Japanese sake brewing added to UNESCO cultural heritage list

In this week’s news roundup, we report on UNESCO’s decision to include Japanese sake brewing in its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Also this week, an Australian woman was sentenced to six years in prison for smuggling drugs in Japan. A bear has finally been captured nearly three days after it attacked a supermarket. Hiroshima Prefecture’s Simose Museum of Art was named the most beautiful museum in the world at the Versailles Prize. Naomi Watanabe and Yumi Suzuki have been named to the BBC’s 100 Women of 2024 list. and fortehodo is a buzzword of the year in Japan.

Japan’s ambassador to UNESCO calls sake a ‘sacred gift’

At an intergovernmental meeting in Luque, Paraguay on Wednesday, the UNESCO committee unanimously agreed to include Japan’s traditional knowledge and skills in brewing sake and other alcoholic beverages such as shochu and awamori on its list of intangible cultural heritage. Brazilian white soap and Palestinian olive oil soap are other cultural practices and products recognized by the committee. Sake brewing is the 23rd item in Japan to be included in the intangible cultural heritage list. Previous works include Noh and Kabuki theater, Japanese food Good food and some local folk dances e.g. Gulong Chaseto be added in 2022.

“Sake is considered a sacred gift and is vital to Japan’s social and cultural activities,” Takehiro Kano, Japan’s ambassador to UNESCO, told The Associated Press. The technology to ferment rice into alcoholic beverages was developed in Developed in ancient China and then spread to Japan. Made using rice, water, yeast and koji, the brewing process takes about two months. It then matures for six months to a year before the brewer ships the final product. The brewing process requires careful control of temperature and humidity and requires a lot of skill.

Australian grandmother who claimed she was love scam victim sentenced to six years in prison

The Chiba District Court on Wednesday sentenced a 58-year-old Australian grandmother to six years in prison for smuggling 2 kilograms of methamphetamine into Japan. Donna Nelson, from Perth, claimed she was the victim of an online romance scam and told the court she had no idea drugs were hidden in her suitcase. According to her testimony, a Nigerian man (who she said she was considering marrying) asked her to pick up the suitcase in Laos and take it to Japan, where he would meet her. He was never seen again.

Presiding judge Masakazu Kamakura accepted Nielsen’s claim that she was deceived as part of an online romance scam. However, he felt that she should have known that there was something wrong with the arrangement and that there was probably something illegal hidden in the suitcase. He had a level of “sympathy” for the defendant and therefore imposed a shorter sentence than would be typical for her smuggling of methamphetamine. Prosecutors asked for a 10-year prison sentence and a fine of 3 million yen.

Bear captured after attacking supermarket in Akita city for several days

A bear turned an Akita supermarket into an unusual battlefield this week after it attacked a worker and stayed inside the store for nearly three days. On the morning of November 30, this dramatic incident occurred at the Ede Tsuchizaki Port Supermarket near Akita Port. The approximately 1 meter tall bear entered the store as 21 employees were preparing to open the door. It struck a 47-year-old employee, causing him head and facial injuries. A co-worker heroically found the injured man and carried him outside to safety, although the bear was still lingering nearby.

Authorities took immediate action, but the bear proved elusive. Police deployed drones to scan the store, but the looter evaded detection until police spotted it backstage later that night. The meat section was in chaos, with shelves vandalized and products looted – proof that the bear was feasting on the store’s produce. City officials sealed off two entrances and placed box traps baited with rice bran and honey at other doors. One of the traps successfully captured the animal around 8:10 a.m. Monday, ending the standoff.

Hiroshima’s Simose wins Versailles Award for world’s most beautiful museum

On Tuesday, the Simose Museum of Art, which opened in Otake City, Hiroshima Prefecture in March 2023, was named the most beautiful museum in the world prize of versaillesThe French World Architecture and Design Awards honor the best contemporary projects around the world. The award was established in 2015 and is announced annually at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. This year a museum category was added for the first time. The Simose Art Museum beat out competition from six prestigious museums, including the Museum of Polish History in Warsaw and the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.

Designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, winner of the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize. Simos Art Museum It covers an area of ​​4.6 hectares and faces the Seto Inland Sea. The collection of Marui Industrial President Yumiko Shitase is preserved and displayed here. Eight movable galleries covered in stained glass are arranged on a basin and can be rearranged to create different layouts depending on the exhibition. “It is an honor to receive this year’s Versailles Prize” explain Hina Kawaguchi, public relations officer at the Simose Museum of Art. “Our museum is a facility that everyone can enjoy.”

Naomi Watanabe and Yumi Suzuki named in BBC’s 100 Women of 2024 list

The BBC published 100 Women in 2024 Tuesday’s list features a host of inspiring and influential women from around the world, including Japanese comedian, fashion designer and body positivity advocate Naomi Watanabe, who was born in Taiwan but grew up in I grew up in Ibaraki Prefecture. She became famous in 2008 for her impersonation of Beyoncé. Japan’s most popular Instagram influencer with over 10 million fans, According to the BBC, she “broke barriers in male-dominated Japanese comedy” while also “helping change body stereotypes in Japan.”

Another Japanese name that comes up is Suzuki Yumi, who was born with cerebral palsy. She was forced to undergo a hysterectomy when she was only 12 years old. Under Japan’s eugenics law, 16,500 disabled people were forcibly sterilized after the war. It was eventually abolished in 1996. In July, the Supreme Court ruled the practice was unconstitutional and ordered the government to pay compensation to victims. “I don’t want money,” explain Suzuki. “I want people to know what happened to us. To make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

‘Futehodo’ named Japanese buzzword of 2024, and it’s confusing

on Mondayfortehodo ——A condensed version of a popular drama, Futekisetsu ni mo Hodo ga Aru! (Extremely inappropriate!) – was named Japan’s buzzword of the year. The show’s protagonist, Sadao Abe, accepted the award at a ceremony in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward. This is the first time in 11 years that a drama-related word has been selected for the grand prize. In 2013, “baigaeshi” in the TBS Sunday drama, meaning “double return” Naoki Hansawa and “jee-jee-jee” in the NHK drama it protectsare two of the four winners.

This year’s winner surprised many. “Huh? What is Futehodo? I’ve never heard of it before lol,” one user wrote X. “Seriously, I know everything there except Futehodo,” release other. The show, which aired between January and March, is a comedy about time travel. Ichiro Ogawa (played by Abe) is a foul-mouthed physical education teacher and a single parent who has raised his daughter alone after the death of his wife. He travels through time and space from 1986 to 2024. Sociologist Sakae Sakae (Yoshida Hiroshi) and her son go in opposite directions.

Grand Hyatt Tokyo hosts children’s charity event

In some heart-warming news this week, the Grand Hyatt Tokyo welcomed 21 students from local special needs school Aiiku Gakuen to participate in a charity event. The children arrived in two groups and were greeted by Santa Claus in the lobby on the first floor. Each child received a Christmas present from Saint Nick to take home. They also help decorate the tree. The decorations they hang are made by people with disabilities from the non-profit organization Re Kikou. They are made by reusing wine and champagne corks from the hotel’s collection.

The event started in 2016 but was suspended in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Will start again in 2021. This year’s theme is “Big Love”, with 20 heart-shaped patterns.

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