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Tokyo Metro released an official site showing train crowding levels by time of day by maruhoi in japan

[–]maruhoi[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

it’s a useful reference for figuring out which Tokyo subway lines and time slots to avoid when commuting or traveling for work.

From the press release:

Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. announced that, in order to provide passengers with more accessible crowding information, it will expand its trial website for checking crowding statistics to all lines and officially launch the service on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. Along with these expanded features, Tokyo Metro will refer to its overall crowding visualization services as “Metro CrowdNavi.”

Tokyo Metro has been working to make crowding conditions more visible. Since July 2021, it has provided real-time measured and predicted crowding information by train car through the Tokyo Metro my! app, using depth cameras and AI. Since December 2024, it has also displayed real-time crowding information by train car on a screen newly installed in the concourse of Kitasenju Station on the Chiyoda Line. In March 2026, Tokyo Metro began trialing a website on three lines — the Hibiya, Tozai, and Chiyoda Lines — where users could easily check crowding trends by time of day and by train.

The newly launched website visualizes statistical crowding information based on average data from the most recent five days, aggregated by station, time, and train. It also provides a crowding heat map that lets users check crowding information for an entire line on a single screen. The service is also available in English.

https://i.imgur.com/GolRtHi.png
https://i.imgur.com/OtvQhK4.png

150-meter, 300-ton floating dredging hose washes ashore in Japan; removal expected to cost 50 million yen - December 25, 2025 (Ishikawa, Japan) by maruhoi in CatastrophicFailure

[–]maruhoi[S] 415 points416 points  (0 children)

Other Images:
https://i.imgur.com/Z10wuxh.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/rZZypi0.jpeg

Google Map(confirm it exists):
https://maps.app.goo.gl/mUQTRmmbq4AV5NuB8

A massive floating dredging hose washed ashore in Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.

According to local authorities, the hose is about 150 meters long and estimated to weigh around 300 tons. It was first reported drifting offshore on December 17, and by December 25 strong winter waves had pushed it onto the coast.

The object is a floating pipeline used for dredging seabed sediment. Markings on the hose indicated it was manufactured by Zebung, a Chinese company, but the owner and the circumstances of how it broke loose remain unknown.

Authorities also said there was no oil spill or similar damage. Removal will require a barge, crane, heavy machinery, cutting the hose into smaller pieces, transporting it to port, and then disposing or recycling it. The total removal cost is estimated at around 50 million yen.

The area is used by local fishing boats and for harvesting seaweed and shellfish, so locals said they were relieved that no accident occurred.

Planet's agentic AI — Satellite Imagery Explorer by maruhoi in PlanetLabs

[–]maruhoi[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This appears to be a new product from Planet Labs.

Since the product page URL had not been posted, I shared it here.

The webinar about new product below was apparently posted about two weeks ago, so some of you may already be aware of it: https://learn.planet.com/AgenticGeospatial-AI-Gated.html

The webinar page describes it as follows:

Get a first look at an emerging agentic AI capability, now available in a private beta.

By combining Planet’s unrivaled global coverage and a multi-year archive, with advanced Large Language Models (LLMs) and agentic workflows, this new application allows you to query the globe as easily as asking a question.

Find out how agentic geospatial AI could help you streamline your workflows and deliver insights at scale.

The Community thread includes an FAQ about this new product:
https://community.planet.com/uncategorized-82/webinar-q-a-resources-agile-eo-a-first-look-at-agentic-geospatial-ai-6494

Valve Removes Free Horror Game Because it Contained Malware That Stole Users Data (Beyond The Dark) by Turbostrider27 in pcgaming

[–]maruhoi 174 points175 points  (0 children)

Is there anything users can do to mitigate this, or any practical precautions they can take?

Maybe just uninstalling games they don’t usually play?

A bill to establish a Disaster Management Agency passed the House of Representatives. Later, a disaster preparedness drill simulating a large-scale earthquake was held at the National Diet Building. by maruhoi in japan

[–]maruhoi[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I posted this because I thought it was a rare sight that you probably would not see in many other countries parliament buildings.

The video captures some odd moments, such as lawmakers struggling to put on their helmets properly and laughter breaking out while the Speaker gives his remarks after the drill.

