When looking for design services, why not point your browser to the best URL on the planet for this purpose: design.com. But is what it offers as cool as its name?
Editorial: Starmer’s government has been busy emulating the ‘chaos and confusion’ that characterised the final days of the last Conservative administration, ahead of a Budget that will be profoundly depressing. If Labour is hoping to revive its fortunes, it will need to get a grip
Hot on the heels of rival NordVPN, IPVanish has confirmed it's ready for Amazon's new Vega OS to ensure users of Amazon's next-gen streaming stick can stay protected from day one.
The Proton VPN app for Android TV has integrated its NetShield feature, empowering users to neutralise ads and erase trackers. Here's all you need to know.
Tesla shareholders have put the world’s richest man on the superhighway to being our first trillionaire – and it could be a breakthrough moment for all of mankind, says Sean O’Grady
Samsung is a brand many of us typically associate with TVs, monitors, and smartphones. But the company does a lot of stuff behind the scenes as well. This includes semiconductors and memory, like RAM and SSDs. In fact, ahead of CES 2026, Samsung has announced plans to showcase new LPDDR6 RAM and a new M.2 Gen5 SSD.
Samsung to show off new LPDDR6 RAM and SSD tech at CES 2026
First up is the LPDDR6 memory, built on an advanced 12nm process. It supports data rates up to 10.7 gigabits per second, which marks an 11.5% speed increase over Samsung’s current LPDDR5X memory.
The new memory also delivers 21% better energy efficiency compared to its predecessor. Samsung achieved this through a dynamic power management system that adjusts consumption based on workload. Additionally, the LPDDR6 features expanded I/O counts to maximize bandwidth for AI applications, edge computing, and data-intensive mobile workloads.
The second product is the PM9E1 M.2 Gen5 SSD, which comes in a compact 22mm x 42mm form factor. Samsung claims this is the world’s first AI-optimized PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD in this size. The drive delivers sequential read speeds up to 14.8 GB/s and write speeds up to 13.4 GB/s. Capacities reach up to 4TB, which is unprecedented for such a small drive.
The PM9E1 uses Samsung’s in-house “Presto” controller paired with cutting-edge V8 TLC V-NAND technology. Samsung says power efficiency improved by over 50% compared to previous generations, which directly benefits battery life in laptops and mobile devices running AI workloads.
What this means for our devices
If you’re not particularly tech savvy, don’t worry. Most of what this translates to is snappier performance in everyday tasks. Apps load faster, multitasking gets smoother, and AI features respond quicker. The improved power efficiency also means longer battery life, especially important for mobile devices running generative AI models on-device.
The SSD’s compact size opens doors for thinner, lighter devices without sacrificing storage capacity or speed. Gamers benefit from faster load times, while content creators get quicker file transfers and rendering.
Samsung plans to demonstrate its new LPDDR6 RAM and SSD technologies at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. However, the company hasn’t announced specific launch dates or pricing yet.
A flower
arrangement and ink wash painting symbolizing the changing seasons greeted me
inside the tatami room of the Former Hasegawa Residence in Matsusaka, where I
could see the traditional garden from between the sliding doors.
In the
corner of the room, the tea kettle sat quietly—soft birdsong drifted in from
just outside.
The
Former Hasegawa Residence in Matsusaka holds a special place in Japan’s history
as a designated National Important Cultural Property. This estate was once the
home of the Hasegawa family, one of the many historically significant merchant
families who lived in Matsusaka. Every part of the estate, from the detailed
patterns in its sliding screens to the arrangement of the buildings, tells
stories about the former residents, architecture, and merchant class life in
the Edo period (1603-1867).
Here, you
can enjoy a cup of matcha green tea with seasonal wagashi, or traditional confections, on a handful of special days
throughout the year.
▲The
garden and the seasonal wagashi from
my visit in early spring. The wagashi were
made to look like bamboo shoots, cherry blossoms, and flower petals on flowing
water.
The
shape and the ingredients of the wagashi
change every season, bringing you into the present moment with their flavor and
meaning. My visit was a precious opportunity to experience stillness and the
reverence of seasons in a beautiful, historical place.
While
tea with seasonal wagashi is a
special offering only on certain days, you can have tea or coffee at the Former
Hasegawa Residence throughout the year. Drop by to enjoy a drink and feel the
depth of the city’s history through the elegance of this treasured estate.
Former Hasegawa Residence
【Address】1653 Uomachi, Matsusaka, Mie 515-0082
【Phone】0598-21-8600
【Hours】9am-5pm (*Closed on Wednesdays)
【Entry】¥400 for general admission, ¥200 for ages 6-18
You can
enjoy matcha for ¥500, or coffee for ¥400 from 10am to 3:45pm during opening
hours. Coffee is Thursday to Saturday only. A separate general admission fee is
required. See below for information on the seasonal confection event.
Fall Leaves Illumination at the Former Hasegawa Residence
If you visit
the Former Hasegawa Residence around December, you can enjoy a cup of warm tea
or coffee while admiring the fall colors, or walk through the fall leaves in
the illuminated garden in the evening.
Hasegawa Fall Leaves Night Walk (2025 Fall Leaves
Illumination)
【Date】Friday, December 5, to Sunday, December 7, 2025
【Time】Until 7:30pm (Last entry at 7:00pm)
【Entry】¥400
for general admission, ¥200 for ages 6-18
Visitor Information
[You can find out more about events, sights, and other things to do and see in Matsusaka at the links below. ]
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In winter, Hokkaido is filled with a mystical landscape of snow and light, quietly enveloping the hearts of visitors. Steam rising from hot springs in the crisp air, trains running across the pure white earth, and city lights twinkling in the night sky. Each and every one of these becomes a special memory that can only be experienced during this season. The Japan-Korea Dream Players Game 2025 will be held in Hokkaido in the winter. While the excitement of the heated matches is still fresh in your mind, why not take a trip to Hokkaido in the winter?
Noboribetsu and Toya in the Central Part of Hokkaido
Noboribetsu Jigokudani
Hokkaido Tourism Organization
Noboribetsu Jigokudani is an explosion crater formed by the eruption of Mt. Hiyori, measuring approximately 450m in diameter and covering an area of approximately 11ha. It is a tourist spot that is known for its spectacular natural scenery .
Lake Toyakois the third largest caldera lake in Japan, formed by an eruption about 110,000 years ago, and is known for its beautiful scenery throughout the four seasons .
Shiroi Koibito Park is a tourist spot themed around Shiroi Koibito, a famous Hokkaido confectionery. It is a sweets theme park where you can see, learn, taste, and experience the sweets.
The Sapporo City Clock Tower, a beloved symbol of Sapporo , is officially called the Former Sapporo Agricultural College Drill Hall and was built in 1878 (Meiji 11) as an educational facility for Sapporo Agricultural College, the predecessor of Hokkaido .
Known as the only Japanese-style castle in Hokkaido, Fukuyama Castle (also known as Matsumae ) holds a special place in the history of Japanese castles. Its predecessor was the Fukuyama , built by Matsumae Yoshihiro, the first lord of the Matsumae domain. It was completed in 1854 (the first year of the Ansei era) as a key point for coastal defense during the late Edo period, when the number of foreign ships arriving in Japan increased .
Coins.ph joins a Hong Kong mission to educate OFWs on stablecoin remittances, promoting faster, cheaper, and more efficient cross-border money transfers.
Anindya Roy, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Lila Biologics, up to his elbows in a box that shields an oxygen-sensitive enzyme he was testing during an experiment. (Photos courtesy of Roy)
Editor’s note:This series profiles six of the Seattle region’s “Uncommon Thinkers”: inventors, scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs transforming industries and driving positive change in the world. They will be recognized Dec. 11at the GeekWire Gala. Uncommon Thinkers is presented in partnership with Greater Seattle Partners.
Before he launched a venture-backed biotech startup, prior even to landing a research role in one of the world’s premier academic labs, Anindya Roy arrived in the U.S. with two suitcases and $2,000 in the bank.
Roy grew up in rural India in a home that lacked electricity and running water during his childhood. A passion for science fueled his ambitions, leading him to earn degrees at the University of Calcutta and the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur.
Then he made the bold leap in 2008 to pursue his PhD at Arizona State University, which led to a postdoctoral fellowship with David Baker, a University of Washington professor who last year won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
In 2023, Roy co-founded Seattle-based Lila Biologics, which uses the AI-powered protein design technology developed in the Baker lab to pursue cutting-edge medical therapies.
“Anindya is a brilliant and determined scientist and innovator who has made key contributions across diverse areas of science,” Baker said, “and is charting a most exciting path forward with Lila.”
Dr. Sheila Gujrathi, a biotech executive and chair of Lila’s board of directors, described Roy as “a thoughtful and creative problem-solver who approaches each challenge with genuine humility. He stands out not just for his innovative thinking, but also for his sincere kindness and integrity.”
Anindya Roy and his kitty, Uno.
Unlocking potential
In the lab at ASU, Roy focused on protein engineering for sustainable energy resources, but he was eager to apply those skills to medicine. He sent an email to Baker who invited him for an interview and tour of his protein creation lab, which delivered a kid-in-a-candy-shop kind of experience.
“That was the most exciting thing because it was such an amazingly diverse set of computational protein design problems, aiming to solve so many different kinds of things,” Roy recalled.
He jumped at the postdoc opportunity, joining the lab that is part of the UW’s Institute for Protein Design (IPD). There he began exploring the groundbreaking tools for creating proteins from scratch, ultimately pursuing a molecule that showed promise in cancer care and the treatment of fibrotic diseases that form scar tissue in various organs.
