Author name: admin

During the pandemic, fourth-generation sake brewer Akira Sasaki realized that, despite having worked at his family business for over 25 years, he had rarely had a chance to see the faces of the customers drinking the sake he made. His brewery, Sasaki Shuzo, which has been in operation in the heart of Kyoto since 1893 when his great-grandfather started the business, had mainly been selling their products to wholesalers and stores that served their product. But with restrictions implemented during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a ban on serving alcohol at restaurants, retailers weren’t buying their sake, causing his business to suffer. Source link

明けましておめでとうございます (Akemashite omedetō gozaimasu, Happy New Year)! It’s January, and that means a lot of us will have made 新年の抱負 (shinnen no hōfu, new year’s resolutions/aspirations). Hopefully, some of you will resolve to work hard to improve your Japanese this year. It’s not only Japanese learners who read this column, however. 日本語教師 (Nihongo kyōshi, Japanese language instructors) like myself often use it to spark ideas for new lessons. 今、教師に求められていることは何でしょうか (Ima, kyōshi ni motomerarete-iru koto wa nani deshō ka, What are teachers expected to do nowadays?) This week, I thought I would try to discover some innovative approaches to language teaching and take the time to talk to my peers concerning new ways they’re teaching their classes. That way, maybe any instructors reading can start their year off on the right foot. Source link

U.S. officials say there’s no sign that Islamic State directed a deadly New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans. But early evidence that the attacker drew inspiration from the group highlights its ability to spur mass violence despite multinational efforts to wipe it out. Authorities say the suspect in that attack, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, posted videos online pledging support for the group before driving a pickup truck into a crowded French Quarter street during New Year’s celebrations, killing 15 people. Officials said he had an Islamic State (IS) group flag in his rented truck. The presence of the flag and Jabbar’s support help explain why authorities were quick to label the deadly attack an act of terrorism. While officials have said for years that IS has been largely defeated, researchers say it has inspired more attacks in recent years and concerns are growing about its re-emergence in its former stronghold of Syria. Source link

Investigators probing a Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people in the worst aviation disaster in South Korea said Wednesday they will send one of the retrieved black boxes to the United States for analysis. The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea Sunday when it issued a mayday call and belly-landed before hitting a barrier and bursting into flames, killing everyone aboard except two flight attendants pulled from the burning wreckage. South Korean and U.S. investigators, including from Boeing, have been combing the crash site in southwestern Muan since the disaster to establish a cause. Source link

Bisha, Saudi Arabia – Veteran Spanish driver Carlos Sainz made history when he won his fourth Dakar Rally last year and is confident that he has what it takes to challenge for victory in this season’s grueling race in Saudi Arabia. Sainz’s fourth title came when he was 61 — making him the oldest winner of the race — and was the first Dakar victory for German outfit Audi. Now 62, the Spaniard — the father of Ferrari Formula One driver Carlos Sainz Jr. — recently became a grandfather, but the two-time world rally champion known as “El Matador” professes to be in fine form. Source link

Seoul – Camped on a street winding up to the residence of South Korea’s impeached president, protesters direct vitriol at police and echo obscure conspiracies as investigators prepare to execute a warrant for his arrest. Suspended leader Yoon Suk Yeol claimed “anti-state elements” and electoral fraud were plaguing the country as he made his bungled bid to instate martial law last month before it was voted down and he was impeached. South Korea’s Constitutional Court will rule on whether to uphold his impeachment as Yoon also faces a growing probe — and possible imprisonment or the death penalty — for “insurrection.” Source link

The trucks used in the deadly attack in New Orleans and the explosion at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday were rented through the same peer-to-peer rental app, Turo, according to the company. The owner of the Ford pickup truck used in New Orleans recognized his vehicle when he saw footage showing the truck and license plate on the news. He had rented the truck to a 42-year-old Army veteran who then used it to ram into crowds on Bourbon Street, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. The truck’s owner, who did not want his name used, said that he had been renting five cars on Turo as a second income stream but that he did not plan to use the platform again after the attack. Source link

London – Alan Gilpin, the chief executive of World Rugby, believes social media sensation Ilona Maher is ideally placed to generate excitement among fans in the lead-up to this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup in England. The versatile American back — a breakout star at the 2024 Paris Olympics — is the world’s most popular rugby player on social media, with more than three million followers on Tiktok. The 28-year-old joined English Premiership women’s side Bristol Bears on a three-month deal that started this month. Source link

Chris Strohm, Myles Miller and Akayla Gardner – A gruesome attack on revelers celebrating New Year’s in New Orleans thrust U.S. domestic security back into the spotlight less than a month before Donald Trump is sworn in as president. The tragedy, which killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more, set off panic in the historic French Quarter and postponed events, including a major football game. Hours later, a deadly explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside of President-elect Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas further rattled Americans ringing in 2025. The incidents, which are both being probed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, prompted statements from Trump, President Joe Biden and other senior U.S. officials. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also weighed in, saying that the Cybertruck explosion appeared likely to be terrorism and that it could be linked to the New Orleans attack. Source link

In 2022, Japan set out to increase startup investment by a factor of 10 in five years. It’s nowhere near achieving that. Total investment in startups in the country has been falling since that target was set. The country is not even a tenth of the way to getting to the government’s 2027 target of ¥10 trillion ($63 billion) of investments in startups in a single year. Source link