Shinto

A Natsu Matsuri summer festival occurred late last week in Athens' public Japanese Park, in the Pangrati neighborhood. The event, which brought together Athenian locals, tourists, and Japanese people, is rooted in the Shinto tradition and is meant to honor the spirits of the people's ancestors.  

Tama the stationmaster, Japan's feline star of a struggling local railway, was mourned by company officials and fans and elevated into a goddess at a funeral on June 28.

Japan's leader Shinzo Abe risked Chinese and Korean ire April 21 by sending an offering to a controversial war shrine, and saying he may not repeat a formal apology for the country's World War II rampage.

Last week, Turkey had a strong presence in Japan. A wide delegation under the leadership of the Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) attended the U.N. world conference on ?Disaster Risk Reduction.? The summit was held in Sendai, a town in the northeast of the country.