Roy eventually entered the IPD’s Translational Investigator Research Program, which gives entrepreneurial scientists the support and training to begin commercializing their discoveries. Two years ago, he and Jake Kraft, a fellow IPD postdoc, licensed the molecule they worked on at the UW and launched Lila.
While Roy has found success in his research, scientific inquiry can be slow-going and frustrating. To unwind he turns to intense weight training and goes to live shows — he caught Lady Gaga this summer and loves house music. Roy also whips up French pastries and tortes worthy of “The Great British Bake Off.”
And sometimes he reflects on the unlikely journey that led him to launching his own company.
“Whenever I get kind of discouraged or depressed about things, I look back at my career trajectory and how far I’ve come,” Roy said. “That does give me a lot of strength.”
A selection of pastries baked by Roy Anindya, including choux pastry critters and colorful spheres, tarte au citron and a chocolate cake topped with raspberries.
The power of science
His startup is also making confidence-boosting progress. Lila has raised $10 million from investors and released two AI-powered platforms for creating therapeutic proteins. One is focused on targeted radiotherapy, generating proteins that precisely bind to tumors and carry radioactive isotopes that zap cancerous cells. The other platform is used to build long-acting injectable drugs that slowly release medicine over weeks or months.
In September, the seven-person startup announced a collaboration with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly to develop therapies for treating solid tumors.
Roy is grateful for U.S. support of the basic research that underpins the work being done at universities, institutions and companies nationwide. He’s also worried about federal funding cuts being pursued by the current administration that threaten America’s leadership in scientific innovation.
Because while he has been doing de novo protein design for more than a decade, Roy is still amazed by what the technology can do and how fast it’s evolving.
“This is almost like science fiction,” Roy said. “Years ago, you never imagined what we are doing right now. You are designing molecules in the computer, and you are putting them in actual living systems, and it’s doing what it’s supposed to do. It is pure science fiction.”
Editorial: Forgetting to wear a poppy to his first appearance leading PMQs now looks like the least of the justice minister’s problems. His lack of candour with the Commons about yet another foreign-national sex offender being mistakenly released from prison – on his own departmental watch – is more serious, and a possible contravention of the ministerial code
Parse Biosciences co-founders are CTO Charles Roco and CEO Alex Rosenberg. (Parse Photo)
Seattle’s Parse Biosciences is teed up for an acquisition by Qiagen, a Netherlands-based holding company, in a $225 million cash deal announced this week.
The transaction is expected to close in December.
Parse was co-founded in 2018 by Alex Rosenberg, who was a University of Washington postdoctoral fellow at the time, and Charles Roco, who was a UW graduate student. The company was an early entrant in the nascent field of single-cell RNA sequencing.
Rosenberg and his colleagues discovered a new way to profile RNAs while working in the lab of UW synthetic biology professor Georg Seelig. The business initially launched as Split Biosciences, later changing its name and growing to 110 employees.
Parse has raised more than $50 million from investors, including a $41.5 million Series B round announced in 2022.
Parse launched its first products in 2021 and currently serves 3,000 customers in more than 40 countries. The company is expected to add about $40 million in sales to Qiagen’s 2026 fiscal year.
Parse stated on its website that it will operate as a Qiagen subsidiary and “will maintain full operations in our Seattle headquarters and all other locations around the world.”
There’s a vast range of research questions that RNA profiling can help answer. Understanding which RNAs are present in a cell gives scientists a read-out of active genes. That helps distinguish different cell types, for instance in a blood sample or a petri dish of stem cells turning into heart cells.
Parse touts the accessibility of its technology, which does not require specialized lab equipment to use.
“As our team joins Qiagen, we want to accelerate that mission and extend the reach of our technology to more customers around the world,” said CEO Rosenberg in a statement, adding that Qiagen’s global infrastructure makes it “an ideal partner for our next stage of growth.”
Qiagen has developed technologies to isolate and analyze DNA, RNA and proteins from sources including blood, tissue and other materials. The company has about 5,700 employees in 35 locations. It serves 500,000 customers globally.
The acquisition is subject to clearance under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other conditions.
Google Finance AI features, including Deep Search and prediction markets, are set to democratize advanced financial analysis, empowering users with unprecedented market insights.
A first in Japan | [Underwater National Park Designated] A rare environment
Ainan Town's underwater scenery is diverse, with environments teeming with colorful corals and fish, and rugged cliffs. The sea around Ainan Town is characterized by the fact that it is an environment where fish of all sizes can live, and that many of these exist in a small area. In short, the environmental conditions under the sea are diverse, and the town maintains a very rich sea.
Just a slight change in location can cause a drastic change in the types of living organisms (in this case, corals). The differences are so clear that you can instantly tell just by looking at them that the environment has changed. Japanese marine biology researchers say it's rare for the environment to change so much in the same ocean.
It's a shame we can't introduce everything here, but the ocean is rugged and has many different environments, including sandy areas, steep slopes, rocky areas, small rocks and sand, mud, and cliffs. The density of these areas creates an environment where a variety of fish can live. Due to the richness of the ocean, underwater scenery, and abundance of underwater resources, it became Japan's first "underwater" national park to be designated a protected area in 1970, and since then it has come to be affectionately known as an "underwater park," and has become famous throughout Japan, having been visited by Emperor Showa, among other things.
*As of 2025, the law has been revised and the name has been changed from "underwater park" to "marine area park."
Guide to this article | Introduction to people living in the area
Nice to meet you, my name is Takahashi and I am a guide instructor. As of 2026, I am managing and operating the Nishikai Tourist Boat Facility in Ainan Town. I usually work as a tour boat driver and diving instructor, but I also use the videos and images I take underwater to show people around the ocean, both on land and at sea.
I originally lived in Tokyo for over 30 years, but when I was in my 30s, I visited Ainan for the first time and tried diving for the first time, which led me to decide to stay and live in Ainan. It has been over 10 years since I came to Ainan, and now I have obtained an instructor trainer qualification from SSI (Scuba Schools International), and I teach everything from beginner courses to instructor training.
Recently, I have been focusing on giving lessons about the ocean to children, and I aim to be a guide who can help them gain a deeper understanding of the ocean.
By the way, for those of you wondering, where is Ainan Town? It's in Ainan Town, south of Ehime.
The overwhelming amount of fish that the sea boasts. | Characteristics of the sea in Ainan Town, Ehime
Not only are there many types, but there are also many quantities. The overwhelming amount of fish is so great that it forms a wall when observed underwater. The fish in the photo are a school of grunts. These fish have the habit of following in unison when the leading fish changes direction. The loud "bang" that can be heard when thousands of fish change direction is also impressive. The scene in the photo shows the moment when they all descend from shallow water to deep water at the same time.
One thing I recommend is "fish observation from the pier." One of the characteristics of Ainan Town is that you can observe fish even from land while walking. This photo shows a school of fish gathering under a boat moored at the pier, but in some places, you can also observe hundreds of horse mackerel and schools of amberjack preying on them, right next to the pier.
Small fish are also a prerequisite for the habitation of larger fish that eat them. Nearby, there is a fish called the golden-spotted lionfish hiding in the crevices of the coral colonies, and a lionfish, which is famous for its poison. It takes aim and, when the right moment comes, swallows the fish in one gulp. It preys with such speed that it is difficult to catch with the naked eye. The food chain is occurring in the ocean, even in places close to us.
Underwater scenery trip | Special protected area of the national park [Yokoshima]
Finally, I would like to introduce the underwater scenery of Yokoshima, a special protected area. A distinctive feature of this area is the coexistence of hard corals and soft corals. The two types of corals have different environments, so they rarely coexist. Ainan Town has a sea that is hospitable to living creatures, allowing these two types of corals to coexist.
A little bit of trivia: Corals form skeletons. Hard corals are covered entirely in skeletons, but soft corals are soft because they only form bone fragments called "spicules" within their muscles. If they didn't have bones, they would be called "sea anemones." Did you know that if they floated in the water, they would be called "jellyfish"? Corals, jellyfish, and sea anemones actually have almost the same body structure.
Fish gather in ridge-like areas along with the coral colonies. Fish that eat coral or use it as a hiding place gather around, along with predatory fish, creating a rich ecosystem. This scenery stretches for over 2.5 km on Yokoshima Island, which is a national park.
The stingray is another distinctive fish. It uses its narrow mouth to target crevices in coral and prey on other fish.
There are many different types of landforms, and natural caves are also great photo spots.
More Articles and Outside Resources ｜Southern tip of Ehime, Ainan Town, Nishikai Sightseeing Boat
▽Ehime National Park Nishikai Sightseeing Cruise [1/4] | Shop Introduction
| Ainan Town's Marine Environment
This is the article on this page.
▽Ehime National Park Nishikai Sightseeing Cruise, official website here (Japanese, external site) https://nishiumi.info/
Beach clean-up activities spanning generations for over 30 years
Many people gather at the parking lot of the Saikai Tourist Boat
With the slogan "Give back a little to the ocean of our hometown," participants take a break from their everyday lives and think a little about the ocean while picking up trash. This beach clean-up activity will mark its 31st year in 2025.
Coral colonies have been growing in the sea off Ehime for decades. In fact, it has only been discovered recently that many corals over 300 years old have been discovered. The rich seas have remained since the time when samurai lived there during the Edo period 300 years ago. In recent years, they have become famous among marine researchers.
Perhaps because the name of Ainan Town is gradually becoming known, more and more people from outside the town are participating in our activities.
