On the night of New Year’s Eve, Buddhist temples ring the New Year’s bell. According to the teachings of Buddhism, human beings have 108 vexations. In order to purge these vexations and welcome the New Year with a pure heart, the bells are rung from around 11:45 pm on New Year’s Eve to the New Year. At famous temples around the country, such as Hase Temple in Kamakura City and Shinshoji Temple in Narita City, there is a rush of people wishing to ring the bell, and numbered tickets are given out. 大晦日の夜、仏教寺院では除夜の鐘をつきます。仏教の教えでは、人間には１０８の煩悩があります。その煩悩を祓い、清い気持ちで新年を迎えるために、大晦日の夜１１時４５分ころから新年にかけて鐘をつきます。鎌倉市の長谷寺や成田市の新勝寺など、各地の有名なお寺では、鐘をつくための希望者が殺到し、整理券が配られます。

Kohaku Uta Gassen is a special music program broadcast by NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai : Japan Broadcasting Corporation) on New Year’s Eve every year. It is popularly/commonly known as “Kohaku“. The female artists are divided into the “red group” and the male artists into the “white group,” and they perform in a rivalry format.  Since many of Japan’s most popular singers appear on the program, it records high viewer ratings every year despite its late-night schedule, and for many Japanese, it has become a symbol of/for the end of the year. 紅白歌合戦とは、NHK（日本放送協会）が毎年大晦日に放送する男女対抗形式の音楽特別番組である。人々の間では「紅白」と呼ばれ親しまれている。女性アーティストを紅組、男性アーティストを白組に分け、対抗形式で歌や演奏を披露する。日本を代表する人気歌手が大勢出演するため、深夜に及ぶ時間帯でありながら、毎年高視聴率を記録し、多くの日本人にとっては、一年の締めくくりの象徴ともいえる番組となっている。 ＊語句　大晦日 New Year’s Eve 　視聴率 viewer ratings

The Paleolithic Age was colder than today, and the earth was in the cold period called the Ice Age. At that time, the Japanese Archipelago was connected to the continent. The sea water was reduced due to the glaciers, and the water surface was more than 100m lower than today. The average temperature was also more than 7 degrees Celsius lower than today, and the climate in Japan is thought to be like that of Siberia today. 旧石器時代は今よりも寒く、地球は氷河時代と呼ばれる寒冷な時代でした。その頃、日本列島は大陸と陸続きでした。氷河のため海水が減り、現在よりも水面が１００ｍ以上下がっていたのです。平均気温は今よりも７℃以上低く、日本は現在のシベリアと同じような気候だったと考えられています。

The Tomioka Silk Mill and the Silk Industrial Heritage Complex are a collection that shows the technological exchanges and innovations that contributed to the realization of mass production of high-quality raw silk from the late 19th to the 20th century, when the world economy was integrated through trade. The result was the development of the global silk industry, and the popularization of silk consumption. This technological innovation was achieved through a combination of innovations in silk manufacturing technology and innovations in sericultural technology that supported the increased production of high-quality cocoons, the raw material for silk. This property is a remarkable example of the entire process of raw silk production…

On the wall of Shakado, or the hall of Buddha, at Naritasan Shinshoji Temple in Chiba Prefecture, a relief of wood carving depicting 500 Rakan is displayed. The sculptor is Shumpyo Shimamura. He was the 8th generation of the prestigious Shimamura family who was in charge of sculptures of temples and shrines officially recognized by the Edo Shogunate. Unlike the stone Buddha statue, it is not very noticeable, but it is a wonderful work. The 500 Rakan, or Arhat, refers to the 500 disciples who followed the Buddha. In Japan and China, there is a belief in the 500 Arhats, and there are many arts and crafts with this motif.…