SMILE NEWS / 81
Stories that lift your spirits a little, collected with their sources.
Akita City Omoriyama Zoo will hold an event on October 24 tied to International Snow Leopard Day, which falls on October 23. Plans include a talk by WWF Japan staff and zookeepers, a feeding session with commentary on its two snow leopards, and a live stream of the enclosure.
source: Akita City Omoriyama ZooMiyajima Aquarium opened a 15th-anniversary special exhibition on October 10 that presents a 'living picture book' of insects. The first-floor exhibition room shows 160 living creatures of 14 species, letting visitors observe live insects up close until November 30.
source: Miyajima AquariumGifu World Rose Garden in Kani City will hold its Autumn Rose Festival from October 17 to November 15. Visitors can enjoy autumn roses with deeper colors and scents, along with events such as talks with rose breeders and fragrance guides.
source: GifuOkinawa Churaumi Aquarium announced it is the first in the world to succeed in long-term rearing of larval and juvenile double-lined fusiliers, known locally as gurukun and designated Okinawa's prefectural fish. Eggs about 0.8 mm across, collected in June, grew to roughly 5 cm in about three months, and three of the fish are now on display in the Coral Reef Journey area.
source: Okinawa Churaumi AquariumYamanashi Prefecture and partners will hold the 2026 'Zatto-ten' art walk from October 17 to 26 at six galleries and shops in central Kofu. More than 500 works by 10 artists from inside and outside the prefecture will be shown, with free entry and no booking needed.
source: YamanashiKumamoto City Zoological and Botanical Gardens will hold a Halloween and cosmos festival on October 24 and 25. About 150,000 cosmos in its large flowerbed will be at their best, along with a market, a Halloween parade and special talks by keepers.
source: Kumamoto City Zoological and Botanical GardensNagasaki Kunchi, the autumn grand festival of Suwa Shrine, runs from October 7 to 9. This year six dancing districts, including Imakago-machi and Chikugo-machi, present performances such as the dragon dance, the river boat and Kokkodesho.
source: Nagasaki Kunchi official site (Nagasaki Traditional Performing Arts Promotion Association)Researchers from Aquamarine Fukushima, Kansai University and the National Institute of Genetics have published a paper in a U.S. academic journal detailing how Pacific saury develop from fertilized egg to juvenile. They found a trait unique to saury: body segments begin forming while gastrulation is still under way.
source: Aquamarine FukushimaThe Oirase Stream Mobile Museum is being held on the second floor of ASPAM, the Aomori Prefecture tourism and products center, from October 10 to 14. Through a large moss wall, moss terrariums and microscope viewing, visitors can experience the nature of Oirase.
source: AomoriOn October 7, Ishikawa Prefecture released nine Japanese crested ibises that had been acclimatizing in a temporary cage near the Haruki district of Nakanoto Town. It was the second release in the Noto area, and all nine birds took flight, heading toward Mt. Bijo, Mt. Sekido and Nanao.
source: IshikawaKobe Suma Sea World will launch a 'Penguin Walk' on October 16, in which Magellanic penguins stroll around its rooftop area. It runs daily from 13:45 for about 15 minutes until March 31 next year, free with an admission ticket.
source: Kobe Suma Sea WorldThe Gunma Beekeeping Association will hold its 30th honey quality competition on October 14 at the prefectural office's ground-floor hall. Acacia, apple, cherry blossom and horse chestnut honeys will be judged, and entries go on sale from 12:30 while supplies last.
source: GunmaThe Kento Festival at Takatsuka Atago Jizoson in Amagase, Hita, takes place on October 10 and 11, lighting up about 350 lanterns and 300 Japanese umbrellas. For the first time, local high school students painted seasonal scenes and flowers on 80 of the lanterns.
source: Nishinippon Shimbun meOn October 5, the Japanese Geoparks Committee decided to nominate Chokaisan-Tobishima, which spans Akita and Yamagata prefectures, as a UNESCO Global Geopark. UNESCO could decide as early as spring 2028; if approved, it would be Japan's 12th.
