Tag: japan
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Is Daisugi Real? The Ancient Japanese Tree-Growing Technique
The Japanese forestry method for harvesting wood, daisugi (meaning “cedar table”), goes as far back as the 14th century to solve a seedling shortage in Kyoto. Yes, Daisugi is real, not a hoax. Let’s explore the ancient Japanese technique for growing trees out of trees. The 700-year-old technique involves pruning a tree’s branches like giant…
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Aogashima Island in Japan contains rare and active double volcano
Aogashima is a volcanic island in the Philippine Sea, under the administration of Tokyo, despite standing over 200 miles away from the Japanese mainland. The island is known for its unique double volcano structure, with a smaller volcano, Maruyama, located inside the larger caldera. You read that right; the island houses a volcano within a…
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The Rock: Urup Island, Russia
Here’s the last island you’d ever want to be stranded on. This uninhabited volcanic rock formation is part of a 552 square mile Russian island called Urup, which means ‘salmon trout’ in the Ainu language. Urup Island sits south of the Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean. One…
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UFO, lampshade? An amazing lenticular cloud hovers over Japan’s Mount Fuji
They look like flying saucers or marshmallows. These UFO-looking lens-shaped clouds called lenticular clouds often develop near the peaks of mountains, as in the case of Mount Fuji in Japan. Lenticular clouds form when strong winds force air up and over a topographic barrier such as a mountain in a wave-like pattern. Once the rising…
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These owls in a Tokyo cafe are named after musicians and bands
James Mollison of TOPIC ventured into one of Tokyo’s animal cafes where you can sip your coffee with your animal of choice (cats, dogs, and rabbits). But this coffee shop was a little different. Tokyo’s Pakuchi Bar is apparently one of eight owl cafes in the big city. The owner, Tomo Nanaka, owns 30 of them…
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Tokyo’s skyline turns pink and purple colors before typhoon Hagibis
As Typhoon Hagibis approached Tokyo on Saturday, residents captured images of an unusually pink skyline that gradually turned a spooky purple. While beautiful the vivid skies augured what would become a dangerous storm that unleashed heavy rain and strong wind. A magnitude 5.7 earthquake also shook Tokyo shortly after. NPR reports 19 dead and 16 missing in…