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Japan: Heavy Snow Paralyzes Aomori as Record Accumulation Piles Up

A series of strong cold air masses brought heavy snowfall to northern Japan from January 21 through February 2. According to authorities, a total of 30 people have died across the region since January 20 due to snow-related incidents. In Aomori City, numerous vehicles were left stranded by the snow, causing traffic congestion in many areas. Snow accumulation reached 178 centimeters on February 2—about 2.6 times the seasonal average—prompting the closure of all public elementary and junior high schools in the city.

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Breathtaking winter scenery in China's Inner Mongolia

STORY: Breathtaking winter scenery in China's Inner Mongolia SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 22, 2023 DATELINE: Nov. 22, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:30 LOCATION: HOHHOT, China CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the snow scenery in Yakeshi City, Inner Mongolia STORYLINE: Yakeshi City in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is famous for its winter scenery. The average winter temperature here is about minus 24 degrees Celsius. Yakeshi has a long snow season, with snow accumulation expected to reach over 16 centimeters. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hohhot, China. (XHTV)

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What's a toilet like about 2,000 years ago in ancient China?

STORY: What's a toilet like about 2,000 years ago in ancient China? SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 14, 2023 DATELINE: Nov. 20, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:36 LOCATION: HANZHONG, China CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of the ancient pottery model of a toilet 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): LU HUI, Curator of Hanzhong Museum, Shaanxi Province STORYLINE: Nov. 19 marks World Toilet Day. What's a toilet like about 2,000 years ago in ancient China? An exhibit at Hanzhong Museum, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has the answer. The ancient pottery model of a toilet, with a height of 40 centimeters, a length of 22.5 centimeters, and a width of 15.5 centimeters, was unearthed from a tomb of Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220). SOUNDBITE (Chinese): LU HUI, Curator of Hanzhong Museum, Shaanxi Province "We can tell from the structure of the relic that the toilet has already been separated by gender back in the Han Dynasty. It has a window on each side for ventilation, which was designed very scientifically." Xinhua News Agency correspondents

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CHINA-GUANGXI-CHONGZUO-ROCK PAINTING (CN)

(230809) -- NINGMING, Aug. 9, 2023 (Xinhua) -- This photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows a rock painting with a height of about 20 centimeters, the smallest one of Huashan rock paintings, in Ningming County, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The Zuojiang Huashan site is home to more than 1,900 well-preserved drawings on the face of the Huashan mountains along the Zuojiang River and its tributary Mingjiang River in Chongzuo. The brownish red paintings, created from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) to East Han Dynasty (25-220), depict the sacrifices of the Luoyue people, ancestors of today's Zhuang ethnic minority. It is said that the major images of the paintings are frog-shaped people -- a totem of the Zhuang ethnic group. Some of those paintings also show sports scenes. It remains a mystery how the Luoyue managed to paint on the rocks. The group of rock paintings was included into UNESCO's world heritage list in 2016. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua)

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Chinese micro-carving master creates incredible works of art

STORY: Chinese micro-carving master creates incredible works of art DATELINE: Aug. 3, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:16 LOCATION: CHONGQING, China CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of Pan Qihui and his masterpieces STORYLINE: Pan Qihui is an intangible cultural heritage inheritor with over 40 years of experience in miniature sculpture that employs materials as gold, jade, porcelain, and even hair to create exquisite mini-artworks. In Pan's masterpiece "Pipa Xing," he carved the long narrative poem "Pipa Xing" on four human hairs, which are used as strings in a mini Pipa, a kind of traditional Chinese instrument. Pan also recreated a mini version of the celebrated Chinese picture "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," with the entire length of the work being about 5 centimeters. In 2018, Pan was granted the title of master of Chinese arts and crafts. Now, Pan is trying his best to pass down his skills to younger generations. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Chongqing, China. (XHTV)

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Big harvest in N China winter fishing

STORY: Big harvest in N China winter fishing DATELINE: Jan. 8, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:02 LOCATION: CHENGDE, China CATEGORY: ECONOMY/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of winter fishing STORYLINE: The 2023 ice fishing festival was held in Weichang Man and Mongolian Autonomous County of Chengde City, north China's Hebei Province on Saturday, attracting about 1,000 tourists. More than 20 tons of silver carp and bighead carp were caught by a huge fishing net. Diaoyutai Reservoir has a water area of 533,000 square meters. In winter, its ice layer is as thick as 80 centimeters. Its frozen period lasts for more than 70 days, providing excellent natural conditions for winter fishing. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Chengde, China. (XHTV)

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Chum salmon fry release at peak in Hokkaido river

SHIBECHA, Japan, May 11 Kyodo - Chum salmon fry form a school in the Nishibetsu River in Shibecha, Hokkaido, on May 11, 2017, after being released. About 2 million chum salmon fry, which are five centimeters in length, were released in the river that day. Some 25 million chum salmon fry were to be released from early March to May 22, with fewer than one percent expected to return to the river in several years to spawn.