source: Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun (Kyodo News)On October 5, Moka became the first place in Tochigi to begin shipping this season's Tochiaika, the prefecture's leading strawberry variety. On the first day, two local farmers delivered a total of 72 packs (about 18.7 kg) to the shipping center.
source: Shimotsuke ShimbunAbe Monjuin Temple in Sakurai has opened its Cosmos Maze, a tradition since 1996, from October 1. Twenty-seven varieties of cosmos bloom in the 25 m by 20 m maze, and about 70 local preschoolers visited. It runs until early November.
source: Nara ShimbunThe Taiji Whale Museum has named the female pantropical spotted dolphin calf born on May 23 "Lulu." The name means "peace" or "calm" in Hawaiian and was chosen from 194 entries.
source: Kii Minpo AGARAAquaworld Oarai has opened a special "kochia tank" on its 5th floor, modeled on the reddened kochia bushes of Hitachi Seaside Park. Red sea creatures such as sea goldies and shrimp color the display, which runs until November 8.
source: Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai AquariumToyama Municipal Family Park began showing a flock of four young rock ptarmigans on October 5; the birds hatched at the park on July 6–7. Weighing under 20 g at hatching, they have grown to about 400 g. Viewing runs 10:00–15:00 until late February next year.
source: Toyama Municipal Family ParkThe Setouchi Industrial Art Festival 2026, which presents the region's shipbuilding, stone, steel and salt-field industries through art, opened on October 3. It runs until the 31st at seven venues, including participating companies' factories, and all works require advance booking.
source: Okayama Kanko Net (Okayama Prefecture Tourism Federation)An exhibition of scrolls and paintings kept at home by collector Shigeharu Chikamori opened at the Kochi Liberty and People's Rights Museum. It runs until 21 February 2027, with free entry for high-school students and younger and those 65 and over.
source: Yosakoi Kochi Culture Festival 2026 (Kochi Prefecture)Tsugumi, a male red panda from Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, arrives at Hirakawa Zoo on October 16. His public debut is planned for October 31, with breeding with the female Melody as the goal.
source: Hirakawa Zoological Park, Kagoshima CityThe Yamaguchi Destination Campaign, a large tourism promotion, began on October 1, with an opening event at Shin-Yamaguchi Station on October 3. That day, the steam locomotive C57 No. 1, nicknamed "the Lady," returns after 6 years, departing Shin-Yamaguchi for Tsuwano.
source: Oidemase Yamaguchi Tourism Campaign Council / JR WestSaitama Children's Zoo and Nature Park in Higashimatsuyama will hold Australia Fair 2026 on October 24 and 25. The event highlights Australian animals and culture, with a mini didgeridoo concert and a make-your-own didgeridoo workshop.
source: Saitama Children's ZooThe Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum's special exhibition on sauropods, the largest animals ever to walk the land, has welcomed more than 300,000 visitors. Its centerpiece is Xinjiangotitan, a Chinese sauropod whose skeleton, laid out as found, stretches 19 meters; the show runs until November 3.
source: Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur MuseumTwo people from Mie Prefecture have been chosen for this year's national awards for contributions to traditional crafts. Harunobu Ito of Suzuka ink receives the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry award, and Masaaki Okoshi of Ise stencil paper receives the Chubu Bureau Director award.
source: MieShiga Prefecture will mark the fifth anniversary of Biwaichi, the cycling route around Lake Biwa, with events from October 24 to November 29, centered on November 3-9. Plans include a forum on November 3, rider help stations in the Nagahama and Takashima areas, and a family cycling event in Moriyama.
source: ShigaA female okapi calf was born on September 3 at Yokohama Zoorasia. It is the third birth for her mother Lala, the calf is growing well, and the public debut date will be announced once decided.
source: Yokohama Zoo Zoorasia (Yokohama Greenery Foundation)Ikoro, a 17-year-old male polar bear, will move from Ueno Zoo to Tennoji Zoo, likely between late October and mid-November. The aim is breeding with Hou, the zoo's 5-year-old female.
source: Tennoji ZooFrom October 1, Shikoku Aquarium is showing a Japanese eel with yellow mottled markings all over its body. The wild eel was caught in Lake Kojima, Okayama, and is in the freshwater zone on the main building's 2nd floor.