This activity was originally started by an old man who has been diving in these waters for over 40 years. In 2025, he will be 74 years old, but he is still active as a guide instructor. The people who have been helping us since then are still supporting our activities, and recently new people have joined us, and the number of participants has increased.
More than 50 people participated in the 2025 activity. This activity is held every year in the last week of June, and anyone who has obtained a C-card can participate.
Our activities began to be recognized widely, and in 2025 we received an award from Ehime Bank. Standing on the right is my grandfather, a 74-year-old active guide instructor. On the left is me.
Underwater conservation in national parks | Coral conservation activities
In 2025, the guide instructor, who will be 74 years old, established the "Ainan Coral Protection Council" shortly after starting the beach cleanup. He gathered local volunteers and created an organization to carry out coral conservation activities. Activities will begin in the winter when the high water temperatures have ended.
Line transect method: A 100m line is drawn on the seabed, and the bottom sediment is examined every 50cm to check the degree of coral coverage. Spot check method: An observer swims for 15 minutes and visually checks the degree of coral coverage, size, and species preference.
We have been observing these at 10 locations every year for over 10 years, and have been keeping a record of the data.
The coral community in Ainan Town has been gradually increasing since around 2014. Although the coral was damaged once in 2018 by a large typhoon, it has now recovered and new coral babies can be observed every year.
Located at the southern tip of Ehime Prefecture, Ainan Town continues to enjoy abundant nature, living up to its name as a special protected area of the national park, but it also faces other major problems. As the population declines, it is becoming more difficult to pass on the skills, culture, and history that have been developed up until now. I, Takahashi, am 44 years old, and there is a huge gap in the generation above me. I feel that the lack of succession of skills, culture, and history is a major problem even within Japan.
Another big goal for the future is to pass it on to the next generation. This is where the marine industry "UMIGYO" comes in, which will be discussed later.
Effective utilization of fishing villages and town conservation marine industry "UMIGYO"
"UMIGYO" is the name of an initiative promoted by the Fisheries Agency to revitalize fishing villages. It was formulated in 2022, and in 2023 Ainan Town was certified as a "UMIGYO" promotion model district.
Ainan Town was chosen as a model district for promoting the effective use of fishing villages because it has a thriving fishing industry and a rich ocean, including a national park. This became a major driving force for Ainan Town, where population decline is a major issue, to create a town of the future.
Maritime "UMIGYO" Local Government Initiatives
Many meetings were held to discuss how Ainan Town could continue to exist, with people from various industries, including fishing, aquaculture, tourism, food and beverage, accommodation, universities, government ministries, and banks, coming together and led by the residents rather than the town office. Many different things were discussed at the "UMIGYO" meetings.
Among these, "education" became an important theme that different businesses could agree on. Combining education and tourism to welcome visitors from outside the town as a whole is likely to become an important goal for the future.
Personally, I have begun to focus on "welcoming people from outside through wide-area collaboration" while utilizing the abundant ocean in the national park. This is the GreenFins initiative, which I will introduce later.
National Geographic
Before introducing GreenFins, let me tell you something. As part of the maritime industry "UMIGYO" initiative, Ainan Town was featured in National Geographic. ▽National Geographic website (external link) https://special.nikkeibp.co.jp/atclh/TS/25/ainan_umidas0826/
They are trying to revitalize the fishing village that is on the verge of disappearing and bring back the town's vitality. The entire process has been covered and published as a single story. Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of National Geographic, Ainan Town is being introduced with the main theme of "the sea" and a focus on the people working in the background.
Green Fins
It has been decided that "GreenFins" will be introduced in 2025 as part of a wide-area collaboration. GreenFins is an international certification that sets out model rules for conducting economic activities while protecting the environment, focusing on diving and snorkeling. There are many things that we normally do, such as avoiding contact with living creatures and not scattering harmful substances, but we also thought it would be good to establish rules on a wide scale, such as avoiding anchoring as much as possible, so we introduced it to this region. This is part of the marine industry "UMIGYO" and is one of the projects I am working on.
The good thing about GreenFins is that it is a system that cannot be acquired by a single business. Acquisition is only permitted if the local government also participates. We believe that it is meaningful not to simply acquire qualifications or certifications on an individual basis, but to aim for acquisition as a region as a whole, including the local government.
It's important not only to protect the ocean, but also to let local people know how amazing and precious Ainan Town's ocean is. By continuing various activities, such as our regular conservation activities and the introduction of Green Fins, we were able to create opportunities for Ainan Town residents to dive in the local ocean. Everyone, including the locals, thinks they know about the ocean, but surprisingly, they don't. We are starting town development by letting people know about the preciousness of Ainan Town's ocean, which has been designated a special protected area in the national park.
Everyone at the town hall who obtained a C card
More Articles and Outside Resources ｜Southern tip of Ehime, Ainan Town, Nishikai Sightseeing Boat
▽Ehime National Park Nishikai Sightseeing Cruise [1/4] | Shop Introduction
▽Ehime National Park Nishikai Sightseeing Cruise, official website here (Japanese, external site) https://nishiumi.info/
Ainan Town, a town surrounded by ria coastlines | Many diving spots
Ainan Town, located at the southern tip of Ehime, is surrounded by a unique coastline created by a ria coastline. Due to the presence of uninhabited islands nearby, different environments are scattered across a small area. There are over 30 diving spots. A multi-day diving plan is recommended. The best time to visit is between July and the end of October.
Simple introduction to underwater scenery
Yokoshima, where soft and hard corals gather
Yokoshima, designated as a special protected area of the national park, has five diving spots. The three spots we often take people to are Yokoshima No. 2 Site, Yokoshima Fault, and Koyokoshima. Each spot has its own characteristics, so we will introduce the underwater conditions.
Yokoshima Site No. 2
Yokoshima No. 2 is a point where a ridge stretches out with a difference in elevation. The bottom at the tip is 35m deep, and the top of the ridge is about 10m. This is a terrain that attracts fish, so if you're lucky you might be surrounded by schools of grunts, silver-ringed herring, and amberjack.
Yokoshima Site No. 2
What all the points on Yokoshima have in common is the presence of colonies of hard and soft corals in shallow waters.
Yokoshima Fault
The Yokoshima Fault is a very shallow area, with a maximum depth of 14m and an average depth of 8m. A single rock stretches from north to south, but above it is a magnificent, unbroken colony of coral.
Koyokoshima Island
Like the other spots we've introduced so far, coral colonies grow in the shallow areas of Koyokojima, but if you go down to the sandy area below, you'll often come across large schools of fish. Sometimes schools of thousands of grunts and other fish will fall from above all at once, making this a spot where you can target both coral and migratory fish.
After the safety stop, we explore the cave before returning to the boat. It is a fun spot where the environment changes constantly during the dive, with corals, fish, and topography.
8:30 meet up 9:00 Departure 9:30-10:30 1st dive 10:30(you can choose this time, when you wanna only 2dive/day) 11:00 Departure 11:30-12:30 2nd dive 12:50-13:30 Lunch Bento 13:45 Departure
2Dive 14,000 Yen 3Dive 18,000 Yen Full rental 5000Yen + Divecomputer 1500Yen
The parking lot is large and can accommodate 150 cars, with a view of the ocean. Please come to the reception desk in the building in the photo and tell them you want to go diving before the meeting time. We will guide you there.
Diving Style | Boat & Anchoring
We occasionally do drift diving, but the basics are boat and anchoring diving. We have created many courses with varying terrain, and we guide everyone on circular courses.
We also have SSI (Scuba Schools International) instructor trainers on staff, so we have the advantage of being able to hold all courses, including professional rank instructor courses. We will guide everyone with safety as our number one priority.
Recommended season, seasonal winds and water temperature
Recommended time: Mid-June to late October
In the summer, the sea is as calm as a lake, as shown in the photo above. We recommend visiting from mid-June to the end of October.
You can dive in winter, but the seasonal winds are often strong from November to the end of May, so the seas tend to be rough (January and February are the peak months). When the sea conditions are bad, we often cannot go to Yokoshima, which is our main diving point.
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During the winter, there are often 6-7 stormy days out of every 10 days.
*A detailed wind forecast will be announced two days before your reservation. Based on that forecast, we will contact you if there are any problems with the sea conditions.
Water temperature: 16°C to 28°C (minimum water temperature is in February, maximum water temperature is at the end of August)
The maximum water temperature in this area is 28°C. The water is warmest from the end of August to early September. From mid-June to the end of October, you can comfortably dive in a 5m wetsuit. (On October 22, 2025, the water temperature was 26°C.)
The lowest water temperature is 16°C around February. As the outside temperature also drops at the same time, we recommend wearing a dry suit from November to the end of May. Dry suits are limited in number for rental, so please contact us in advance if you require one. A dry suit special is required for rental.
Nearby hotel | About 10 minutes by car to the shop
Hotel AZ opened in Ainan Town in 2025. It has over 140 rooms. It's close by, so I recommend it.
An illustration of a protein created by Accipiter Bio that has two active sites, shown in light and darker green, that can simultaneously bind two targets. (Accipiter Bio Image)
A Seattle biotech startup born from a Nobel laureate’s lab has landed $12.7 million and partnerships with pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Kite Pharma by using AI to design proteins that mount a multi-pronged attack on diseases.
Accipiter Biosciences emerged from stealth today with a leadership team that includes researchers who worked at the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design under David Baker, a 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner for his breakthroughs in building proteins from scratch.
The company is using artificial intelligence tools developed at the institute to engineer de novo proteins that have the unusual ability to bind multiple cellular targets at once, potentially amplifying their illness-fighting impact.
