Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2014

THE HOUSE OF MOUSE

• At one point earlier this month, three different versions of the song “Let It Go” from the Disney movie Frozen occupied the top three spots on the Japanese singles charts.
• One of them was the original, Academy Award-winning English version; another was a Japanese-language cover sung by actress Takako Matsu, which appears in dubbed versions of the film; and the third was a Japanese adaptation by J-pop star May J, which runs over the closing credits.
• Yumi Sakai, a 39-year-old nurse from Nagoya, became the 600 millionth visitor to the Tokyo Disney Resort complex since Tokyo Disneyland opened in 1993 and Tokyo DisneySea in 2001.
• Officials presented Sakai with a plaque, a bunch of stuffed animals and a pass granting her unlimited free entry to Disneyland and DisneySea during the next three years.

HE’S BAAAACK

• Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was one of 20 world leaders whose portraits were included in an exhibition of paintings by former US President George W. Bush.
• Authorities in Oita unveiled a full-scale replica of a “human-piloted suicide torpedo” that was developed in the closing days of World War II.
• According to an estimate by the TMG, the cost of refurbishing venues for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will likely be more than double the initial estimate of ¥153 billion.
• Sentence of the Week: “A tree grown from a cherry pit that traveled in space five years ago with astronaut Koichi Wakata, now commander of the International Space Station, has bloomed far ahead of what is normal—to the astonishment of botanists.” (via The Asahi Shimbun)

YAWN

• For the first time in 11 years, officials at the health ministry have released a report advising people how they can “get a good night’s sleep.”
• The guidelines are divided into sections for youngsters, senior citizens and “those in the working generation.”
• The report cautions students against overusing “electronic devices” at night and warns seniors that “sleeping too long can decrease feelings of being well-rested.”
• Company workers are advised to take a short nap in the early afternoon “as an effective antidote to drowsiness.” Good luck convincing the boss of that one.

KIDS THESE DAYS

• A survey by the Tokyo Board of Education has found that nearly all Japanese schoolchildren are reading more books than they were six years ago.
• Officials in Hiroshima issued a warning to a teacher at a local elementary school who forced two of her students “to kneel on the floor during class and lunch break.”
• Researchers at the RIKEN institute are developing a supercomputer that’s capable of performing—get this—1 quintillion computations per second.
• They’re hoping the machine will be used to simulate disasters and to help design the next generation of automobiles.

AND FINALLY…

• In response to an increase in the number of flights operating out of Haneda, the MPD has established an antiterrorism unit at the airport.
• Landmark Tower, Bay Bridge and Red Brick Warehouse were among the 40 facilities in Yokohama that shut off their lights for 60 minutes in observance of Earth Hour, a campaign organized by the World Wildlife Fund.
• For the first time since 1982, officials at the environment ministry have revised their guidelines for people visiting onsen.
• Perhaps most notably, they’ve dropped the recommendation that pregnant women not bathe in hot springs.

Compiled from reports by AP, Japan Today, The Japan Times, Jiji, The Tokyo Reporter, The Mainichi, The Japan News, AFP, Reuters and Kyodo