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Japan space agency developing world's smallest satellite-launch rocket

SAGAMIHARA, Japan, Nov. 22 Kyodo - Hiroto Habu, an assistant professor at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, poses with the TRICOM1 ultra small satellite developed by the University of Tokyo, at JAXA's facility in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Nov. 22, 2016. JAXA said it will launch the world's smallest rocket, which is around 10 meters long, about 50 centimeters in diameter and weighs 2.6 tons, to put the satellite into Earth orbit from the Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, by the end of March 2017.

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Penguin cam

ASAHIKAWA, Japan - An Humboldt penguin wears a small camera at Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Japan's northernmost prefecture Hokkaido, on Nov. 20, 2014, as an IT-related company in Tokyo begins distributing live moving images from the camera to smartphones. The camera, which is 7 centimeters in diameter and about 160 grams in weight, is worn by the penguin on a belt for two or three hours a day.

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Apple unveils two new iPhones

CUPERTINO, United States - Photo shows the iPhone 6 (L) and iPhone 6 Plus with screen sizes of 4.7 inches (about 12 centimeters) and 5.5 inches, respectively, unveiled by Apple Inc. on Sept. 9, 2014, in Cupertino, California. The new smartphones will be able to facilitate the company's new mobile payment system called Apple Pay. They will go on sale in 10 regions, including Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore on Sept. 19.

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Tsunami alert after Chile quake

HONOLULU, United States - Photo shows Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, around 3:30 a.m. on April 2, 2014, the time when a tsunami was expected to arrive. Waves of about 45 centimeters were spotted there, considered a normal height, according to a local official. Tsunamis of over 50 cm were observed in some areas in Hawaii that day after a magnitude 8.2 quake hit Chile on April 1.

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Tsunami alert after Chile quake

SENDAI, Japan - City officials of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture watch a television broadcast of information about tsunami at an evacuation center past 5:30 a.m. on April 3, 2014. A tsunami of up to 40 centimeters was observed in the early morning that day at a port on the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan's Iwate Prefecture following a magnitude 8.2 quake that hit Chile on April 1, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

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New Year tea ceremony

NARA, Japan - Worshipers at Saidai-ji, a temple in Nara, Nara Prefecture, enjoy green tea served in cups with a diameter of 30-40 centimeters and weighing about 5 kilograms, at an annual New Year tea ceremony on Jan. 15, 2014.

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New Year tea ceremony

NARA, Japan - Worshipers at Saidai-ji, a temple in Nara, Nara Prefecture, enjoy green tea served in cups with a diameter of 30-40 centimeters and weighing about 5 kilograms, at an annual New Year tea ceremony on Jan. 15, 2014.

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Giant isopod not eating

TOBA, Japan - Photo taken Jan. 2, 2014, at Toba Aquarium in Toba, Mie Prefecture, shows a giant isopod, a creature often called a "scavenger of the deep." The crustacean from Mexico, measuring about 29 centimeters and weighing about 1 kilogram, was near bait (L), but did not eat. According to the aquarium, it has not eating anything since it ate fish in January 2009.

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4-kg police dog

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Mieko Shinkubo holds her 3-year-old female miniature dachshund Becky at the Kumamoto prefectural police headquarters in the city of Kumamoto on April 3, 2013. Becky, about 40 centimeters long and weighing about 4 kilograms, was granted a certificate the same day to work as a police dog.

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ChubuSat-1 satellite developed by Japanese consortium

NAGOYA, Japan - Hiroyasu Tajima, professor at the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory at Nagoya University, gives a briefing about a prototype of the ChubuSat-1 satellite in Nagoya on May 16, 2012. A consortium of universities and aerospace companies in the Chubu region of central Japan that jointly developed the satellite, with sides measuring 50 centimeters and weighing 50 kilograms, said the same day it will be launched into space on a Russian rocket in December.

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Tiger orchid in bloom

YONAGO, Japan - A tiger orchid, one of the world's largest orchids, is in bloom at Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park in Tottori Prefecture on July 27, 2011. The flowers are about 10 centimeters in diameter.

