Nog een paar mooie plaatjes +verhaal



No kidding, Nicole's in town

Hollywood film star Nicole Kidman, standing between local women in kimono, smiles after being presented with a floral bouquet in Tokyo.

Kidman made an appearance before Japanese fans at Marunouchi Building in the heart of the Tokyo business district.



Frigid awakening

Japanese women douse themselves with cold water during a winter season purification ceremony at Kanda-myojin shrine in Tokyo.

Some 30 people, including several women, took part in the New Year purification ceremony.


Rekindling memories

Japanese children pray for victims at a park in Itami, near western Japanese port city of Kobe on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the 1995 Kobe earthquake on January 17 which killed over 6,400 people.

Survivors and relatives of the quake lit 6,425 candles at the memorial service to commemorate 6,425 victims.





Kids at heart

Japanese women in kimono raise their arms during a roller-coaster ride to celebrate their Coming of Age Day at Toshimaen amusement park in Tokyo.

Youths across Japan are honoured with special coming-of-age ceremonies when they reach the age of 20.


Rhythm and blues

Japanese Self Defense Force troops perform traditional music during a ceremony at their military camp in Iraq's southern city of Samawa.

Earlier last month, Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reiterated that he wanted at some point to visit Iraq, where Japanese troops are engaged in reconstruction work.


Hang fire

Members of a traditional firemenship preservation group perform acrobats on bamboo ladders against a skyscraper during the annual New Year's firefighters review in Tokyo.

Tokyo fire department demonstrated firefighting and rescue skills during the annual event.

nog wat leuke foto's en news uit japan

Blizzard conditions continue to disrupt travel nationwide

Heavy snow continued to blanket much of Japan on Wednesday, disrupting air and rail operations.



Schoolgirls take in the sights Wednesday at Kinkakuji Temple (Temple of the Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto.

The Meteorological Agency extended its snow warning in the Hokuriku region and Nagano, Gifu and Tottori prefectures.

It said there would be intermittent periods of heavy snow in the mountains along the Sea of Japan in the northern Kinki and Tohoku regions.

The agency warned drivers to be cautious due to icy roads and poor visibility from the blizzard.

It said the snow will abate in western Japan.

Bullet trains were running at reduced speeds in some areas.

A Tokaido Shinkansen Line train arrived at JR Tokyo Station 80 minutes behind schedule after being forced to slow down between Shin-Osaka and Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Snow delayed as many as 44 Sanyo Shinkansen Line trains, which connect Shin-Osaka with northern Kyushu, affecting 12,000 passengers.

Regular train service was suspended or delayed, and a number of flights were canceled.

All Nippon Airways canceled 18 flights and Japan Airlines canceled 10 as of noon Wednesday, affecting about 3,500 passengers. The canceled flights were those using Hokuriku-region airports in such places as Toyama, Toyama Prefecture, and Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture.

Hida, Gifu Prefecture, received 48 cm of snow in the 24 hours to noon Wednesday.

Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, and Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, had 43 cm. Kyoto had 11 cm and Nagoya saw 8 cm.



Bean bonanza

Yokozuna Asashoryu, right, and several film stars clad in ceremonial samurai dress, throw beans during a ceremony to mark the coming of spring at Shinshoji Temple in Narita, Chiba Prefecture on Thursday.

The bean-throwing ceremony is held across Japan on Feb. 3, the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar.


Bullet train makes unscheduled stop for student sitting entrance exam


A bullet train made an unscheduled stop at a station recently for a high school student who mistakenly got onto the train on his way to sit for university entrance examinations, East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) officials said.

"This was a special case," a JR East Sendai office spokesman said. "We ask passengers to carefully check schedules before taking trains."

The student from Fukushima was heading for a hall for entrance examinations of Tohoku Gakuin University's Economics Department held in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, on Wednesday morning.

He got onto a Tohoku Shinkansen train heading for Tokyo at JR Fukushima Station, but shortly after he learned that it would not stop at Koriyama Station where he wanted to get off.

The student informed the conductor that he had hopped on the wrong train and was on his way to a university entrance exam.

JR officials initially refused to stop the train but they changed their minds after realizing the boy would not make the exam on time.

Consequently, the train stopped at Utsunomiya Station after confirming the unscheduled stop would not disrupt other bullet trains.

From Utsunomiya, the student went back by another bullet train to Koriyama Station and arrived at the venue before the exam began at 10:30 a.m., officials said. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Feb. 3, 2005)

Ik vind dat er in deze post nieuw leven geblaast moet worden, bij deze dus ^^

Wie weet er nog leuke Japanse websites?!

Wie kent hem niet?

MARU! \o/
http://sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com/

Kawaii!!!

Ik kende hem nog niet :$