This is a strange one that I read about in several different news sources. None of the sources answered the WHY of this strange occurrence.
Koga City, Ibaraki Police arrested 49 year old, part-time worker, Masae Sakurai, on a suspicion of assault for sewing together the upper and lower lips of her 42 year old room mate with a needle and thread on June 29th of this year. The two women had been living together since April 2025. They shared a home with other roommates.
The day following the sewing incident, the 42 year old with her lips sewn shut and wearing a white face mask, went to a nearby shop and handed the store clerk a note with “Please help me. I cannot speak. Please call the police.” written on it.The police were called and the woman was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The woman told the police she was afraid of her roommate and couldn’t escape right away.
Police are questioning the other people living in the house. Neighbors said seven or eight people were constantly coming and going and no one knew what any of them did for a living. They also said the residents of the house refused to interact with the neighborhood association.
I will be watching for updates on this strange story.
(Not actual lips - picture from the internet.)
Every day there are stories in the news about bears in Japan. This one has a happy ending.
An 80 year old widow, who lives alone (with her little dog) in a wooded rural area of Iwate Prefecture, heard Miyabi, her shiba inu dog, barking early one evening. She often sees bears near her home around dusk, but usually when Miyabi barks, the bears run away. Not this time!
She saw the 1.5 meter bear enter her yard and move toward Miyabi. She quickly called the police and her neighbors for help, then moved to help her pet. Using her rolling mop as a cane to steady her wobbly legs, she was able to get the dog inside the house, shutting the screen door behind it. The bear broke through the screen door and was about two meters away from Mrs. Takahashi. She stayed calm, opened her arms wide, holding the lint roller to make herself appear bigger in order to scare the bear. She yelled Hey, don’t mess with me (in Japanese) and the bear went back out and ran away.
The police and neighbors arrived shortly after the bear ran away. No person or dog was hurt, but Miyabi will be staying inside from now on. I hope I can think quickly and be brave if I ever find myself in this kind of situation.
I finished this zipper bag, with buttons on one side, and the bib from a cross country ski race on the other, and panda fabric on the inside. I already put inside the things I need for a new project I hope to start soon inside.
This is Kamakura’s most important shrine. It was founded in 1063 by Minamoto Yoriyoshi, then enlarged and moved to its current site in 1180 by Minamoto Yoritomo, who was the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura government. The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god of the Minamoto family and of samurai in general.
It is walking distance from the Kamakura station, along a walkway in the center of the road.
The shrine and grounds are large and beautiful.
A famous sweet in Kamakura is a large cookie in the shape of a dove, Hato Sable. This is the place to buy them.
