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Nagoya city is planning to complete restoring work of Nagoya castle in 2020 and will not put an elevator in it. Handicapped people are objected to this decision declaring that it isn't the only issue of Nagoya city but must be a universal problem.

On 19th, about 600 people from Aichi prefecture and other prefectures gathered to organize a protest. They surrounded the city government office building joining their hands so that to appeal they will never accept any discrimination nor abuse of human rights.

The protest started at the center of the city at first, then they marched towards city government office building. They cried out, "We will keep fighting until an elevator will be put."

The city mayor wants to make his restoration project very original and innovative one. There are abundant of materials remained such as pictures and drawings of construction used when it was constructed in the Middle Ages. So Nagoya city's officials decided to reproduce the Nagoya castle exact same as its original figure. Actually, there are some people those who hope that to be reproduced precisely in the meaning of historical value. But the handicapped people said, "Human Rights are more important than historical reality."

The city mayor proposed some substitutional ideas to opposing party, for example using drone or robot to lift up handicapped people or putting video display of the view from the top of the castle so that they can enjoy the landscape without going on top of the castle. However, the handicapped people are not satisfied and considering that the city mayor is using this promise of installing new technology as a show, but brushed off the issue.

https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASL6N53D4L6MOIPE00W.html?iref=comtop_list_nat_n01

For the purpose of studying the origin of life, an asteroid explorer Hayabusa 2 was launched four years ago, and now it is getting closer to the target asteroid Ryugu. On 14th, the newest pictures of Ryugu was released. They have recognized that the asteroid looks almost round, approximately 900 km in diameter.

Hayabusa 2, which has been launched from Kagoshima prefecture four years ago, is traveling in Space 300 million km away from the Earth and is going to reach the place 800 km from Ryugu.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) held a press conference on 14th and showed the newest pictures taken by Hayabusa 2. Enlarged pictures are a little bit rough, however, they could recognize that Ryugu might have almost  spherical shape. Some part of it looks square, so they need further studies to clarify the entire picture. According to the results of analyses, it is known that Ryugu's diameter is 900 meter, the full rotation is 7 hours and 40 minutes.

Hayabusa 2 will reach to the place of the distance of 20 km to Ryugu on 27th this month, then go into its orbit, after observing the situation of surface and the shape, it will try to land and pick up some rock samples.

If some water or organic would be found, it will increase the potential for finding the origin of life. The mission manager of JAXA, Makoto Yoshikawa said, "It is getting closer so we can get more clear pictures in next week. Hopefully, entire figure of  Ryugu will become clearer."

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20180614/k10011477891000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_002

A stained glass manufacture in Hiroshima city, Baroque announced that they have finished restoring stained glasses for the World Peace Memorial Church, which is designated as an Important Cultural Property in Japan. The CEO of the Baroque, Usui said, "We seldom work for cultural heritage. It was a huge amount of work and we had to be very meticulous."

He has learned the technology of stained glasses in the U.S. when he was young, then in 1975, he founded his company at his age of 20s. Baroque has been conducted more than hundred manufacturing jobs a year, so they have enough experience and fine technique. That is why they were selected as a contractor of this restoration work.

The stained glass of the church was made from a combination of 888 pieces of glass, which includes various sizes and colors. It was gifted from foreign countries such as Germany and Austria, those which wished for world's peace and it had built in 1962.

The reinforcement against earthquakes has started in 2016, so the restoration of the stained glass became one of that work. The stained glass was exposed to bad weather more than 5o years. Some part of that was broken or removed its paint. In total, 328 pieces were needed to restore.

It was necessary not to change materials from original one to keep its historical value. The wires which joint pieces of glass were very thin and rusted for the most part. They removed the rust by knife, soldered and worked very carefully to not damage the wire. New glasses were intentionally made to look dirty so that the glasses can match with the other old glasses.

At the end of March, Usui has compared from the completed stained glass with pictures of the church when it was originally built to check them. They are planning to start to attach it to the church at the end of this month. Restored stained glass are going to shown visitors on 17th, with an explanation of the restoration work by Usui.


http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/national/list/201806/CK2018060702000274.html

An exhibition which introduces Japanese traditional mathematics is being held from April 28th to June 17th, in Sano city. The display consists of 70 pieces of valuable historical materials. A "sangaku", wooden mathematical puzzle tablet to dedicate to Shinto shrines or temples, is included among them, and it is considered as the oldest sangaku in Japan.

Mathematics was introduced from China, during the Nara period, and after the Edo period that was evolved as Japanese unique mathematics according to the development of civil construction, industry, and commerce. At that time, a mathematical textbook "Jingo-ki" by Mitsuyoshi Yoshida was published and became a bestseller. The book was widely spread among the general public so that not only upper class but common people could also enjoy solving mathematical puzzles.

There was a custom to dedicate a sangaku, when somebody has succeeded to solve a very difficult puzzle, as a token of his gratitude to the gods and in hope that he would devote more efforts to his studies. Because there were many visitors to shrines and temples, to dedicate sangakus had been good opportunity to perform and publish achievements by mathematicians. In the most cases, both of mathematical puzzles and its answers were written on sangaku. But in some cases, the puzzle which is most difficult to solve was written without its answer for purpose of present a challenge to the visitors. It was alternated with other sangaku only after somebody could succeed to solve that puzzle.

https://www.sankei.com/region/news/180518/rgn1805180039-n1.html

Mitsumine Shrine, in Saitama prefecture, announced that they will stop selling their white charm after June, which is a kind of charms that makes your luck increase. That is because it evoked traffic jam by visitors wished to have one of them.

The shrine, which is located 1400 meters above sea level, has become popular among young women. After 2013, it became much more popular with the word of mouth, through starting to sell "white lucky charm". The charm is not only white but also black, green, red, pink. It is only white one that isn't sold other dates than the first day of months. Due to less availability, people became more eager to get it. Although the original price was just 2000 yen, it is traded for 10-20 thousand yen at internet auction.

According to the shrine, on April 1, the traffic jam was stretched more than 25 kilometers from the gate of the shrine to National highway 140. Although they handed out to visitors numbered tickets, one of them even had to wait for eight hours spending in the car. A police station located nearby got a numberless grievance, and it was also detrimental to commodity distribution in Yamanashi, neighboring prefecture.

Right now, they have no plan when to restart selling the white charm. Mitsumine Shrine said, "We should have to make such decision, and wish that you would understand us".