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World's smallest digital interchangeable lens camera

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows the pocket-sized PENTAX Q. Japanese optical product maker Hoya Corp. said June 23, 2011, it will soon launch the world's smallest and lightest digital interchangeable lens camera measuring about 5.75 centimeters high, 9.8 cm wide and 3.1 cm deep, which weighs about 200 grams.

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World's smallest digital interchangeable lens camera

TOKYO, Japan - A woman holds the pocket-sized PENTAX Q in Tokyo on June 23, 2011. Japanese optical product maker Hoya Corp. said it will soon launch the world's smallest and lightest digital interchangeable lens camera measuring about 5.75 centimeters high, 9.8 cm wide and 3.1 cm deep, which weighs about 200 grams.

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Inedible pure gold soft-serve ice-cream

TOKYO, Japan - Convenience store operator Ministop Co. said May 11, 2010, it will give away ''soft-serve ice cream'' ornaments made of pure gold by lot to three applicants who send in pictures of themselves with soft-serve ice-cream by May 30. The prized ornament is 10 centimeters tall, 90 grams in weight and worth about 300,000 yen.

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Panasonic's world's smallest digital single-lens reflex camera

TOKYO, Japan - Actress Kanako Higuchi (C) and models hold up Panasonic Corp.'s Lumix GF1 digital single-lens reflex camera during a presentation in Tokyo on Sept. 2. The camera, which Panasonic claims the world's smallest of its kind, measures about 7 centimeters in height, about 12 cm in width and about 3.6 cm in thickness.

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Gold 'hina dolls' displayed in Nagoya

NAGOYA, Japan - A woman looks at a pair of ''hina dolls'' made of pure gold worth 10 million yen at a branch of precious metal dealer GINZA TANAKA in Nagoya on Feb. 19. The dolls, which are about 10 centimeters high and weigh one kilogram, are being displayed ahead of the Japanese Doll Festival for girls, or Hina Matsuri, on March 3.

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Court nixes neighbors' plea for cartoonist to remove stripes

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows the house of cartoonist Kazuo Umezu in Tokyo's Musashino city. The Tokyo District Court dismissed demands by two neighbors for Umezu to remove the red-and-white stripes from his house. The plaintiffs had claimed that the house, completed in March last year and decorated with horizontal red-and-white stripes each about 50 centimeters wide, destroys the scenery.

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Huge New Year's bowl tea ceremony held in Nara

NARA, Japan - A woman is helped by another next to her to drink ''maccha'' green tea from a huge tea bowl in the year's first gathering of the traditional ''Ochamori'' tea ceremony, believed to date back to the 13th century, at Saidaiji Temple in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Jan. 15. Several bowls measuring 30 to 40 centimeters in diameter and weighing 5 to 7 kilograms were used in the ceremony about 20 people took part in.

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Japan exports watermelons to UAE for 1st time

TOTTORI, Japan - A woman poses with a watermelon, which will be exported to the United Arab Emirates, at a watermelon market in the town of Hokuei, Tottori Prefecture, on June 13. The cargo of 54 watermelons, each weighing more than 12 kilograms and measuring about 30 centimeters in diameter, will be shipped from Narita airport on June 14 to the UAE.

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Matsushita to release new compact massage chair Jan. 1

OSAKA, Japan - Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Nov. 13 it will release a compact electric massage chair (photo) that is about 30 percent smaller than its flagship model ''Real Pro'' for sale in Japan on Jan. 1. The new massage chair, ''Urban I,'' is 110 centimeters high and the base measures 74 cm by 107 cm. Matsushita puts the suggested retail of ''Urban I'' at 230,000 yen, about half the price of the ''Real Pro'' model.

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JVC devises technology to make thinner rear-projection TVs

TOKYO, Japan - Victor Co. of Japan Ltd. (JVC) said on Sept. 28 it has developed a technology that can substantially reduce the depth of rear-projection television sets. In the case of a 60-inch machine (in photo), the depth can be cut to 27 centimeters, about 40 percent thinner than the company's existing model, the company said.

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Robot capable of holding up humans developed

NAGOYA, Japan - RIKEN shows off a robot capable of holding up humans at a press preview in Nagoya on March 13. The robot, measuring 158 centimeters high and weighing about 100 kilograms, has five touch sensors as well as optic and auditory sensors. RIKEN said it will enhance the robot for use in nursing in the future.

