What's Up Japan - Local News From the 47 Prefectures

Culture/Tourism/Food

Kurume kimono maker to finish 213 global kimono by spring, making one for each country or region as an Olympic project

Local Industry2020 Venue

Hadano branches out to support athletes at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

This website introduces local news and unique initiatives from around Japan to foreign press covering the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

New Topics

Culture/Tourism/Food

Kurume kimono maker to finish 213 global kimono by spring, making one for each country or region as an Olympic project

Culture/Tourism/Food

The northern coastal town of Noda welcomes a track & field star, an actress, and other influencers from Taiwan

Local Industry2020 Venue

Hadano branches out to support athletes at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Japanese Technology Feature

[My 2020] Making the best quality washi diploma for athletes: Takehisa Suzuki, age 70

Culture/Tourism/Food

Ninohe middle school students in northern Japan learn how to make food from Gabon, their host town partner

International Exchange

Welcoming athletes by growing Hungarian peppers: Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics host town, Tochigi City

International Exchange

Hanamaki in northern Japan cheers on the United States, its “Arigato” Host Town Partner, with an exchange event

Culture/Tourism/Food

Students in Morioka, northern Japan, to use GAP-foods to show Team Canada that “omotenashi” spirit

Local Industry2020 Venue

Kawaguchi foundry industry forges a path toward Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Local Initiatives

Barrier-free design is the key to regional revitalization: Host towns gather for a summit in Iizuka in preparation for the Tokyo Paralympics

Feature Articles

Registering for the
Email Newsletter

Search Articles by Prefecture

*The prefectures indicated by are hosting venues for the Olympics and Paralympics.

Hokkaido

1Hokkaido

Tohoku

Kanto

Hokuriku

Chubu

Kansai

Chugoku

Shikoku

Kyushu & Okinawa

1Hokkaido

2Aomori

3Akita

4Iwate

5Yamagata

6Miyagi

7Fukushima

8Tochigi

9Ibaraki

10Gunma

11Saitama

12Chiba

13Tokyo

14Kanagawa

15Niigata

16Toyama

17Ishikawa

18Fukui

19Nagano

20Yamanashi

21Shizuoka

22Gifu

23Aichi

24Shiga

25Mie

26Kyoto

27Osaka

28Nara

29Wakayama

30Hyogo

31Tottori

32Okayama

33Shimane

34Hiroshima

35Yamaguchi

36Kagawa

37Tokushima

38Ehime

39Kochi

40Fukuoka

41Saga

42Nagasaki

43Oita

44Kumamoto

45Miyazaki

46Kagoshima

47Okinawa

Search Articles by Topic

Culture/Tourism/Food
Culture/Tourism/Food
Japanese Technology
Japanese Technology
Local Industry
Local Industry
International Exchange
International Exchange
Local Initiative
Local Initiative