“We want to establish this new modality,” said Matthew Bick, Accipiter Bio’s co-founder and CEO. The strategy, he added, could unlock new ways to more effectively treat complicated diseases.
There’s evidence that combinations of drugs sometimes perform better than single therapies, but the challenge has been coordinating their actions so they work together at the same location.
Matthew Bick, CEO and co-founder of Accipiter Biosciences. (Accipiter Bio Photo)
In some forms of cancer, for example, multiple cell functions need to be turned on simultaneously to produce helpful molecules that work synergistically to create an effect “that is not just additive, it’s multiplicative,” Bick said.
The approach could also speed U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and cut costs. Typically, when two drugs are combined to treat a condition, each must undergo its own expensive Phase 1 safety trial, followed by an additional trial testing them together. A single multi-functional drug would need just one Phase 1 trial.
Multiple avenues to drug therapies
Accipiter Bio has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Pfizer to research and engineer new molecules. The deal provides an upfront payment for the startup and the potential to earn more than $330 million if Accipiter Bio hits certain milestones and through royalties.
“With Accipiter’s platform technology and collaboration, Pfizer aims to solve complex therapeutic problems with biologics that may have previously been unattainable,” said Jeffrey Settleman, Pfizer Oncology R&D’s chief scientific officer.
Accipiter Bio also has an agreement with the oncology drug company Kite, which is owned by Gilead Sciences, to design proteins for use in cell therapies. The arrangement similarly includes initial funding with the possibility of milestone payments and royalties. Kite has the option of acquiring molecules created through the arrangement and develop them into therapeutics for global sales.
On top of those efforts, Accipiter Bio has four of its own drug-development programs. Two programs are preparing for formal FDA discussions about human testing — a stage called pre-IND .
Bick would not provide details on the efforts, but said the company is researching agents for treating cancers and irritable bowel syndrome, among other ailments.
Funding and leadership
The Accipiter Biosciences leadership team includes from left: Javier Castellanos, co-founder and chief technologist; Hector Rincon-Arano, co-founder and chief scientist; and William Canestaro, chief operating officer and chief strategy officer. Not pictured: CEO and co-founder Matthew Bick. (Accipiter Bio Photos)
Flying Fish Partners and Takeda co-led the seed round. Additional investors are Columbus Venture Partners, Cercano Capital, Washington Research Foundation, Alexandria Investments, Pack Ventures and Argonautic Ventures.
“We’ve reached the point where computation isn’t just speeding up biology,” said Heather Gorham, principal at Flying Fish Partners and Accipiter board member. “It’s expanding what’s biologically possible.”
The startup launched in March 2023 and previously raised about $800,000 to get off the ground. Bick was a senior fellow in Baker’s lab for more than seven years and later a senior director for Seattle’s Neoleukin Therapeutics.
Accipiter Bio has 17 employees. The leadership team has three members in addition to Bick.
Javier Castellanos, co-founder and chief technologist, was a graduate student with Baker; co-founder and CTO of Cyrus Biotechnology, another protein design startup; and a past director at Neoleukin.
Hector Rincon-Arano, co-founder and chief scientist, was with Seagen (now a division of Pfizer) for more than seven years where he helped take a therapeutic from proof-of-concept to the first step of getting a new drug approved. He was also briefly at Neoleukin.
William Canestaro, chief operating officer and chief strategy officer, has worked on the business and investing side of biotech with roles at the UW’s Michael G. Foster School of Business, Washington Research Foundation, Pack Ventures, Pioneer Square Labs, Cyclera Therapeutics and others. He has served on the board of directors for multiple startups.
Building on experience
While the strategy of using AI to build a new class of proteins could open the door to groundbreaking therapies, drug development is a risky business.
Neoleukin was a biotech company co-founded by Baker that spun out of the UW in 2019. The startup’s lead drug candidate, an engineered protein used in cancer treatment, under-performed in a Phase 1 trial. Neoleukin laid off many of its employees before merging with another company.
The three co-founders met at the startup and gained valuable technical and strategic lessons from the experience, Bick said. That included the need to have multiple drug programs running at once and insights into preventing immunogencity, which is an unwanted immune response to foreign bodies.
“We were part of the team,” he said, “that took the first fully de novo protein into patients.”
ONE | GT, Grand Cayman’s upcoming luxury boutique hotel, has appointed Cashema Clarke as Director of Human Resources in anticipation of its opening in winter 2026. Clarke, a seasoned hospitality professional with over 20 years of experience across both the public and private sectors in the Cayman Islands, will play a pivotal role in shaping the hotel’s internal culture and its market positioning as ONE | GT prepares to redefine luxury in the region. Clarke’s appointment adds another highly experienced professional to the hotel’s growing leadership team, enhancing its potential as one of the Caribbean’s most desirable destinations.
A Distinguished Career in Human Resources
Clarke’s career has been defined by her extensive experience in human resources management, where she has consistently worked to modernize HR operations and develop local talent. She brings a wealth of knowledge gained through leadership roles at notable organizations, including the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority, Palm Heights Hotel, Dart, and Red Sail Sports. Notably, she earned the Top Employer Award in 2014 for her exceptional leadership at Red Sail Sports, further establishing her reputation as a leader in human resources and talent development.
In her role at ONE | GT, Clarke will draw from her vast experience to build a strong foundation for the hotel’s internal culture, ensuring that the values of excellence, collaboration, and respect are instilled across the organization. By focusing on team development and employee engagement, Clarke will contribute significantly to ensuring that the ONE | GT team is well-equipped to deliver exceptional service and hospitality to the hotel’s guests.
Leading with a Focus on Community Development
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Cashema Clarke is deeply committed to community development. Her contributions extend to local initiatives, including her roles in youth ministry, where she has worked to empower young people and foster meaningful connections. Clarke has served as Deputy Chairperson of the Cayman Islands Labour Tribunal and as President of the HSA Toastmasters Club, further demonstrating her leadership within the community.
At her local church, Clarke currently serves as Family Life Assistant Director, where she is focused on strengthening families and supporting programs that promote community well-being. Her passion for empowering others extends beyond the workplace, and she brings this commitment to her role at ONE | GT, where she will continue to foster a workplace culture that values growth, collaboration, and inclusivity.
ONE | GT: A Luxurious New Addition to Grand Cayman
ONE | GT, opening in winter 2026, will introduce a new standard of luxury to Grand Cayman. The property will stand 144 feet above the vibrant waterfront of George Town, offering guests an intimate and elevated stay. The hotel will feature 96 design-forward hotel suites and 81 private residences, each equipped with spa-like bathrooms, full kitchens, and private balconies. ONE | GT will also include the island’s first rooftop infinity-edge pool, a third-floor pool oasis, private butler service, and a range of wellness treatments, including in-room or rooftop spa experiences.
The hotel’s culinary offerings will include three distinctive dining venues: Perle, a French-Mediterranean fine-dining restaurant; Byū, a rooftop bar and lounge offering Asian fusion dishes and bold cocktails; and Café Bellini, an Italian bakery and café serving artisanal coffee and pastries. These dining options will offer guests a variety of culinary experiences that complement the property’s luxury ambiance.
Building a Strong Team at ONE | GT
With Cashema Clarke overseeing the human resources department, ONE | GT will be well-positioned to foster a strong, collaborative team. Clarke’s leadership will ensure that the hotel’s workforce is aligned with the property’s high standards of service, making it a prime destination for both leisure and business travelers. Clarke’s emphasis on employee development and engagement will be critical to ensuring the hotel’s success as it strives to provide exceptional guest experiences and maintain its position as a luxury leader in the Caribbean.
This appointment follows several other key leadership hires at ONE | GT, including Andrew Barlow as General Manager and Lucy Taylor as Director of Sales and Marketing. The hotel’s full leadership team also includes Crystal Shaw, Director of Finance, and Diana Jimenez Garcia, Director of Rooms. These leadership appointments reflect ONE | GT’s commitment to excellence across all aspects of operations, from guest service to financial management.
A Legacy of Excellence at ONE | GT
As Director of Human Resources, Clarke will contribute to the hotel’s overarching mission to redefine luxury in Grand Cayman. Her ability to align the hotel’s staffing, training, and development processes with its high standards of service will be essential as ONE | GT prepares to welcome its first guests. The hotel will combine luxury, sophistication, and personalized service, ensuring that each guest’s stay is memorable and exceptional.
With a leadership team that prioritizes employee satisfaction and guest experience, ONE | GT is set to become a standout property on the island. Clarke’s role will be integral in fostering a workplace culture that supports the company’s values, ensuring that employees are motivated and empowered to deliver excellence. Her leadership in human resources will ensure the hotel attracts top talent, providing them with the tools and training needed to thrive in their roles.
The Future of ONE | GT and Grand Cayman’s Hospitality Scene
The opening of ONE | GT represents an exciting new chapter for the luxury hospitality scene in Grand Cayman. With its state-of-the-art amenities, stunning views, and a team of seasoned hospitality leaders, ONE | GT is poised to become one of the Caribbean’s premier destinations. Cashema Clarke’s leadership in human resources will ensure that the hotel’s team is well-prepared to deliver exceptional service, while also nurturing a positive, empowering environment for employees. This focus on both guest satisfaction and employee development will ensure the success of ONE | GT as it sets a new standard for luxury and service in the region.
Editorial: The government’s effort to drive down the number on student visas coming to study in this country is misguided and self-defeating — it will do untold damage to our universities and communities
Cybersecurity startup Daylight has announced a $33 million Series A funding round, bringing its total raised to $40 million. Led by Craft Ventures, with participation from Bain Capital Ventures, Maple VC, and prominent industry figures, the round marks one of the fastest follow-on investments in the sector this year.