source: Shikoku AquariumA female Japanese serow was born on September 21 at Inokashira Park Zoo in Tokyo. Her mother is Suzuna. For health care, mother and calf are staying in a backup enclosure away from visitor paths, and will move to a display area once the calf settles.
source: Tokyo Zoo Net (Inokashira Park Zoo)Tokushima University's Birdman project is touring "Suiran," the aircraft it flew in the Birdman Contest 2026, around the prefecture. It is on display at the Tokushima Prefectural Office entrance until October 30, then moves to venues including Asutamuland Tokushima and Tokushima Awaodori Airport.
source: Tokushima UniversityMiyazaki City Phoenix Zoo holds an "Autumn Sports Day" from October 10 to 12. Events include a tug-of-war to move a truck as heavy as an Asian elephant and a challenge to match a serval's vertical jump.
source: Miyazaki City Phoenix ZooThe Kurumeki Ryugu Kozo no Kai, which works to conserve the Kurumeki rice terraces in Hamana Ward, Hamamatsu, has received the 22nd Ishii Susumu Memorial Tanada Gakkai Award. It is the first win by a Shizuoka group in 21 years, since the first edition, and the National Rice Terrace Summit will be held in Hamamatsu on November 14 and 15.
source: ShizuokaThe Tohoku History Museum in Tagajo will host the 'Pokémon x Kogei' exhibition from October 10 to December 27. As the final stop of the touring show, the Miyagi venue will display about 100 works by 20 artists, including a new piece, the largest lineup in Japan.
source: MiyagiThe S-1 Awards 2026, which honor souvenirs recommended by Saga businesses based on a public vote, selected 30 items. In its third year, a record 238 products were entered and 10,053 people voted.
source: Saga ShimbunTottori Prefecture is holding a touring exhibition in Kurayoshi on "A Distant Neighborhood" by manga artist Jiro Taniguchi, who lived in Tottori until age 18. It runs at the Tottori Prefectural Museum of Art (Oct 4-14) and Utsubuki Kairo (Oct 20-Nov 11), with free admission.
source: TottoriThe renovated Toyama City General Gymnasium opened on 1 October, with about 1,000 people attending the ceremony. Seating has grown to about 5,000, and suite rooms and a lounge have been added.
source: Kitanihon Shimbun (Yahoo! News)The Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo, next to Izumo Taisha shrine, reopened on October 1 after renovation work. Its myth theater now offers new videos in English, Korean and Chinese, and a special exhibition on the Orochi and Susanoo legend starts October 9.
source: Shimane Museum of Ancient IzumoFukuoka City Zoo, the first zoo in Japan to keep Tsushima leopard cats, marks 30 years of caring for the species with an event on October 8. The name of a kitten born in April, the first birth in four years, was chosen from 5,656 votes and will be announced that day.
source: Fukuoka City ZooMatsuyama City announced that the 37th Mitsu Morning Market festival will be held at the city's public fish market on October 24 from 8 a.m. to noon. Besides fresh Seto Inland Sea seafood for sale, there will be a mock auction, a touch pool and catch-by-hand fish activities.
source: Matsuyama CityChirotto, a new hub for Ainu cultural exchange, opens on October 1 in the town of Makubetsu, Hokkaido. On September 30 a completion ceremony was held at its core facility, the town's Ainu Culture Exchange Center, where an Ainu group performed Ashiri Chise Nomi, the traditional rite celebrating a new building.
source: Hokkaido ShimbunThe soba club of Nagano Yoshida High School's Togakushi branch won the team event at the national high school soba-making competition held on August 5 in Ota, Gunma, for its third straight title. The members will pay a courtesy visit to the governor at the Nagano Prefectural Office on October 9.
source: NaganoIn the old merchant quarter of Murakami, Niigata, the Machiya Byobu Festival is showing folding screens handed down in local merchant families. In its 26th year, 48 houses are taking part, and visitors can enjoy the screens and the townhouses until October 15.
source: Niigata NippoSachiko Araki, 91, of Aso City in Kumamoto has passed the certified disaster-prevention leader exam, the oldest person in the prefecture to do so. After learning her district had no such leader, she took the course with her second daughter, and both passed.
