-round lead at NST Niigata Open

TOYOURA, Japan - Unheralded Hirokazu Kuniyoshi forged an 8-under-par 63 to take sole possession of the clubhouse lead after the first round of the NST Niigata Open at the Forest Golf Club in Toyoura, Niigata Prefecture, on July 22.

Imano wins Niigata Open

Imano wins Niigata Open

TOYOURA, Japan - Yasuharu Imano poses for a photograph after winning the NST Niigata Open at Nakamine Golf Club in Niigata Prefecture on July 28. and pick up his first title in nearly two years. Imano picked up the third title of his career after seven birdies against a sole bogey to finish on an 18-under total of 270, four strokes clear of second-placed Katsumasa Miyamoto.

Residents head home after lifting of evacuation order

Residents head home after lifting of evacuation order

TOYOURA, Japan - Residents of the town of Abuta nearby Mt. Usu carry their belongings to their car May 24 as they prepare to return home nearly two months after being evacuated following the eruption of the volcano in southwestern Hokkaido.

Elderly women look tired after eruptions of Mt. Usu

Elderly women look tired after eruptions of Mt. Usu

TOYOURA, Japan - Elderly women appear tired on April 2 as they were forced to move to a shelter in the village of Toya, Hokkaido, from another shelter following a series of eruptions of Mt. Usu. The photo was taken at an agricultural training center at 2 p.m.

Evacuees head for new shelter

Evacuees head for new shelter

TOYOURA, Japan - A mother (L), her two children and their grandmother evacuated to a school in the town of Toyoura in Hokkaido after the first eruption in nearly 23 years of Mt. Usu on March 31 are forced to head for a new shelter in the town on April 2 because a new school term is to begin soon.

Toyoura Town residents take refuge in sports center

Toyoura Town residents take refuge in sports center

TOYOURA, Japan - Residents in the town of Toyoura, Hokkaido, received ''onigiri'' rice balls around noon April 1 at the Toyoura Family Sports Center in the town. They had evacuated to the facility after Mt. Usu in southwestern Hokkaido erupted on March 31. The 732-meter volcano erupted for a fourth time on the afternoon of April 1.