As 2021 closes to an end, The Mainichi editing team has scoured the database, checked the page view stats and picked stories that we thought are worth reading again.
Shoji Morimoto who rents himself out to other people "to do nothing," is seen standing near Nakano Station in Tokyo's Nakano Ward. (Mainichi/Mei Nammo)
For seven consecutive mornings from today, we will upload a line-up of such pieces, each based on a different theme. Enjoy.
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<< 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude>>
TOKYO -- A 37-year-old Tokyo man who says he rents himself out to other people "to do nothing" has been inundated with gratitude from Twitter users, indicating people are happy with his new form of support. Full story.
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Two photos taken from the same spot show Tokyo's Harajuku district on Jan. 21, 2021. The one on the left was shot with a 28-millimeter wide angle lens, and the one on the right with a 300-mm telephoto lens. In the left image, the distance between the people is obvious, but that sense of perspective is weak in the right image. However, the right image gives a good view of people's facial expressions, and how many of them are wearing masks. (Mainichi/Hiroshi Maruyama)
<< Telephoto fear: Japanese cameraman shows how lenses affect views of crowds amid pandemic>>
TOKYO -- One photography-specific term that has been flying around since the coronavirus pandemic took hold is "compression effect," also called "lens compression." In short, lens compression occurs when a telephoto lens is used to shoot large groups of people from a distance. Perspective is flattened, making the people look much closer together than they actually are. In the context of the pandemic, this has sparked accusations that photojournalists are "overproducing" or even "fabricating" the scenes they shoot. Full story.
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Catfish kept at Kindai University Aquaculture Research Institute's Shingu Station are seen. (Photo courtesy of Kindai University)
<< Researchers in Japan use soybean compound to make catfish 100% female>>
SHINGU, Wakayama -- A team of researchers in Japan has succeeded in making catfish all female with a compound found in soybeans -- a development that promises to increase the production efficiency of this and other species whose females are more valuable than males in the food market. Full story.
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A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter is seen flying low near the NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Aug. 18, 2020. The approximately 270-meter-tall building, known as Docomo Tower, is about 500 meters from Shinjuku Station. (Mainichi/Takahiro Kato)
<< US military helicopters flying at low altitudes over downtown Tokyo: Mainichi probe>>
TOKYO -- U.S. military helicopters have been spotted repeatedly flying at low altitudes of 300 meters or less between Tokyo skyscrapers, contravening aviation regulations for Japanese aircraft, according to a Mainichi Shimbun investigation. Full story.
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Contact forms that were in the recently discovered glass bottle are seen in this photo at Choshi High School in the city of Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, on Sept. 15, 2021. (Mainichi/Takashi Kondo)
<< Message in a bottle from Japanese high schoolers found after 37 yrs in Hawaii>>
CHOSHI, Chiba -- A glass bottle released into the sea in 1984 by students of a prefectural high school in this eastern Japan city was found this June on the island of Hawaii, about 6,000 kilometers away. Full story.
This photo taken at the National Institute of Polar Research in Tachikawa, Tokyo, on April 15, 2021, shows a can of Coca-Cola that was found in Antarctica. (Mainichi/Yui Shuzo)
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<< Japanese researchers find can of Coke, chewing gum frozen in Antarctica for half century>>
TOKYO -- Japanese researchers stumbled upon a can of Coke and packs of chewing gum that had been frozen in Antarctica for more than 50 years, and have brought the items back to Japan. Full story.
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Rice, vegetables, canned food, and other items are being distributed to individuals, including foreign residents, who are struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic, as part of a consulting event in the city of Ota, Gunma Prefecture, on Dec. 28, 2020. (Mainichi/Jun Ida)
<< Pandemic job losses show flawed system that gathers foreigners to Japan for 'single-use'>>
TOKYO -- The coronavirus pandemic has been aggravating the lives of technical intern trainees and other foreigners who are already placed in vulnerable positions in Japanese society. Full story.
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Mako Komuro, left, and her husband Kei Komuro are seen upon their arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Nov. 14, 2021. (Pool photo)=Click/tap photo for more images.
<< Japan's former Princess Mako, husband arrive in New York to live>>
Former Japanese princess Mako Komuro and her husband Kei Komuro arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on the morning of Nov. 14 local time (the evening of the same day Japan time), after departing from Tokyo's Haneda Airport on a civilian airplane. Full story and photo special.
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This electron microscope photo shows the coronavirus's omicron variant successfully isolated at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. (Photo courtesy of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases).
<< Japan experts urge authorities to reinforce basic COVID-19 countermeasures among public>>
TOKYO -- A group of about 40 scientists, including physicists and experts on infectious diseases, have issued a joint statement pressing Japan's national and local governments to urge the public to adopt anti-coronavirus transmission best practices as the pandemic crisis continues to deepen. Full story.
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