Founded less than a year ago, Daylight has rapidly gained traction among enterprises across the U.S. and Europe, including The Motley Fool, Cresta, and McKinsey Investment Office. Its platform delivers measurable impact: deployments in under an hour, up to 90% fewer false positives, and faster threat resolution.
Daylight’s breakthrough lies in its Managed Agentic Security Services (MASS) model, which combines an AI-driven core with PhD-level human analysts. Unlike traditional Managed Detection and Response (MDR) systems that rely on manual triage and slow escalations, MASS offers a unified, autonomous system that learns, adapts, and acts—resolving threats instead of merely flagging them.
The company’s momentum is fueled by word-of-mouth referrals and operational results. CISOs consistently praise Daylight for delivering what MDR was always meant to be: fast, intelligent, and outcome-driven security. With MASS, enterprises can scale defense without increasing headcount, integrating AI, automation, and expert analysis into a seamless service.
Looking ahead, Daylight is expanding its go-to-market efforts across North America, enhancing global analyst operations, and accelerating new modules for identity threat response and cloud workload protection. These innovations aim to build a fully autonomous, self-evolving Security Operations Center (SOC).
Daylight’s mission remains clear: to make adaptive, world-class cyber defense accessible to all. With every deployment, its platform grows smarter, reinforcing its vision of an agentic, autonomous future for enterprise security.
In this week’s Crypto Long & Short Newsletter, Pascal Eberle writes about redefining the custody standards for banking and Andy Baehr explains how the crypto market is awaiting a new leader to spark its next rally.
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The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort has announced the appointment of Luis Garcia as the new Director of Food & Beverage, marking an exciting new chapter for the luxury resort’s culinary operations. Garcia, with over three decades of hospitality experience, is poised to lead the resort’s exceptional food and beverage program, overseeing key venues such as BH Prime, Atlantikós, La Gourmandise, and The St. Regis Bar. In his new role, Garcia will also manage the resort’s in-room dining services, event offerings, and banquets, further enhancing the guest experience at one of Miami’s most prestigious destinations.
Garcia brings a wealth of expertise to The St. Regis Bal Harbour, having served as the Executive Director of Food & Beverage at SLS South Beach. There, he managed eight renowned venues, including The Bazaar by José Andrés and Katsuya. Under his leadership, these venues saw substantial growth, with double-digit profitability increases and top TripAdvisor rankings for fine dining in Miami Beach. His innovative approach to blending operational excellence with creative culinary concepts has earned him accolades in the luxury hospitality sector.
Throughout his career, Garcia has worked alongside Michelin-starred chefs and collaborated with prestigious culinary brands on large-scale events, such as Taste of SLS and the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. His ability to integrate operational precision with visionary creativity has earned him recognition from his peers, making him a respected leader in the industry.
The appointment of Garcia is set to further solidify The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort’s reputation for offering world-class dining experiences. Garcia’s leadership will be key in enhancing the resort’s culinary offerings, which include the recently debuted BH Prime, the renowned Atlantikós, and La Gourmandise, famous for its signature Afternoon Tea. With his guidance, the resort aims to redefine fine dining and elevate its already exceptional service and luxurious atmosphere.
Garcia’s extensive training includes studies at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and additional coursework in Business Administration at Miami Dade College. He has also completed the Accor Hotel GM Training Course and Cornell University’s Executive Leadership Program. His vast professional background and education ensure that he is well-equipped to take the resort’s food and beverage operations to new heights.
When not managing luxury dining operations, Garcia enjoys playing tennis, spending quality time with his family, and keeping up with the latest culinary trends. His passion for hospitality, combined with his dedication to excellence, makes him a perfect fit for the prestigious role at The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort.
The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, located in the heart of Miami’s upscale Bal Harbour neighborhood, is known for its commitment to delivering unparalleled service and luxury to its guests. With Garcia at the helm of the resort’s food and beverage operations, the resort continues to enhance its position as one of Miami’s top luxury destinations, offering guests an extraordinary blend of fine dining, sophistication, and modern luxury.
With Garcia’s appointment, The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort is set to take its culinary offerings to new levels of excellence, ensuring that every guest experience is marked by the signature luxury and timeless sophistication the brand is known for.
Conclusion: Luis Garcia’s appointment as Director of Food & Beverage at The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort comes at an exciting time, promising to enhance an already stellar culinary reputation. His extensive experience, combined with a track record of success, ensures that The St. Regis will continue to offer extraordinary dining experiences for its guests. The resort’s continued commitment to delivering luxury dining will undoubtedly solidify its place as a premier destination in Miami.
Image of antibodies created from scratch. (UW Institute for Protein Design / Ian C. Haydon Graphic)
Researchers from Nobel Laureate David Baker’s lab and the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design (IPD) have used artificial intelligence to design antibodies from scratch — notching another game-changing breakthrough for the scientists and their field of research.
“It was really a grand challenge — a pipe dream,” said Andrew Borst, head of electron microscopy R&D at IPD. Now that they’ve hit the milestone of engineering antibodies that successfully bind to their targets, the research “can go on and it can grow to heights that you can’t imagine right now.”
Borst and his colleagues are publishing their work in the peer-reviewed journal Nature. The development could supercharge the $200 billion antibody drug industry.
Before the advent of AI-based tools, scientists made antibodies by immunizing animals and hoping they would produce useful molecules. The process was laborious and expensive, but tremendously important. Many powerful new drugs for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases are antibody-based, using the proteins to hit specific targets.
Baker, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year, was recognized for his work unraveling the molecular design of proteins and developing AI-powered tools to rapidly build and test new ones. The technology learns from existing proteins and how they function, then creates designs to solve specific challenges.
In the new research, the team focused on the six loops of protein on the antibody’s arms that serves as fingers that grab its target. Earlier efforts would tweak maybe one of the loops, but the latest technology allows for a much bigger play.
“We are starting totally from scratch — from the loop perspective — so we’re designing all six,” said Robert Ragotte, a postdoctoral researcher at IPD. “But the rest of the antibody, what’s called the framework, that is actually staying the same.”
The hope is that by retaining the familiar humanness of most of the antibody, a patient’s immune system would ignore the drug rather than mount an offense against an otherwise foreign molecule.
Andrew Borst, left, and Robert Ragotte. (UW and LinkedIn Photos)
The researchers tested their computer creations against multiple real-world targets including hemagglutinin, a protein on flu viruses that allow them to infect host cells; a potent toxin produced by the C. difficile bacteria; and others.
The lab tests showed that in most cases, the new antibodies bound to their targets as the online simulations predicted they would.
“They were binding in the right way with the right shape against the right target at the spot of interest that would potentially be useful for some sort of therapeutic effect,” Borst said. “This was a really incredible result to see.”
Borst added that the computational and wet lab biologists worked closely together, allowing the scientists to refine their digital designs based on what the real-life experiments revealed.
The software used to create the antibodies is freely available on GitHub for anyone to use. Xaira Therapeutics, a well-funded biotech startup led by IPD alumni, has licensed some of the technology for its commercial operations and multiple authors on the Nature paper are currently employed by the company.
While the antibodies created as part of the research demonstrated the software’s potential, there are many more steps to engineering a potential therapy. Candidate drugs need to be optimized for additional features such as high solubility, a strong affinity for a target and minimizing immunogenicity — which is an unwanted immune response.
Before joining IPD four years ago, Ragotte was a graduate student doing conventional antibody discovery and characterization using animals.
The idea that one day you could get on a computer, choose a target, and create a DNA blueprint for building a protein was almost unimaginable, he said. “We would talk about it, but it didn’t even seem like a tractable problem at that point.”
The Nature study is titled “Atomically accurate de novo design of antibodies with RFdiffusion.” The lead authors include Nathaniel Bennett, Joseph Watson, Robert Ragotte, Andrew Borst, DéJenaé See, Connor Weidle and Riti Biswas, all of whom were affiliated with the UW at the time the research was conducted, and Yutong Yu of the University of California, Irvine. David Baker is the senior author.
Additional authors are: Ellen Shrock, Russell Ault, Philip Leung, Buwei Huang, Inna Goreshnik, John Tam, Kenneth Carr, Benedikt Singer, Cameron Criswell, Basile Wicky, Dionne Vafeados, Mariana Sanchez, Ho Kim, Susana Torres, Sidney Chan, Shirley Sun, Timothy Spear, Yi Sun, Keelan O’Reilly, John Maris, Nikolaos Sgourakis, Roman Melnyk and Chang Liu.
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Philips Ultrasound is laying off 33 employees from its Bothell, Wash., facility, which serves as a hub for the engineering and manufacturing of ultrasound equipment and other healthcare devices.
The cuts were disclosed in a new filing from the Washington Employment Security Department and will take effect Dec. 31.
Production operators, warehouse operators and technicians were affected by the cuts.
The layoff “is part of a limited restructuring of specific Philips Ultrasound activities within an ongoing strategic transition plan that was announced in 2024,” Mario Fante, Philips’ global external relations director told GeekWire via email.
The Netherlands-based company has around 1,500 employees in the Seattle area, according to LinkedIn.
In a separate incident, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September issued a warning letter to the CEO of Royal Philips citing oversight concerns at the Bothell facility as well as a location in Pennsylvania and another in the Netherlands.
The issues at the Bothell site relate to a lack of documentation regarding the company’s response when ultrasound devices are reported to be defective and either break or perform incorrectly.
