246,616 Climbers To Mount Fuji

(Kyodo) KOFU, Yamanashi Pref. — Fine weather helped iconic Mount Fuji attract 246,616 climbers in July and August, up about 20,000 from last year, an official from the city that hosts the main starting point in Yamanashi Prefecture said.

More Than 100 Poisonous Spiders Discovered

AMAGASAKI, Hyogo--Authorities on Thursday exterminated more than 100 poisonous redback spiders spotted near the Inagawa river the day before, police said. According to the police, a local man spotted a swarm of spiders at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture and reported it to police. Police officers rushed to the scene and found more than 100 spiders inside a drainage pipe in a river wall about five meters high located along a walkway.

Russia, Japan in Building Gas Pipeline Talks

Russia and Japan are in talks to build a gas pipeline from Russia to expand gas supplies to the Far Eastern country, Russian gas giant Gazprom said on Thursday. "The parties have discussed prospects of increase of natural gas supplies from Russia to Japan in terms of higher liquefied natural gas production at the Sakhalin Island and implementation of an LNG plant construction project in Vladivostok," Gazprom said following a meeting between the company's export head Alexander Medvedev and Japan's former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara. "The parties also discussed the opportunities for a gas supply project from Russia to Japan through pipeline," Gazprom said.

Fortunetelling addiction spreads among the insecure

Chiyoko Osaki married a man after a fortuneteller said he was a good match. The marriage soon fell apart. She initially turned to her parents and friends for advice on building a solid future and career, but she soon found herself returning to the soothsayer. Although counselling is available from both public and private organizations, many people in these unpredictable economic times are looking to divination for solutions to their problems, as well as specific advice for marriage, work and future plans. As could be expected, the number of problems concerning fortunetelling has also risen Many people become addicted to fortunetelling because they have been exposed to it through TV shows and magazines since they were very young, said Hiroshi Watanabe, a lawyer. He has handled cases involving fortunetelling and fraudulent sales of goods or services claimed to bring supernatural benefits to the purchaser. Fortune tellers have long been working on the streets of Japan. But with the nation’s economy still sputtering along, the Internet has become inundated with sites providing fortunetelling services over the phone or through e-mail.

Strong storm wreaks chaos nationwide

At least one elderly man was killed and several other people were injured as strong winds swept across the nation Tuesday, and the Meteorological Agency called for continued vigilance in northern regions Wednesday. Although details were not immediately available, more injuries were reported mainly from western prefectures. The Meteorological Agency warned people in other regions, including commuters in Tokyo, to brace for gusts and possible disruptions of public transportation. The winds disrupted operations of airplanes and trains, including shinkansen, mainly in western Japan in the morning. The Meteorological Agency said an active low pressure system and fronts were likely to bring strong winds to northern and north-eastern Japan from later Tuesday to Wednesday.

Official cherry blossom fete nixed

The government will cancel a cherry blossom viewing party in Tokyo scheduled for April 14 following North Korea's announcement that it plans to launch a rocket, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said Friday. The government of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda made the decision "to prepare for any contingencies," Fujimura said. Last week, Pyongyang announced it plans to launch a "satellite" from April 12-16 to mark the centennial of the birth of Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founder, on April 15. The event at Tokyo's Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is held annually but also was cancelled last year due to the March 2011 natural and nuclear disasters. Around 10,000 luminaries would have attended the event hosted by Noda, including members of the Imperial family, the Cabinet, diplomats and other invitees from various fields.

Anti-nuke protests erupt in Japan

Thousands of antinuclear protesters took to the streets of Tokyo and other cities Sunday, the first anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that triggered the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant. Near the head office of Tokyo Electric Power Co., which runs the crippled complex, demonstrators called for the country to abandon nuclear power and restore the prefecture, where more than 100,000 residents were forced to relocate. In Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, some 16,000 people attended an antinuclear gathering in the city and called for scrapping all of Japan's 54 commercial reactors, which provided a third of its electricity before the Fukushima disaster.