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Jewelry maker to sell platinum Snoopy doll for commemoration

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows a platinum Snoopy doll which Jewelry maker I.K. Co. will offer for sale to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the popular cartoon character. The company said Dec. 14 it will produce and sell 10 units valued at 5.5 million yen each for orders through department store operator Isetan Co.'s principal store in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward. Covered with 231 small white and pink diamonds, the doll is about 5 centimeters high and weighs 300 grams.

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Nikon develops digital camera with built-in wireless LAN

TOKYO, Japan - Nikon Corp. has developed what it says is the world's first digital camera with a built-in function allowing users to transmit image data wirelessly to printers and personal computers. The Coolpix P1 -- 9.1 centimeters by 6.0 cm by 3.9 cm -- can transmit image data to a PC up to 30 meters away from the user, Nikon said, adding that it will put the camera on the market Sept. 23 for about 50,000 yen.

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Owner of table-sized used-books store seeks record in Guinness Book

NAHA, Japan - Tatsuya Tokuzawa, owner of this store in Naha, Okinawa, plans to apply to be listed as the world's smallest used-books store in the Guinness Book of World Records. The store ''Tokufukudo,'' is 1.35 square meters in size, 1.8 meters in depth, 75 centimeters in width and 2.75 meters in height. It has about 250 books, including novels and photo collections, in a handmade wooden bookshelf, leaving only a 55 cm width for the isle.

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World's largest gold coins to go on sale Oct. 7

TOKYO, Japan - A woman poses with the world's largest gold coin created by the Austrian Mint at the Austrian Embassy in Tokyo on Oct. 6. The face value of the coin, weighing about 31 kilograms and measuring about 37 centimeters in diameter, is set at 100,000 euros (about $122,870 or 13.5 million yen).

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Sharp to sell light-producing solar panels from Nov.

OSAKA, Japan - Sharp Corp. said July 29 it will sell light-producing solar panels with embedded light emitting diodes starting Nov. 1. The Lumiwall produces light throughout the day by using sunlight and by using LEDs at night if it is used on building windows or greenhouses. The panel, about 60 centimeters wide and 1 meter long, has a maximum power output of 35 watts, Sharp said.

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Japan Dome House releases houses made of Styrofoam

KANAZAWA, Japan - Japan Dome House Co., based in Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, has released houses made of Styrofoam. The dome-shape, pillar-less house (photo) occupies some 36 square meters with a diameter of 7 meters and a height of 3 meters. It is covered with highly insulated polystyrene foam which is about 30 centimeters thick and is fire-resistant. It is highly earthquake-resistant and is designed to withstand winds of up to 45 meters per hour.

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NTT DoCoMo to launch ultra compact mobile phone

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows what is claimed to be the world's smallest Internet-capable mobile phone which NTT DoCoMo Inc. will launch on the Japanese market on July 1. Measuring 9 centimeters by 4 cm by 2 cm, the handset, called Premini, weighs only 69 grams, NTT DoCoMo said on June 24. It will carry a price tag of about 15,000 yen.

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Endangered wild horses on comeback in Mongolia

ULAN BATOR, Mongolia - Przewalski horses, the last surviving wild ancestors of the domestic horse, graze on pasture in Mongolia's Hustain Nuruu National Park 100 kilometers west of Ulan Bator. Once nearly extinct in the wild, Przewalski horses have been kept in zoos and private parks around the world. Under international projects to reintroduce them in the wild, however, the herd in the national park grew to 84 in 2000, and is now about 140. The horse, known as the Takh in Mongolian, is roughly 120 centimeters high and has a short, erect mane.

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Medieval court game 'kemari' played

KYOTO, Japan - People in traditional Japanese costumes play ''kemari'' in a reenactment of the traditional ball game at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto on Jan. 4. Kemari attained wide popularity among court nobles during the Nara (710-794), Heian (794-1185) and Kamakura (1185-1333) periods. People wearing leather shoes form a circle and kick a deerskin ball about 24 centimeters in diameter, trying to keep it from hitting the ground.

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Sony unveils paperback-sized server, to put on sale March 29

TOKYO, Japan - A woman holds up Sony Corp.'s new computer server, the FSV-PGXI, which is about the size of a paperback novel at NET & COM 2003, a three-day exhibition of information and technology products in Chiba on Feb. 5. The unit incorporates a 20-gigabyte hard disk and is 8.3 centimeters wide, 15.5 cm long and 3.1 cm thick. It weighs 390 grams.

