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What's Going On? TOPICS |
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February 2021page 1 |
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What's Going On? TOPICS |
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February 2021page 1 |
February 2021 page 1 TOPICS
Cinema Sunshine Okaido Closed
"Bye Bye Cine-Sun, Thanks for such a great service for 32 years" Cinema Sunshine Okaido ended 32 years of business on January 11, 2021. Although it was located at the center of town and well-known among the people in Matsuyama, the number of visitors had been decreasing in recent years. Cinema Sunshine opened in 1989 where Tiger Theater had been. There were 5 screens with 494 seats in total.130-140 titles were shown every year. The number of movie-goers peaked in 2002, at 110,000. In 2019, the number was only 44,000. The selection of films was highly appreciated since movie classics and titles which were provided by distributors not belonging to major movie production groups were shown, which was different from the ones shown at big cinema complexes in the suburbs. The last film shown was "In This Corner of the World". Many fans visited to watch it. It has not yet determined how the building will be used in the future.(January 12, Yomiuri Shimbun Online) |
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Mikan Streetcar Begins Operation
On January 8, Zen-Noh Ehime of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) started operation of the Mikan streetcar with straps that have a mandarin-shaped decoration. The group also put up posters of Iyokan, mandarin oranges and other types of citrus in the streetcar to promote citrus from the prefecture. The Mikan streetcar runs between the 8th and 14th each month until April in time for Orange Day (April 14). The day was established for people to strengthen bonds with loved ones by giving mandarin oranges to each other. Zen-Noh Ehime is now promoting Orange Day as a couple's anniversary following Valentine's Day on February 14 and White Day on March 14.The streetcar runs on all routes except the Honmachi line, and the route and operating hours will be decided the previous evening.(January 9, Ehime Shimbun Online) |
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Ozashiki-Asobi online
A Japanese traditional restaurant called Ochaya Hanahimero opened last November in Dogo, Matsuyama, aiming to enhance delight and charm in the area. While the business has been badly hit by the coronavirus infection, their geisha, female servers who entertain guests with traditional performance and comfortable conversation, are in the works using online meeting applications. In the rehearsal, they danced to the tune with a folk song of Ehime called "Iyobushi" and practiced serving sake virtually through the screen for guests to enjoy the ambience. They tried yakyuken, one of the ozashiki-asobi, which means playing games in a Japanese-style room with geisha. In the game of yakyuken, guests play rock-paper-scissors while dancing with geisha. They checked elaborately the time lag of the screen, the volume of music and voices, and the angle of the view. A president of a travel agency targeting inbound visitors to Japan called "Shikoku Tours", Rod Walters, helped them by pretending a guest. He gave them a favorable review, saying "The screen has a live feeling. It may be put on sale as an online tour." The hostess of Ochaya said, "I think young people would rather join us more easily online. We will keep thinking out how to entertain guests, to make trying time into chance."(January 9, Ehime Shimbun) |
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"Inoton" Bag Donation
Matsuyama Prison located in Toon-city south to Matsuyama, gave Toon-city eco-bags made of denim with the design of "Inoton." "Inoton" is the Toon's mascot character. "Ino" in "Inoton" comes from inoshishi meaning wild boar, and "ton" comes from the name of the city of Toon. The prisoners made them from cutting to sewing. They will be sold in the prison from now on. They have two sizes; large and middle. Even middle-sized bags can contain 12 rolls of toilet paper. They have an inside pocket a wallet goes in. The prison has also made aprons with "Inoton," which became a return gift for the hometown tax of Toon-city. Mayor Kato has expressed his gratitude to the prison for thoughtful gifts. (January 8, Ehime Shimbun) |
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Giant Store Matsuyama Opens
The Japanese subsidiary of Taiwan's world-famous bicycle maker Giant has opened Giant Store Matsuyama, which sells sports cycles in Dogokitashiro, a 10-minute walk from Dogo Onsen. The store opened on January 8 and is the second store in the prefecture following the Giant Store Imabari at the JR Imabari Station.The store covers about 170 square meters and has about 50 road and sports bicycles plus the electric-assist "E-Bike" on display. Prices for children’s bicycles start from 30,000 yen and those for adults start from 50,000 yen. More than 70% of the products are 100,000 yen or less. The company says, "We have a full lineup of products for beginners, so feel free to visit us."The store has a rental bicycle service, but due to the state of emergency, it was decided to suspend the rental service until February 7. The suspension period may be extended, depending on the Covid-19 situation.Further information: https://giant-store.jp/matsuyama/ (January 8, Ehime Shimbun Online) |
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2021 Business Prospects in Ehime
An interview with Mr. Koji KOYAMA, General Manager of the Matsuyama Branch of the Bank of Japan What do you predict for business in 2021? It will be all affected by the situation of COVID-19. It will gradually prosper if the situation comes under control, and remain the same or decline if the situation doesn't change, since it all depends on the activities that people can enjoy. It seems that consumption of commodities has started picking up, on the other hand the service industry is still very much struggling since it is provided face to face. People's movements will be critical in judging the business. It is also necessary to keep a close watch on the employment situation, since the service industry tremendously contributes to creation of job opportunities. There have been only a few bankruptcies and dismissals at the moment, since the Effectively Interest-free and Unsecured Loan, Deferred Repayment of State Subsidy, and National Relief Funds were introduced quickly. However, if the situation becomes worse and the various subsidies are terminated, the economy would get worse easily. Even a trusted enterprise might lose business, if it seems it cannot recover for some years, even though there is support. What measures should be implemented to activate regional economy in Ehime? It very much depends on how we could control the population decline. There are various industries in the prefecture, and local enterprises are performing well. Some of them are national leaders in specific business areas. There is a possibility of creating new demands to utilize even in this challenging period by collaboration among different industries. Then new employment opportunities would also be created. It might perform an important role in stopping the population decline as well. All the cities are fighting over population increase and decrease. Each city in Ehime has an interesting story to tell, for example Uwajima should be proud of its' history, since it is related with Masamune Date, a famous regional ruler. It is advised that regional attractions such as nature, culture, and delicious food should be introduced to the tourists and people living in urban areas. (January 3, Ehime Shimbun) |
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Matsuyama International Center |