source: Kumamoto Nichinichi ShimbunKyoto Aquarium is holding its first exhibition centered on the Japanese seabass (suzuki), running from October 1 to December 28. Red sea bream and Japanese jack mackerel are also on display, and a pre-opening event for visitors with the surname Suzuki is planned for November 1.
source: Kyoto AquariumThe Genka district of Nago, Okinawa, held its harvest festival on September 20 at the district community hall for the first time in seven years. Nineteen performances were staged, and many visitors from inside and outside the district enjoyed the traditional performing arts handed down in the area.
source: Ryukyu ShimpoA baby galago was born around September 1 in the Animal Science Hall at Chiba Zoological Park. Because it was born inside a nest box, its sex is not yet known, and it is now gradually getting used to the exhibit space.
source: Chiba Zoological ParkThe Yamanashi Prefectural Museum in Fuefuki will hold its autumn exhibition 'Kaiki Stories' from October 10 to November 30. It presents Kaiki, the local silk fabric known for blending Japanese and Western designs, through more than 100 items across two rotations, including haori jackets and fabric swatches.
source: YamanashiThe Sake Festival will be held on October 10 and 11 in Saijo, Higashihiroshima. A venue map and schedule were published on September 29, and tickets for the signature bishu-nabe hot pot on the 11th are back on sale until October 4.
source: Sake Matsuri official siteStudent volunteers at Iwate University teamed up with the Kawatoku department store and Fukuda Pan to develop a "Spicy Butter Chicken Curry & Egg Salad" bun using Iwaizumi yogurt and Iwate-raised chicken. It goes on sale from October 9 to 12 during Kawatoku's 160th-anniversary founding festival.
source: Iwate UniversitySouth Korean carrier Air Busan will operate four round-trip charter flights between Ibaraki Airport and Busan from October 3 to 12. On the first day, Ibaraki Airport will hold a commemorative event with souvenir giveaways and a bouquet presentation.
source: IbarakiAt Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya, a Sunda slow loris born on August 14 and a southern three-banded armadillo born on August 15 have been on public view since September 29. Depending on how the mothers and babies are doing, visitors may not always be able to see them.
source: Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical GardensTo mark five years since the Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan became a World Heritage site, a forum will be held at L-Osaka on November 8. It is co-hosted with three other Japanese World Heritage sites including the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group; admission is free, with advance registration for the first 800 people.
source: AomoriShizuoka City's Nihondaira Zoo holds its Autumn Zoo Festival from October 3 to November 1. The program includes feeding talks for capybaras, red pandas and polar bears, and public bird flight training sessions.
source: Nihondaira Zoo, Shizuoka CityOn October 19, a one-year-old female Asian small-clawed otter named Sakura, born at Hitachi City Kamine Zoo, will arrive at Fukuoka City Zoo. The zoo will then have four of these otters; when she goes on display will depend on her health.
source: Fukuoka City ZooIoji Temple in Iizaka, Fukushima City, marks 1,200 years since its founding by showing its hidden Yakushi Nyorai statue in the main hall on the afternoon of October 4. It is the first showing in more than 100 years, since the mid-Taisho era, and a special commemorative goshuin stamp will be offered.
source: Fukushima Minyu ShimbunAt Sabae City's Nishiyama Zoo, red panda twins born on June 26 go on public view from October 7, and a pair of female twins born on July 8 from October 17. Nicknames for the July-born pair will be accepted from October 17 to November 8.
source: Nishiyama Zoo, Sabae CityAkita City's Omoriyama Zoo will hold an Autumn Animal Interaction Festival on October 4. Otters, ponies, reindeer, penguins and others will parade through the zoo, and visitors can help prepare food for elephants and capybaras (first 15 groups).
source: Omoriyama Zoo, Akita CityIshikawa Prefecture has released videos on its official YouTube channel and website about the crested ibis release held in the Noto area on May 31, the first on Japan's main island of Honshu. The prefecture says the ibis has returned to Noto's skies after half a century.
source: IshikawaGifu's Chukyo High School soft-ball baseball team, which won the National High School Soft-ball Baseball Championship for a fifth year in a row, reported the victory to Governor Ezaki at the prefectural office on September 17. The captain said local support made the win possible.
