News Update

Dozens flee Izu Oshima ahead of new typhoon

TOKYO —

More than 50 people were evacuated from a storm-battered island Wednesday, where

mudslides left 45 dead or missing last week, ahead of another typhoon expected to

strike this weekend.

A total of 32 mostly elderly people in need of nursing care, attended by 19 others,

disembarked from a chartered high-speed ferry at Tokyo port after a two-hour ride from

Oshima, some 120 kilometers to the south, officials said.

A military helicopter evacuated three other people from the volcanic Pacific island on

the same day, said Masahiro Mukoyama, a senior official at the Oshima town office.

The town has chartered a ferry to get more people out on Thursday and later, the

official said, as Typhoon Francisco lurked in the northwestern Pacific on course to hit

Japan in a few days’ time.

CHUGOKU中国地方 Chūgoku-chihō

Chugoku

● also known as the San'in-San'yō region● westernmost region of Honshū● consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima,

Okayama, Shimane, Tottori and Yamaguchi● As of 2010 it has a population of 7,563,428● literally means “middle country”● characterized by irregular rolling hills and limited

plain areas and is divided into two distinct parts by mountains running east and west through its center.

Chugoku

Home to three of Japan's UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

■ Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and Its Cultural Landscape (Oda) - Registered as a World Heritage Site in 2007.

■ Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) (Hiroshima) - Registered as a World Heritage Site in 1996.

■ Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima) - Registered as a World Heritage Site in 1996.

Hiroshima

● the largest city and "capital" of the Chūgoku region● largest island in Japan● best known as the first city in history to be targeted

by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, near the end of World War II

● The city's name, 広島, means "Wide Island" in Japanese.

Ini

Itsukushima Shrine

Peace Memorial Park

Senkoji Temple

Saijo Sakagura Street

Shimanami Kaido Cycling Route

Nagarekawa and Hacchobori

Okayama

● The region's easternmost prefecture features a bustling capital in Okayama and a wealth of old, charming merchant quarters.

● Site of Kōraku-en, known as one of the top three traditional gardens in Japan, and the black Okayama Castle, which is ranked among the best 100 Japanese castles.

● The city is famous as the setting of the Japanese fable "Momotarō

● important transportation hub, being the location where the Sanyo Shinkansen meets with the only rail connection to Shikoku.

Okayama Castle

Okayama Korakuen Garden

Kurashiki Bikan Area

Ohara Museum of Art

Fukiya Furusato Village

White Peaches and Grapes

Shimane

● The second least populous prefecture in Japan

● The capital is Matsue● Most of the cities are near the shoreline of

the Sea of Japan.

Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine

Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine

Matsue Castle

Samurai Family Residence

Tottori

● Known mainly for the enigmatic sand dunes of its capital city, a popular climbing destination at Mt. Daisen, and a long coastline.

● least populous prefecture in Japan.● word "Tottori" in Japanese is formed from two kanji

characters. The first, 鳥, means "bird" and the second, 取 means "to get".

● Early residents in the area made their living catching the region's plentiful waterfowl.

Tottori Sand Dunes

Uradome Coast

Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park

Daisenji Temple

Sanbutsuji Temple

Misasa Hot Spring

Kaike Hot Spring

Yamaguchi

● Gateway to Kyushu and exchange with South Korea and China

● The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture

● The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.

Akiyoshidai and Akiyoshido Cave

Rurikoji Temple

Iwakuni Art Museum

Kaikyokan

Hagiyaki

Momotaro’s Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzTtEde8E_Q

« Momotarō-san no uta » 桃太郎さんの歌

Momotarō-san, Momotarō-san (Momotarō, Momotarō) 桃太郎さん、桃太郎さん

Okoshi ni tsuketa kibidango (Those millet dumplings on your waist) お腰につけたきびだんご

Hitotsu watashi ni kudasai na? (Won't you give me one?) 一つ私に下さいな！

Agemashō, agemashō (I'll give you one, I'll give you one) あげましょう、あげましょう

Kore kara oni no seibatsu ni (From now, on a quest to conquer the ogres) これから鬼の征伐に

Tsuite kuru nara agemashō (If you come with me, I'll give one to you) ついてくるならあげましょう

References

● http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%ABgoku_region● http://www.chugoku.meti.go.jp/english-

hp/whatchugoku/whatchu.htm● http://wikitravel.org/en/Chugoku● http://chugoku-navi.jp/english/outline/