Compiled by JAROD LIM,TRACY GUNAPALAN and R. ARAVINTHAN
A SURGE in foreign tourists has led to increased water consumption, causing water shortages in hot spring resorts across Japan, China Press reported.
Some onsen have even been forced to close due to insufficient water supply.
Local officials noted that despite restrictions and calls for water conservation, the tourism boom continues unabated.
Officials in the Saga Prefecture attribute the declining water levels in part to the influx of tourists following the launch of the new Shinkansen train routes.
The prefectural government has urged onsen operators to limit daily water extraction and has asked some hotels to regulate the use of in-room baths at night to allow water levels to recover.
Japan’s official data showed that visitor numbers reached a record 36 million in 2024, driven by a weaker yen and the post-pandemic recovery of international flight routes.
> A Chinese couple who stayed at a themed homestay in Chongqing, China, discovered 17 months later that they were secretly recorded in a video.
Sin Chew Daily reported that the intimate footage from their stay on March 2, 2023, was edited and uploaded to an overseas adult website. The video clearly showed the homestay’s distinctive starry sky decor, prompting them to report the case to the Yubei District Police.
However, investigations revealed that due to a full renovation of the homestay, the original evidence had been destroyed, making it impossible to identify the culprit.
As a result of the incident, the couple suffered emotional distress and anxiety, and sought medical treatment multiple times.
They later filed a lawsuit against the homestay owner, seeking compensation for medical expenses and psychological damages.
Following court mediation, they received civil compensation.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
