Its been some time since the 11 Mar Earthquake and Tsunami that devastated Japan. For Today’s Japan Photo, we see the happy high school students from Haramachi High School in Minami Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture returning back to school for the first time after a long break. You could just sense the happiness from the two girls who gave each other a high-five ^^

Image Credit: MSN Sankei

Sometimes studying can be a very tedious process if your teacher or the subject is boring. Then again, if we have these awesome AKB48 study reference books back in my school days, I’d probably would have gotten much better grades ^^

There are study references for both elementary school and high school though all of them are written in Japanese. I’m quite tempted to get a copy of the study reference for Japanese, then again I might get distracted halfway just looking at the photos in the book (if there are any).

Elementary School (Mathematics and Japanese)

High School (English, Mathematics, Science, Society, and Japanese)

Despite the book being highly sought after by fans, it wasn’t available for sale. But now authorities have decided to release a pocket-sized version of the book. The book is scheduled to be released on 30 Jun and will be retailing for 1,050 yen. All of the money made from sales will be given to charity to help those effected by the Tohoku disaster.

Source: Tokyohive

Apart from Arashi, the authorities should get AKB48 to be featured in their next publication. Someone start a petition! XD

Image Source: Mainichi Photo Journal

Since its inaugural edition in 1924, the national high school invitational tournament has been held every spring, excluding the years between 1942 and 1946 because of World War II.

According to police, the girl was cycling home at around 7:45 p.m. when the man, who was on foot, called out to her to stop. When she did, he pressed the weapon into the right side of the girl’s torso and then fled the scene.

The man was heavily built, around 30 years of age and 160-170 cm in height. The attack took place about 100 meters from the girl’s home. Her mother immediately called police.

Police quoted the girl as saying: “I saw a flash of blue light, then a felt a shock running through me.”

Source: JapanToday

Luckily nothing bad happened to the girl and all she got was a bad shock. But still I think if police ever were to catch the creep, they should let him get a taste of his own medicine.

Copies of the book will be distributed to every elementary, junior high, and senior high school in Japan. The book features Arashi introducing all the sights of different parts of Japan, and contains photos of the boy band spending time with the local folks.

Source: Tokyohive

I’m quite sure this book will become a collector’s item given that it is not sold in any bookstore. Most probably you’d start to hear news of these books being stolen from the school library by crazy fangirls just within a week ^^

I wonder what would happen if he tried to cross the road with the cardboard box?

The school officials has posted on their website stating that it is a crime to trespass into the school and they will not hesitate to call the police.

Here’s the notice and a quick translation:

最近、校内に入り込み、写真撮影等を行っている人たちがおられるようです。敷地外から写真を撮られたりするのはいっこうにかまいませんが、部外者が無断で 敷地内に入ることは、犯罪になります。今後このようなことがあれば、警察への通報等、厳しい対応を考えていますので、よろしくお願いします。

Lately there has been people coming into the school to take photos. We do not mind people take photos of the school from outside but it is a crime to trespass into the school grounds. From now on we will take a firm stance on this matter and not hesitate to notify the police. We hope you will understand and thank you for your cooperation on this matter.

Gigazine has also posted up a couple of screenshots of the anime and parts of the school. By the way, the author of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Nagaru Tanigawa 谷川 流, graduated from the same high school.

They really do make a cute and loving couple. LOL

The students, all boys aged 13 and 15, are accused of climbing over the fence at Tatsumidai-Higashi Elementary School at the end of last December and breaking windows with pieces of wood and signposts they found around the campus.

According to police, the group was caught on security camera, and all five have admitted to the charges. They were quoted as saying they were bored. “It was just for fun,” one boy told police.

Several similar incidents have taken place at schools in the area, and some of the boys have admitted to having participated in some of those acts of vandalism also.

Source: JapanToday

I think it would be even more fun if the police gotten them to install back all the 104 panes of windows.