“We are not able to determine the adequacy of the proposed corrective actions for your responses for the Bothell and Reedsville facilities. We understand that Philips Ultrasound has revised their complaint procedures and have updated the corresponding complaint records to include additional information and to address the inspectional findings,” states the FDA letter.
The layoffs are “completely unrelated to any regulatory action,” Fante added.
Editor’s note: Story updated to clarify that the FDA warning is unrelated to the reduction in force and to add comment from Fante.
COCOSHUKU Asakusa Kuramae is a hotel located just one minute by train from Asakusa Station. All rooms have kitchens and can accommodate multiple guests in one room.
This time, I had the opportunity to try on a rental kimono, perfect for sightseeing in Asakusa, so I would like to share it with you.
A unique kimono rental shop with a wide selection of vintage kimonos and yukatas
There are now many kimono rental shops in Asakusa.
Among them, the kimono rental shop "shim" has a wide selection of stylish, high-quality kimonos that are hard to find elsewhere, such as vintage kimonos with beautiful patterns and cute retro yukatas, all selected by staff with excellent taste. You can rent kimonos, yukatas, and even formal kimonos such as black tomesode, houmongi, tsukesage, and furisode . There is a wide variety to choose from.
Start by choosing the items you want to rent
The kimono dressing experience starts with choosing your items.
1. Kimono
First, choose your favorite kimono from a selection of approximately 150 types. I don't have any knowledge about kimonos so I was a little unsure at first, but when I told the store staff what color and style I wanted, they kindly gave me advice and I was able to decide after consulting with them.
All the kimonos are so cute it's hard to choose!
I've narrowed down the candidates quite a bit, but I'm still not sure, so I'll try them out and decide.
I decided on this kimono!
2. Obi
Next is choosing the obi. The interesting thing about kimonos is that they can surprisingly combine patterns and colors that would be hard to imagine with Western clothing!
The staff also encourages us, saying, "There is no right answer, so just choose what you like."
3. Obijime
Next, choose your obijime. It seems that the thickness of obijime in the past was thicker than it is today. Apparently, thin kimonos are the norm these days. It's a lot of fun talking about these kinds of kimonos with the friendly and helpful staff at "shim."
4. Obiage
Next, choose your obiage. The obiage is only visible on top of the obi, but the impression it gives can change greatly depending on what you choose!
5. Obi decoration
Next, choose the "obi decoration." There are so many to choose from, but that's one of the joys of kimono! The model who tried it said, "It's fun to see the things you choose take shape."
6. Half-collar
Finally, choose the "haneri" (half-collar). (The order of choosing may change.) They also carry things you won't find anywhere else, like polka dots and lace. The atmosphere changes depending on the combination.
Hair arrangement experience
Once you have selected the items you wish to rent, you will be asked to arrange your hair. At "shim" you can also add hair styling as an option (additional charge). There is also a wide selection of hair accessories.
Finally, dressing
Once your hair is set, it's time to get dressed. This time, the obi will be tied in the "Ginza knot." The name is also stylish and cool.
This is the "Ginza"
Once you're dressed, head to Asakusa
Once dressed, it's time to head out into the streets of Asakusa. Sensoji Temple and Kaminarimon Gate are just a 3-minute walk away from shim. The weather was unfortunate, but we were given a Japanese umbrella. We also rent out tabi socks, sandals, and bags, so you can come to the store empty-handed.
Perfect for a date or a girls' trip to Asakusa! Retro and cute "shim" kimono rental and dressing
Through this experience, I felt that it was beautiful to see how a kimono or obi, which at first glance appears to be a single, straight piece of cloth, takes shape, and that this is a Japanese culture that should be cherished. One of the joys of renting is being able to try out a variety of kimonos with patterns and colors that would be a little difficult to buy. shim also offers a dressing service for customers who bring their own kimono. The shop also has English-speaking staff.
Another great thing is that you can return your rental kimono or yukata until 8pm, so you can enjoy the nightlife in Asakusa or sightseeing in Tokyo!
Why not make your stroll through Asakusa even more stylish and wonderful? Reservations for dressing can be made through the official "shim" website.
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Inventprise, a Redmond, Wash.–based biotechnology company developing vaccines for infectious diseases, is laying off 76 workers, according to a new filing from the Washington Employment Security Department.
GeekWire has reached out to the company for additional details.
The layoffs impact employees across the company’s Redmond and Woodinville facilities, as well as some remote workers. The first separations are effective Dec. 31.
Job titles affected span a wide range of roles, including manufacturing, quality control, R&D, and technical staff, according to the filing.
The company has nearly 200 employees, according to LinkedIn.
Founded in 2012, Inventprise focuses on addressing global health challenges in low- and middle-income countries. Its pipeline includes lead candidate IVT-PCV-25, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate that is in Phase 2 trials, according to the company’s website.
Inventprise was founded by Dr. Subhash Kapre, who previously worked on vaccine initiatives with the Gates Foundation. The Seattle-based foundation has provided more than $13 million to Inventprise.
Kapre is currently chairman of Inventprise, which is led by CEO Yves Leurquin, a former Takeda exec who joined the company in 2021.
Tokoname Tokoname City in Aichi Prefecture can be reached in about 30 minutes by train from Meitetsu Nagoya Station , and is just a 10-minute drive from Chubu Centrair International Airport, which serves international flights. It is also known as the birthplace of Tokoname ware , Tokoname of Japan's six oldest kilns , and is the number one producer of beckoning cats in Japan. Despite being a city with an international airport, the cityscape retains a Showa atmosphere, and is dotted with spots perfect for social media, making it a popular tourist destination in recent years.
Uoichiban, a seafood complex that opened on October 24, 2025, is set to become a new tourist spot where you can buy fresh fish, eat, and experience new things! We also have a wide selection of original products supervised by Kimagure Cook! They also sell Kaneko Tool Shop goods, which are familiar from the video, cooking utensils that fishing enthusiasts will love, the popular Dashi Pack Series, and limited edition products that can only be purchased here!
Access to Uo Ichiban is a three-minute walk from Rinku Tokoname Station on the Meitetsu Airport Line , and parking is available , making it a very convenient location for sightseeing or returning to Chubu Centrair International Airport. There are also several hotels nearby, making it a great place to stay !
Basic information about [Uoichiban]
address
3-10-1 Rinkucho , Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture
telephone number
private
Opening hours
〇 Cafeteria business days: Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:00-17:00 ・Closed on Wednesdays
Fresh fish sales area Opening days: Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:00 to 19:00 ・Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Tokoname City has many other attractions!
In addition to the newly opened Uo Ichiban, Tokoname City is full of other tourist attractions such as Tokoname ware and the Maneki-neko ( beckoning cat )! When you visit Uoichiban, be sure to check out other tourist attractions as well.
Minami Ward is a Southern European-style agricultural park located along the Tamano Prefectural Road in Tamano Ward, Okayama City City. This facility offers seasonal fruit picking experiences throughout the year and hosts a variety of events. The Roadside Market, a farm produce direct sales store that has been a favorite of many people from both inside and outside the area for many years, is also very popular.
In 2025, a number of new restaurants, including popular bakeries, opened in the South Village! Okayama City South Village is evolving to a new stage, not only as a place for harvesting experiences and events, but also as an attractive Okayama City that attracts repeat visitors. We will introduce some of the notable new stores.
Located in the rural landscape of the southern part of Okayama City, Okayama City South Village is an experiential agricultural park marked by a white observation tower that evokes the idyllic rural scenery of Southern Europe.
Fruit picking experiences such as strawberry picking and Grape Picking are popular within the garden. Many events are held throughout the year in the plaza in front of the entrance and on the lawn area within the garden. At the Roadside Market, a farm produce direct sales store facing the parking lot, fresh vegetables and fruits harvested by local farmers are sold directly to customers every day, and there are many repeat customers from outside the area.
The observation tower, which is the symbol of the park, offers a 360-degree panoramic view. The pool is also open in the summer, and is popular with families. There is free parking for 600 standard-sized cars, and the facility has been loved by many people for many years.
When you walk through the South Village entrance, the first thing you see isn't a ticket booth, but a donut shop.
riel donut was created by renovating what was once a ticket booth. The unique style of choosing your items as if you were buying a ticket is sure to surprise first-time visitors, who may wonder, "Is this really a donut shop?"
Mr. Ishikawa is the owner and operator of this unique shop. Since opening in Gakuminami-cho , Kita Ward ku , Okayama City , Riel Donuts has become a popular donut shop that is loved by locals, tourists, and people coming back from sports games. The South Village store is also a popular spot loved by people of all ages.
The most important thing is the fabric
The most important thing about Riel Donuts is the dough. They don't use eggs and use a unique method that blends pumpkin from Hokkaido with carefully selected glutinous wheat from Kumamoto Prefecture, resulting in a fluffy, crispy, and chewy texture.
According to Ishikawa,"I want people to enjoy the dough itself, rather than the flashy toppings (decorations)." In fact, Ishikawa is a flour professional! "While baking bread at a bakery for 33 years, I continued to research dough with the hope of opening a donut shop one day," he says. He then finally opened his dream donut shop, and opened his second store in South Village, a neighborhood with which he has a connection.
Their signature donuts are made right before your eyes!
Their signature product is the "Brûlée Donut." After receiving an order, the donut is filled with custard cream (sweet cream), dusted with powdered sugar, and roasted right in front of you with a burner, creating a lively atmosphere that is very popular. Many customers take videos of the process, and the contrast between the crispy, fragrant exterior and the moist interior is an unforgettable taste once you've tried it.
"The simple sugar donuts are also popular," says Ishikawa. Their unpretentious deliciousness attracts repeat customers.