source: GifuIR Ishikawa Railway will hold "IR Ishikawa Railway Festa 2026" at the Kanazawa Station concourse and nearby areas from 10:00 to 16:00 on October 17. Plans include a talk show, railway diorama and Plarail displays, a crossing-signal experience and railway goods sales.
source: IR Ishikawa RailwayAt Adventure World in Wakayama Prefecture, two king penguin chicks hatched on July 17 and August 4 have been on public view on the second floor of the Marine Mammal House since September 25. Visitors can see them covered in fluffy brown down.
source: Adventure WorldChakobo Kirameki, which makes and sells Moshi tea, a specialty of Sanda in Hyogo Prefecture, won the top Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award at the 66th prefectural tea competition, where the year's new teas are judged. It is the company's first such award in 10 years.
source: Kobe ShimbunNames for two jaguars born on 16 June at Ehime Prefectural Tobe Zoo were chosen by a visitor vote. Out of 4,848 votes, the female became Toki and the male Toku.
source: Ehime Prefectural Tobe ZooA reopening ceremony was held on 19 September for the renovated Matsue City General Gymnasium, now called Bandai Namco Arena Matsue. B.League side Shimane Susanoo Magic will play its first home games there on 3 and 4 October.
source: ShimaneFrom 9 to 12 October, Ueno Zoo keeps its gates open until 8 pm. Visitors can watch nocturnal animal behaviour, join keeper quizzes, hear live music and make badges.
source: TokyoFrom 17 to 19 October, Odaiba Marine Park hosts an Infiorata, the Italian art of pictures made from flower petals. One hundred volunteers are being recruited to help create it.
source: TokyoThis fiscal year 2,001 Chiba residents reach 100, 119 more than last year. Those aged 100 or over now number 3,936, the oldest a 113-year-old woman in Kimitsu. Each receives a letter and a silver cup.
source: ChibaFrom 19 September, SKIP City Visual Museum opens SPACE HOPPER, a 13.8-billion-year journey from the solar system to the galaxies using gesture sensing and haptics, no headset required.
source: SaitamaYao Honten, maker of Chichibu Nishiki sake, brewed a craft beer with a yeast the prefecture isolated from Chichibu dogwood flowers. It goes on sale 20 September at five places in the city.
source: SaitamaAhead of the 2029 national sports games in Gunma, live sign-language commentary is being trialled from 19 September in athletics, basketball and football so deaf spectators can feel the excitement too.
source: GunmaTokyo, which promotes parental leave as valuable work, picked 10 finalists from 264 heartwarming thank-you stories. Residents vote until 5 October for the four that will be drawn as manga.
source: TokyoAt the 53rd Kanto tea competition, Yosuke Nishizawa of Iruma took the top ministerial prize in both raw and finished tea, with Sayama growers filling the upper ranks.
source: SaitamaTwelve teams from seven schools competed in written and practical science and maths. Hakuoh University Ashikaga Junior High's A team won and will represent Tochigi at the national final in Himeji in December.
source: TochigiOn 26 September, Aeon Mall Narita fills with dishes, sake and craft beer made from Chiba's fermented foods, plus miso-making workshops.
source: ChibaMiitan, mascot of the Tochigi Prefectural Museum, topped the Museum Character Award 2026 with a record 32,223 votes. She is modelled on an owl-shaped clay figurine unearthed in Tochigi city.
source: TochigiOn 13 September Yachimata holds a peanut festival marking 150 years since peanut farming began in Chiba, with boiled Omasari peanuts to taste and stage events.
source: ChibaIn 2025, 217.36 million people visited Kanagawa, 9.3 million more than the year before and an all-time high, driven by more overseas and overnight visitors.
source: KanagawaThe prefectural animal shelter has kept euthanasia at zero for 13 straight years for dogs and 12 for cats, through veterinary care, trainer programmes and adoption events.
source: KanagawaOn 25 April an inclusive playground with 18 kinds of equipment in four areas opened in Sagamihara Park, designed with input from people with disabilities and their supporters.
source: Kanagawa