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Medieval court game 'kemari' played

KYOTO, Japan - People in traditional Japanese costumes play ''kemari'' in a reproduction of the traditional ball game at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto on Jan. 4. Kemari attained wide popularity among court nobles during the Nara (710-794), Heian (794-1185) and Kamakura (1185-1333) periods. People wearing leather shoes form a circle and kick a deerskin ball about 24 centimeters in diameter trying to keep it from falling to the ground.

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(3)Princess Aiko turns 1

TOKYO, Japan - Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako, with their daughter Princess Aiko, are about to leave their residence in Motoakasaka, Tokyo on Dec. 1 for the Imperial Palace to report to Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on the princess's first birthday. The young princess, who weighs 9,320 grams and is 74.2 centimeters tall, is growing steadily and is bigger than the average 1-year-old baby, according to the Imperial Household Agency. (Pool photo)

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(2)Blasts reported near U.S. Army's Camp Zama

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Police officers check a park in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture on Nov. 19 where explosions believed to be a guerrilla attack aimed at the U.S. Army's Camp Zama occurred the previous night. Police said they found a projectile launcher, a metal pipe about 55 centimeters long and 5.5 cm in diameter, at the west side of the park.

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(1)Blasts reported near U.S. Army's Camp Zama

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Police officers check a park in Zama, south of Tokyo, on Nov. 19 where explosions believed to be a guerrilla attack aimed at the U.S. Army's Canp Zama occurred the previous night. Police found a projectile launcher, a metal pipe about 55 centimeters long and 5.5 cm in diameter, at the west side of the park.

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Niigata ski resort opens early due to heavy snow

YUZAWA TOWN, Japan - About 600 skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes at the Kagura-Mitsumata ski area on Nov. 16 as the resort in Yuzawa town, Niigata Prefecture, opened to the public one week earlier than expected because of an unusually heavy snowfall. The Kagura-Mitsumata area saw its first snow on Oct. 29, and as of Nov. 16, mountain peaks had 80-90 centimeters of snow, and the lowest Mitsumata piste was covered with around 30 cm.

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Osaka group tries for world record with giant pancake

OSAKA, Japan - A local group cooks a gigantic Japanese pancake Nov. 3 in Osaka city, attempting to set a new record for the largest ''okonomiyaki'' in the Guinness Book of Records. The pancake was about 8 meters wide and 3 centimeters thick, weighing about 1.6 tons. It was large enough to serve 5,000 people, the group said. The okonomiyaki pancake was made with 400 cabbages, about 4,300 eggs and nearly 90 kilograms of pork.

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Rugby ball-shaped squashes harvested in Higashiosaka

OSAKA, Japan - Kosuke Matsubara holds up rugby ball-shaped squashes at his field in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture. Matsubara started to cultivate the vegetables about 10 years ago as a way to help advertise his hometown, where the annual national high school rugby championship tournament is held. The squashes are around 20-30 centimeters high and weigh 2-3 kilograms.

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Nissan releases all-new Elgrand minivan

TOKYO, Japan - Nissan Motor Co. President Carlos Ghosn rides in an all-new Elgrand minivan at a press conference in Tokyo on May 21 to announce the release of the car on the domestic market. The Elgrand, a high-end luxury minivan, was originally launched in 1997. The latest version is equipped with a twin-monitor TV-navigation system with 8-inch (about 20 centimeters) monitors for the front and rear seats.

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Giraffe at Akita zoo gets artificial leg

AKITA, Japan - A nine-month-old giraffe named Taiyo, who underwent an operation to receive an artificial leg on his front right leg on May 14, looks well in his stall at Omoriyama Zoo in Akita on May 16. Doctors made a 40-centimeter-long incision in order to attach the artificial leg. The giraffe stands about 280 centimeters tall and weighs 200 kilograms.

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Mitsubishi Electric develops new wearable display

OSAKA, Japan - A woman wears a new head-mounted liquid crystal display (LCD) unveiled Feb. 6 by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. Unlike goggle-type displays currently available, people can use the new display without blocking their field of vision, Mitsubishi said. The device, called Eye Vision, looks like a phone headset. The small display is attached to the headset and is set about 3 centimeters from the user's right eye. The screen is about 1.5 cm high and 2 cm wide.

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Giant 370-kg pumpkin judged heaviest in Japan

TAKAMATSU, Japan - Takao Hoshijima shows off the 369.5-kilogram pumpkin, grown by him, which was judged Japan's heaviest in a 15th national weight competition in Shodoshima Island, Kagawa Prefecture, on Sept. 30. The pumpkin, which is about 398 centimeters around and 81 cm high, will be entered in an international weight competition to be held in San Francisco on Oct. 20.