Another noteworthy menu item is the "Hino Kuni Pizza, enjoyed with all five senses." This exquisite pizza is based on the dough used at a renowned restaurant that was selected as a Michelin Bib Gourmand (a prestigious restaurant selected by France's prestigious restaurant guide) and ranked number one in the country on Tabelog, and has been further improved. It is a special pizza that combines a chewy texture with a fragrant aroma. For more details, please check out Riel Donuts' Instagram.
Aiming to be like a food court
At Riel Donuts, they offer a wide variety of products, including cookies made with Hokkaido wheat, Basque cheesecake, fruit fromage drinks (drinks made with fruit and cheese), Okayama craft beer (locally brewed beer), and soft drinks. We also recommend relaxing and enjoying a drink at the tables in front of the store.
"I'd like to expand the menu and make it into something like a small food court (a dining area with multiple restaurants)," says Ishikawa. "I hope to be able to spread the appeal of Okayama and Kurashiki from here."
Working with dough every day, they offer a "one-of-a-kind experience" at their unique Riel Donuts store.
[riel donut South Village Store]
Address: Okayama Prefecture Okayama City Minami Ward, 2468 Kataoka, Minami-ku , Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
2｜A popular bakery from Okayama is here! "Okayama Kobo Liaison"
Three stores have opened in the building to the right of the former ticket office after passing through the entrance.
The first to open was Okayama Kobo Liaison , a popular bakery from Okayama . While rooted in the local community, this bakery has also opened branches in Hawaii and California, gaining popularity overseas. With two stores in Okayama, and having supported the opening of over 400 new businesses across the country, this bakery, one of Okayama's leading bakeries, has begun a new operation based in South Village.
We spoke with Masaki-san, who is in charge of public relations and business start-up support. "Since we opened, we've had people of all ages come and we're becoming more well-known in the area, which we're very grateful for," he said.
Freshness is "life" and bread is a fresh food
"Our bread is fresh food," says Masaki. The reason is that "Okayama Kobo Liaison is particular about being 'freshly baked' and 'additive-free.' Rather than baking large quantities of bread, we aim to bake in small batches repeatedly, so that we can provide bread that is 'freshly baked within 30 minutes.'" As such, it is possible to purchase freshly baked bread even an hour before closing time.
Furthermore, they use an original blend of wheat flour from Hokkaido, Ebetsu, and are thorough in not using any additives in the dough. "It's not the most efficient method, but that's what makes it delicious. We want to provide the bread that people take the trouble to buy in the best condition," he says with a refreshing yet passionate attitude.
I want people to become more familiar with bread.
Okayama Kobo Liaison offers a variety of breads, including the popular "Okayama Curry Bread with Beef and Vegetables," as well as breads made with whole wheat flour and rye that are exclusive to the South Village store, so you're bound to have a pleasant dilemma deciding which one to buy.
The spacious store also has an eat-in corner (in-store dining area) where you can enjoy freshly baked bread right away. They also actively hold experience-based events such as parent-child bread-making classes, and are working to make bread more accessible to people. "I want this to be a place where families can cherish time spent together, not just buy bread," says Masaki. Here you can find new ways to enjoy bread.
Making bread a part of everyday life
Okayama Kobo Liaison aims to become a place of gathering that is rooted in the local community, while also becoming a bakery that attracts attention from around the world. "I want to connect with more people through bread," says Masaki with a smile. He adds, "I would like to actively use locally grown vegetables from South Village, and I would also like to try collaborations between stores."
Most of the bread here has a soft, gentle texture. This reflects their desire for people of all ages to enjoy bread every day. Okayama Kobo Liaison prioritizes the "excitement of freshly baked bread" over efficiency, and their challenge will continue to expand.
[Freshly Baked Bread Market Okayama Kobo Liaison South Village Store]
Address: Okayama Prefecture Okayama City Minami Ward, 2468 Kataoka, Minami-ku , Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
3｜ Marugo Deli Deli: A new style of community-based restaurant
The second store in the building is Marugo Deli, which opened in South Village.
This product is also well known in Okayama Prefecture for its "⑤" mark, and is popular in many places, including shopping malls, as "Margo Fruit Juice."
We spoke with the store owner, Mr. Numata. In addition to fresh juices, the sandwiches and Neapolitan (a pasta dish with tomato sauce) are also popular, and the store has now become beloved not only by tourists but also by local regulars. He says he often hears from locals that "we're glad Margo has come to South Village."
The long-awaited opening
Numata, who is from the nearby area, has a special attachment to South Village as it is a local facility. He was originally involved in store design at Marugo Deli, and when he heard about the opening plans, he volunteered to run the store.
Numata values "local production for local consumption" (consuming locally produced goods locally). He actively incorporates vegetables such as lotus root harvested in the Nadasaki area where South Village is located, as well as fruits harvested in South Village, to provide original menu items that can only be enjoyed here. He also said, "I want to make this a place where people can have fun, not just eat." He is considering ways to expand the "food x experience" concept, such as planning projects that take advantage of the store's unique terrace seating (outdoor seating), which is rare among the many Margo stores, and planning workshops such as agricultural experiences for children.
South Village Exclusive Menu
Of course, the recommended item is the collaborative menu that makes use of local ingredients. In particular, the menu that is only available here, which uses seasonal fruits harvested in South Village, is a treat for visitors. When we visited for this interview, Shine Muscat juice was being served.
When the staff handed it to me, they said, "It's fresh, so please eat it quickly." It was clear that they wanted me to enjoy it at its best.
There is a constant stream of customers throughout the day, and they even come on rainy days. Another advantage is the large parking lot, which makes it easy to drop in on the way home from a nearby event. "Most of our repeat customers are locals, and the ratio of tourists is about half and half," which shows how popular the shop is with locals.
Marugo Deli is more than just a place to eat and drink
"I want to aim to be more like a local playground than a restaurant," says Numata. Not only does it have an open terrace, but it also has a kids' space (a play area) inside the restaurant, making it a great place for families. He also says with a smile that by combining food and experiences, he wants to promote the unique charms of Okayama and make it a place that connects tourism and everyday life.
Marugo Deli is unique to South Village, offering a place for locals to use on a daily basis and a one-of-a-kind experience for tourists. With this vision of the future in mind, the restaurant is filled with the desire to invigorate the local area.
[Marugo Deli South Village Store]
Address: Okayama Prefecture Okayama City Minami Ward, 2468 Kataoka, Minami-ku , Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
4｜Enjoy traditional hand-pulled udon noodles at Menkurando Fujimasa
The third store in the building is Menkurando Fujimasa , which serves hand-pulled noodles from the Kamogata region of Asakuchi City Okayama Prefecture, a tradition that dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868).
This is the first directly managed store in Okayama City by Kamokawa Tenobe Somen Co., Ltd., which is working hard to popularize hand-stretched noodles, a specialty of Bitchu Kamogata.
When asked what prompted them to open the store, owner Fujiwara said, "Because we're located away from the city, we wanted to create more places where people can eat and gather." The reason they chose South Village, which is home to a variety of tenants (stores), rather than a standalone store is because "we wanted to create a place where people can inspire each other and create excitement." He also said, "We want more people to know the appeal of hand-pulled noodles."
I want to spread the deliciousness of hand-pulled noodles
Our opening hours are short as we are mainly open during lunch hours, but we put a lot of care into each and every bowl of udon.
"I don't just want to fill your stomach with food, I want the experience of eating here to be memorable," says Fujiwara, who carefully selects and prepares the ingredients, placing great importance on the dining experience itself.
"Each region has its own unique udon noodles, and I want people to know how delicious the hand-stretched udon noodles of Okayama Prefecture are," she says with a gentle smile.
The texture and smoothness that only hand-pulled noodles can provide
The signature dish is, of course, the hand-stretched udon. Both hot and cold udon are recommended, but Fujiwara-san chose the tempura udon as his "best recommendation."
The long noodles, a feature of hand-stretched udon, are smooth, soft, and chewy, and slide easily down your throat. They have a different texture to the noodles of Sanuki udon (a famous udon from Kagawa Prefecture ), which is also well-known in Okayama . I'm looking forward to trying the warm udon next time.
The store has a calm atmosphere, making it a comfortable space for tourists and families alike. There are counter seats, so even if you're alone, you can feel free to come in.
Let's join hands and liven up the area
Regarding his future plans, Fujiwara said, "I would like to collaborate with other tenants, with wheat as the keyword." He also said that he would like to be a presence that makes people think, "If you go to South Village, there's something interesting to do," through monthly events and other business activities. He also made an impression by smiling as he said, "I would like to collaborate not only within the facility, but also with neighboring stores if possible, to liven up the area."
I felt that Fujimasa aims to be a hub that both tourists and locals can enjoy.
[Menkurando Fujimasa ]
Address: Okayama Prefecture Okayama City Minami Ward, 2468 Kataoka, Minami-ku , Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
Business hours: 10:30-14:30 (until 15:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays)
Closed: Tuesdays
5｜ OHAYO GROUNDS: OHAYO's first permanent directly managed store
In Okayama, it would be difficult to find someone who doesn't know about Ohayo Dairy Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as "Ohayo"), a long-established dairy product manufacturer.
Ohayo has opened its first permanent directly managed store, a milk cafe called "OHAYO GROUNDS" in South Village. It's a long-established manufacturer that was founded over 70 years ago, so I was surprised to learn that they don't have a permanent directly managed store.
From the entrance and on your way from the building housing three stores to the grassy plaza, the first thing you see is OHAYO GROUNDS.