Rains, aftershocks haunt southern Philippines

MANILA, Philippines—As if earthquakes were not enough, incessant bad weather has been wreaking havoc in provinces in the Visayas, Mindanao and the Bicol region the past four days, killing two, injuring six and causing the evacuation of 569 people. “Rain as well as earth tremors, whether these may be light or moderate, must be taken seriously. Rain could weaken the soil, while tremors could produce slope instability, tension cracks and fractures that could enhance the vulnerability of areas to landslides,” Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said. The warning came a week after the magnitude-6.9 quake rocked the province, killing over 70 people, and burying towns and damaging roads. Yesterday, the weather bureau warned of widespread rains in the province due to a low pressure area in Mindanao. Five barangays (villages) in Guihulngan City are highly susceptible to rain-induced landslides, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said. Much soil erosion occurred along the highway. In Davao City, six persons were injured when a wall collapsed on them after rains softened its foundation. At least five barangays have had no power for two weeks now since floods felled power lines, according the Mayor. Local disaster councils in these towns and three other cities were advised to go on high alert and to prepare residents of low-lying and landslide-prone areas for possible evacuation. Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/147049/rains-aftershocks-haunt-southern-philippines

VOCABULARY

1.       Incessant (v) - continuing without stopping [= constant]:

2.       Wrecking (v) - damaging something such as a building or vehicle so badly that it cannot be repaired:

3.       Havoc (n) - a situation in which there is a lot of damage or a lack of order, especially so that it is difficult for something to continue in the normal way

4.       Tremors (n) - a small earthquake

5.       Instability (n) - when a situation is not certain because there is the possibility of sudden change

6.       Vulnerability (adj.) -  easily harmed

7.       Widespread (adj.) - existing or happening in many places or situations, or among many people

8.       Susceptible (adj.) - likely to be affected by a particular problem

9.       Felled (v) - to cut down

10.   Prone (adj.) - likely to suffer from something, especially something bad or harmful

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.       Have you heard about the earthquake in the Southern Philippines?

2.       Talk about natural calamities/disasters.

3.       How should we prepare and handle situations like this?

4.       Share your experience/s about earthquake or typhoons.

Tokyo’s chances of powerful earthquake within four years is 70%

Experts in Japan have warned that the chances of a powerful earthquake striking Tokyo in the next four years could be as high as 70%. The earthquake research institute at Tokyo University said that in the worst case, a quake of magnitude 7 would hit the southern part of metropolitan Tokyo by 2016, while the chances of a similar disaster occurring within 30 years are as high as 98%. Using data from Japan's meteorological agency, the institute said earthquakes of up to magnitude 6 had occurred five times more frequently than in normal years since the March disaster. The increased frequency has made it more likely that "the big one" could strike far sooner. The government said the researchers had reached their more worrying conclusion because they had used a different computer model to calculate the risks. Shinichi Sakai, an associate professor at the earthquake research institute, said that chances of a magnitude-7 earthquake striking Tokyo had increased since 11 March. "The government, individuals and corporations should make preparations for that now," he said. Although newer buildings in Tokyo are built to withstand powerful earthquakes, a large quake in the city has the potential to cause widespread damage. According to the government, a magnitude-7.3 earthquake would kill about 5,600 people, injure 159,000 and destroy 850,000 buildings. Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/23/tokyo-powerful-earthquake-four-years

VOCABULARY

1.      Experts (n) - someone who has a special skill or special knowledge of a subject, gained as a result of training or experience. EXAMPLE: an expert at planning dinner parties.

2.      Magnitude (n) - the force or intensity of an earthquake

3.      Agency (n) - an organization or department, especially within a government, that does a specific job.

4.      Strike (v) - to arrive with detrimental effect 

5.      Associate (adj.) - having a rank or position that is below the highest level in a group, organization, etc. EXAMPLE:  He's an associate member of the club but he hopes to become a full member soon

6.      Withstand (v) - to be strong enough to remain unharmed by something such as great heat, cold, pressure. EXAMPLE: This fabric can withstand steam and high temperatures.

7.      Potential (n) - the possibility that something will develop in a particular way, or have a particular effect

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.      Do you think this research is true? How reliable?

2.      Would you consider leaving Tokyo?

3.      Discuss about preparations for calamities like earthquake.

4.      How strong are buildings in your country?

5.      Share any experience you had on natural calamities.