Dragonflies - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
This spring, nature conservationists in Japan were delighted to hear news that two types of rare dragonfly nymphs were found in Tokyo. Experts were surprised because the ao-yanma dragonfly (zoological name: Aeschnophlebia longistigma Selys) hadn't been seen in urban Tokyo for years, and the omonosashi dragonfly (Copera tokyoensis) is an even rarer species on the brink of extinction. But even more surprising was that all the nymphs had been discovered by a 10-year-old boy, Yasuaki Fukao, who adults call the "Dragonfly Professor."

Nature and Climate - Explore Japan - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
The land area of Japan is 378,000 square kilometers, which is one twenty-fifth that of the United States (a little smaller than California). Three-quarters of the country is mountainous, with plains and basins covering the remaining area. Japan consists of a long series of islands stretching for 3,000 kilometers from north to south.

Japan Video Topics | Category | Nature
Global Oysters Supported by Forests:Kesennuma is located on the northeastern edge of Miyagi Prefecture. The coast has a beautiful ria shoreline and the peninsula, with an intricate network of inlets, faces the sea in three directions.

Japan Atlas: Nature
Find beautiful photographs of great natural splendor in this informative exploration of Japan's natural scenery. Learn about sites of scenic beauty, preserved areas and how Japanese people interact with their natural surroundings.

Japan Video Topics | Category | Tourism
Tsukuba

A New World Heritage Site | Lifestyle | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
The Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range have just been designated Japan's twelfth World Heritage Site.

The Girl Who Trains Falcons - Kids in Action - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
This article introduces a Japanese girl with two unusual pets: a Harris' hawk ad a peregrine falcon. Misato thinks of the two birds as members of the family and spends a lot of her free time training them to scare away crows.

Islands - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Elementary and middle schools on four small islands off the coast of Toba City, Mie Prefecture, are being linked by computer with major ocean-related institutions around the city.

Porpoises - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Four finless porpoises at the Toba Aquarium in the city of Toba, Mie Prefecture, have taught themselves to play soccer, and they've been showing off their skills to children and adults visiting the aquarium during the summer months.

Mushiking - What's Cool in Japan - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
This article highlights the popularity of Mushiking, an arcade card game involving on-screen battles between various species of fighting beetles.

Zoo - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
In Japan, where how to take better care of elderly people is among the foremost concerns, animals are also getting improved treatment as they age. Many animals are living longer thanks to the tender loving care zookeepers are providing, and zoos are making greater efforts to enable them to spend their golden years in comfort.

Monkeys - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A monkey about a meter tall was spotted several times in residential areas and busy commercial districts of central Tokyo in June, but the animal has since disappeared, escaping police attempts to capture it.

Ibis - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
The first crested ibis to be bred under human care was named "Yu Yu" in early July after hatching on May 21 from an egg born to a pair of ibises donated by China. The chick now being grown at the Toki (crested ibis) Preservation Center on the island of Sado in Niigata Prefecture, weighs over 1.2 kilograms and is capable of eating without assistance.

Jellyfish - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Inspired by the growing popularity of jellyfish as pets in Japan, an Osaka aquarium, Kaiyukan, has recently opened an exhibit devoted exclusively to the free-swimming marine creatures.

Monkey - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A film documenting the life and death of Mozu, a female Japanese monkey that raised her offspring despite having impaired hands and legs, was recently completed and shown to the public.

Ibises - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
When Chinese President Jiang Zemin made a trip to Japan in November 1998--the first Chinese head of state to visit the country--he made a promise to present a pair of ibises to his hosts.

Hippo - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A zoo in Osaka has posted a message on its Website and has sent e-mail notes to other zoos around the world asking them for help in finding a bride for a male hippopotamus named Tetsuo.

Endangered - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
An updated list of endangered animals compiled by Japan's Environment Agency shows that the number of mammals and birds threatened with extinction more than doubled to 137 from an earlier tally of 68.

Butterfly - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Third graders in Okinawa Prefecture caught a butterfly that had been marked and released in Nagano Prefecture, some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) away. It was the first time that a marked butterfly had been recaptured after traveling such a long distance.

Plants - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A researcher in Ibaraki Prefecture has developed a system that can "hear" what plants are saying. The messages sent by the plants are being used to determine when and how much to water them.