PHOTO: Japan’s Legoland blossoms with 880,000-brick cherry tree
A giant cherry blossom tree made of hundreds of thousands of Lego bricks is attracting visitors to the Legoland Japan Resort theme park in Minato ward, Nagoya. Read more
News
‘Spiciest town in Japan’ makes most of reputation
Lively versions of beer and karinto, a deep-fried flour and brown sugar snack, both made using habanero and other extremely spicy chiles, hit the shelves at Michi-no-Eki Hirata, a roadside rest area in Hirata, Fukushima prefecture, in January. Read more
Hugh Grant settles suit alleging illegal snooping by The Sun
Hugh Grant says he received “an enormous sum of money” to settle a lawsuit accusing the publisher of The Sun tabloid of unlawfully tapping his phone, bugging his car and breaking into his home to snoop on him. Read more
Caitlin Clark makes surprise appearance on ‘Saturday Night Live’
The Iowa star is in New York for the WNBA draft on Monday night, when she is expected to be the top pick by the Indiana Fever. Read more
‘Oppenheimer’ opens in nuclear-scarred Japan
Watching “Oppenheimer,” the Oscar-winning biopic about the father of the atomic bomb that opened in Japan in late March, Kako Okuno was stunned by a scene in which scientists celebrated the explosion over Hiroshima with thunderous foot stomping and the waving of American flags. Read more
A new version of Scrabble aims to make game more accessible
Mattel has unveiled a double-sided board that features both the classic word-building game and Scrabble Together, a new rendition designed to be accessible “for anyone who finds word games intimidating.” Read more
Japanese films’ U.S. success spurs overseas strategy
The Oscar successes of “Godzilla Minus One” and “The Boy and the Heron” are likely to push the Japanese film industry further toward an international strategy. Read more
Godzilla shoes just one of designer’s fantastical creations
One Japanese creation that grabbed attention at the Oscars wasn’t a movie: It was the kitsch shoes that seemed to be clenched in Godzilla’s claw. Read more
Japanese government creating manga preservation system
The Cultural Affairs Agency is examining the conditions of original drawings by leading manga artists in Japan and researching methods for preserving them. Read more
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Traditional pottery town evolves with changing times
Pottery artisan Genji Shimizu, 78, creates each piece of his kyusu (teapots) one by one in a fluid motion that wastes no energy. Read more
Kevin Hart to be honored with Mark Twain Prize for humor
Hart, 44, has honed a signature style that combines his diminutive height, expressive face and motor-mouth delivery into a successful stand-up act. Read more
Elton John and Bernie Taupin honored with Gershwin Prize
“If you’re successful, you have to give back. That was my mantra in 1980 when I got sober, and it’s been my mantra ever since,” John told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. Read more
Increasing number of people are game for gibier cuisine
Gibier cuisine, which features game meat from such animals as deer and wild boar, is rising in popularity. Read more
Dinosaur mural celebrates Japan’s fossil finds
A giant mural of dinosaurs is on display near Fukui Station, where a new high speed train, the Hokuriku Shinkansen, is set to stop beginning Saturday. Read more
Labor abuses found in Indian shrimp industry supplying to the U.S.
Kuwabara’s dilemma is one an increasing number of American consumers face: With shrimp the leading seafood eaten in the United States, the largest supplier in this country is India, where the industry struggles with labor and environmental problems. Read more
How Texas’ plans to arrest migrants for illegal entry will work
The court issued a divided decision Tuesday that allows Texas to enforce its immigration law for now. The high court declined to intervene on an administrative stay placed by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Read more
Trove from Pattie Boyd’s life with Harrison, Clapton up for auction
The Pattie Boyd collection is on display at Christie’s until March 21. Online bidding closes March 22. Read more
Bad news is relative in Japan
The economy is now in recession after barely growing for decades. The population continues to shrink, with births last year plunging to a nadir. Read more
Europe’s oldest monarch, Norway’s King Harald V, gets a pacemaker
The 87-year-old underwent the procedure at Oslo’s university hospital, Rikshospitalet, the royal household said in a brief statement. Read more
Iowa town loses its largest employer as Tyson pork plant closes
Tyson Foods will continue streamlining its operations by closing the pork plant in Iowa that employs 1,200 people and eliminating the largest employer in the town of Perry. Read more
Airbnb bans the use of indoor security cameras in listings
The San Francisco-based online rental platform said it is seeking to “simplify” its security camera policy while prioritizing privacy. Read more
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