This is a permanent store that utilizes the know-how gained from stores that have previously operated for limited periods in Okayama and Kobe.
Overflowing passion for "Milk"
We spoke with Sakamoto-san, who was involved in setting up the store. He smiled and said that he created this store with the hope that people would "enjoy the thoughts of the makers" in addition to being able to purchase Ohayo products at supermarkets and convenience stores.
According to Sakamoto, "This is not just a place to sell products." They offer "milk that is easy to drink even for people who don't like milk," made using a unique method, and also explain the current situation of dairy farmers (farmers who produce milk), in order to help customers learn about the appeal of dairy products through experiences. "In addition to the products that our customers have always loved, we offer menus that can only be tasted here, so that visitors can gain a deeper understanding of milk and make new discoveries," he says, his passion for milk clearly evident.
Discover the "Ohayo" you never knew existed
"Milk served in a bucket." Its striking appearance has drawn praise for its cuteness, and it has become a hot topic on social media. In fact, the milk is made with care, which cannot be seen from its appearance. By further removing water from conventional milk, the distinctive taste and smell of milk have been reduced, allowing you to enjoy the natural appeal of milk. Apparently, even people who don't like milk are able to drink it all up, and when I tried it myself, it was so easy to drink that I drank it all in one go.
The "Snowmelt Milk Ice Cream," which is grilled at the table and served, is also popular. You can enjoy the warmth of the caramelized sugar and the coolness of the ice cream all at the same time, and it's sure to become addictive.
It's clear that they value the sense of exclusivity that can only be found here, with limited menus available only at a store directly operated by the manufacturer.
With the community, with milk
Regarding his future prospects, he said, "I want to make this a store that can continue for a long time together with the local community." In fact, Sakamoto-san has such a strong passion for Milk that he spoke directly to upper management in order to set up a directly managed store, even though he is in a department that has nothing to do with sales promotion. Please come and experience his passion at the store.
Aiming to be a comfortable space where the everyday and the extraordinary intersect, it will be a place where local residents and tourists can drop in casually, create memories through milk, and spread new challenges from Okayama to the rest of the country. "OHAYO GROUNDS" is also imbued with this desire for the future.
The store is filled with displays of wooden boxes and bottles that bring back memories for older customers and are refreshing for younger customers. Also, since it's a special occasion, they rent out lanterns and straw mats (traditional mats) so that customers can enjoy their "Milk" on the spacious lawn.
[OHAYO GROUNDS South Village Store]
Address: Okayama Prefecture Okayama City Minami Ward, 2468 Kataoka, Minami-ku , Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
Business hours: 10:00-17:00
Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays (may be closed temporarily)
We spoke to five stores opening in South Village in 2025, and each store seemed to want more than just food and drink; they also wanted to "provide an experience" and "liven up the area." Each store offers "value for making a special visit," with experiences and products and ways of spending time that cannot be found in stores in the city. Of course, it's great to visit each store, but spending time relaxing in South Village, buying farm-fresh products at the roadside market and enjoying seasonal fruit picking, is also a wonderful way to spend your time.
In addition to the stores introduced here, there is also a "Toy Outlet" that is only open on Saturdays and Sundays. Unfortunately, it was closed on the day of the visit, but it seems that some products are 80% off the regular price, so you might be able to find some great bargains! It may be a "toy kingdom" in a different sense. This writer, who loves toys, is excited too.
South Village is full of charm!
When you think of South Village, many people will think of the long-standing and beloved Roadside Market, which we mentioned in our introduction at the beginning. This popular farm-direct sales outlet is lined with fresh vegetables and fruits brought in directly by farmers, and they sell out quickly before you know it. The photo was taken on a weekday morning, but the market is bustling with customers. In fact, in addition to farm-direct products, they also have a wide selection of fresh flowers. Here too, many customers are at a loss as to what to buy from the colorful flowers.
There are also many local specialties from around the prefecture, including bento boxes, bread, dairy products, noodles, and more. There are also Japanese confectionery shops, fishmongers, and meat dealers. The ever-popular "lotus root croquette" (a deep-fried dish made with lotus root) is a staple, and this writer often buys it.
It's so crowded with people from the morning that you'll wonder if it's really a weekday.
It is located on the Kurashiki Kojima Road, so it is easily accessible. Why not head to Okayama City South Village on a drive or tour?
[Okayama City South Village]
Address: 2468 Kataoka, Minami Ward, Okayama City , Okayama Prefecture Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (closed on Tuesdays)
Opening hours: Roadside market 8:00-17:00 (open all year round) Admission fee: Free
Don't worry if you miss this flight! There are only two chances a year!
The Mimasaka Slow Life Train is actually not a once-a-year event. It normally runs twice a year, in spring and autumn (mainly around May and November), so even if you miss this November run, you'll have a chance to ride it again the following spring . Operation dates and detailed information are regularly announced on the official websites of JR West and Tsuyama Learning Railway Museum, so be sure to check them out and plan your next Mimasaka Slow Life Train trip!
This train is a three-car train with all reserved seats, and will operate as the "Mimasaka Slow Life Train" between Tsuyama Station and Nagi Station (between Nagi Station and Chizu Station it will operate as a local train with all unreserved seats). At each station the train stops at, warm local "omotenashi" (welcoming and service) events will be held, attracting visitors.
The outbound journey departs Tsuyama Station at 11:50 and arrives at Chizu Station at 14:45.
The return journey is scheduled to depart Chizu Station at 14:53 and arrive at Tsuyama Station at 16:35.
Please note that the stop time at Nagi Station is short.
Full of highlights! Special "hospitality" events at each stop
At each station where the Mimasaka Slow Life Train stops, you can enjoy various events, exhibitions, and gourmet food sales that make use of the local characteristics (※Event content may be subject to change).
Experience retro railway heritage at Tsuyama Station and Mimasaka-kamo Station!
Tsuyama Station: A steam locomotive welcomes you
At Tsuyama Station, a C11 steam locomotive is on display in the rotary. Additionally, about a 10-minute walk away is the Tsuyama Learning Railway Museum, where you can learn about the history of Japanese railways.
Stop times: Departure at 11:50 on the outbound journey, arrival at 16:35 on the return journey.
Mimasaka-kamo Station: Enjoy the precious semaphore and gourmet food
This station is a treasured spot for railway enthusiasts, as it was the last station in Japan to use semaphore signals (old-fashioned mechanical signals).
Items for sale : Pound cake, pie choux, apple pie (outbound trip only), wild vegetable rice, curry, jerk chicken burger, udon, wagyu beef skewers, yakitori, hot coffee, chai, etc.
Event: When shopping on the way there, you can participate in a lottery, and if you win, you can exchange it for local specialties on the way back (there is no lottery on the way back).
Stop time: 36 minutes on the outbound journey, 17 minutes on the return journey.
A tour of Showa and film locations! Takano Station and Mimasaka-takio Station
Takano Station: Experience the nostalgic "Showa" era
Exhibition: The "Nostalgic Showa Exhibition" will be held only on the 8th. Here, home appliances and movie posters from the Showa(1926-1989) will be on display.
Stop time: 5 minutes on the way there.
Mimasaka-takio Station: A film location and a cultural property station building
The wooden station building, which was built in Showa and retains its original appearance, is registered as a "Registered Tangible Cultural Property" by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
This place is famous as the location for the final installment of the popular Japanese film "Otoko wa Tsurai yo," and in recent years it has also been used as the location for the graduation song of a former member of the popular idol group "Nogizaka 46."
event :
The theme song for "Otoko wa Tsurai yo" will be performed (only on the 9th).
Local bands will perform (9th only).
You can enjoy taking photos with staff dressed as the film's main character, Tora-san, and with a face-in panel.
Items for sale: Lunch boxes (8th and 9th), yakisoba (9th only), railway goods (Tsuyama Learning Railway Museum goods, etc.), original Slow Life Train panel magnets, etc.
Stop time: 34 minutes on the outbound journey.
Revealing precious facilities in the mountains! Mimasaka-kawai Station and Nagi Station
Mimasaka-kawai Station: Tour of the manual turntable and experience operating it
This small station, nestled quietly in the mountains near Monomi Pass, still retains a valuable manual turntable (a manual device for changing the direction of locomotives).
event :
Visit the manual turntable, a heritage site of modern industrial development.
Experience driving a track bicycle (cancelled in case of rain).
Event hours: 11:00-14:30.
Participation requirements : Elementary school students and above (elementary school students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian). When the train stops (13:58-14:14), only those on the Slow Life Train can participate.
Items for sale : Fried chicken, mochi, abaokowa (rice cakes), aba apple pie, ginger tsukudani (simmered in soy sauce), etc.
Stop time: 17 minutes on the outbound journey.
Nagi Station: Old memories and Yosakoi dance performance
This station is located at the foot of Monomi Pass on the Tottori side, and the stairs leading up to the platform are decorated with photos of old memories.
event :
Performance by a Yosakoi group (9th only, from 14:35).
You can enjoy the hospitality for approximately 35 minutes until the return journey from Chizu Station.
For sale: Persimmon leaf sushi, handmade baked goods, local specialties, etc.
Stop time: 2 minutes on both the outbound and return journeys.
Ticket enquiries and other information
All seats on the Mimasaka Slow Life Train are reserved, so tickets must be purchased in advance.
For ticket inquiries :
JR West Customer Service Center: 0570-00-2486
*Please check the JR West official website or the "Midori no Midori" ticket counter for purchasing methods. For foreign visitors tourists, it is convenient to purchase tickets on the JR West official website (English version, etc.) or at a travel agency.
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