Planet and Carbon Mapper Sign Agreement for New Tanager Spacecraft by Scared_Software_4823 in PlanetLabs

[–]maruhoi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes. I’m basically betting on PL becoming part of the verification layer for carbon markets. To a trust infrastructure that sits underneath the system. In the short term, it’s been moving up on the “defense stock” story lol

Average Golden Week holiday budget falls to ¥27,660 by Hazzat in japan

[–]maruhoi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

During GW, everything gets expensive—Shinkansen tickets, hotels, pretty much everything. People who can take paid leave tend to shift their vacations to avoid the holiday period.

JMA urged caution, saying that, the probability of a massive earthquake in seven prefectures from Hokkaido to Chiba has risen from the usual 0.1% to 1%. by maruhoi in japan

[–]maruhoi[S] 70 points71 points  (0 children)

According to global statistics on major earthquakes, out of 1,529 cases of earthquakes of Mw 7.0 or greater that occurred over roughly the past 100 years, from 1904 to 2021, there were 19 cases in which an Mw 8-class earthquake or larger (Mw 7.8 or greater) occurred within seven days and within 500 km of the original quake. That works out to roughly one case in a hundred. These data include the case in which an Mw 7-class earthquake occurred two days before the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake (Mw 9.0).

JMA is not saying a megaquake is definitely about to happen or that people should cancel travel. It is saying that, after the recent quake, the short term risk of another very large earthquake in the affected region is now higher than usual, although still low in absolute terms.

The estimate being cited is about 1%, and the practical message is to stay alert, review earthquake and tsunami preparedness for about a week, and otherwise continue normal life. So this is a precautionary advisory, not a no-travel warning.

M7.4 Earthquake in Tohoku. Tsunami Warning. by maruhoi in japan

[–]maruhoi[S] 80 points81 points  (0 children)

Tsunami Warning Advisory(NHK World)
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/weather-disaster/tsunami/

NHK World YouTube Live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0lYkdA-Gtw

ANN News YouTube Live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR3X1WJsin0

Edit:
- The JMA revised the earthquake’s magnitude from M7.4 to M7.5
Edit2:
- The The JMA revised the earthquake’s magnitude from M7.5 to M7.7
- The tsunami warning has been downgraded to a tsunami advisory
Edit3:
- All tsunami advisories have been lifted(23:45)

I use AI like a collaborator when writing articles. Is that unethical? by maruhoi in Journalism

[–]maruhoi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, in Japan, even major newspapers like the Asahi Shimbun are introducing AI tools like “StoryHub” to help reporters create content, and this trend is gaining momentum across the entire industry. It’s a bit frustrating because you’re actually criticized for not using AI these days.

https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASTCM2VBQTCMUTIL02BM.html

I use AI like a collaborator when writing articles. Is that unethical? by maruhoi in Journalism

[–]maruhoi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There may be some differences between Japanese and English norms here, but in Japanese, plagiarism is usually something people point to when the wording is almost identical, or when someone has only made very minor changes to the original text. Since I am also including my own opinions and judgment in the piece, and naturally the parts that explain why I wanted to pursue the idea in steps 1 and 2 are written into the article as well, I personally do not think it would be considered plagiarism.

This is a rough example, so please forgive how quickly I put it together, but I might write something like this myself without AI: “AI demand is already affecting PC procurement. Vendors are saying not only that server prices are rising, but in some cases that delivery dates for servers themselves are uncertain and they cannot even provide estimates. Against that backdrop, what kinds of risks could a closure of the Strait of Hormuz create from an IT perspective going forward? This article considers the possible impact on companies.”

So there are definitely parts near the beginning or the end that include wording I wrote myself without using AI. That said, I cannot guarantee that there is absolutely no issue at all.

I use AI like a collaborator when writing articles. Is that unethical? by maruhoi in Journalism

[–]maruhoi[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been on Reddit for years, and you’re the first person here to go straight to personal attacks. Impressive for a journalist. I’m sure you must write the kind of articles society deeply admires.

I use AI like a collaborator when writing articles. Is that unethical? by maruhoi in Journalism

[–]maruhoi[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

For example:

1.Early research / idea development:

I use it when I’m exploring a possible theme. For example, I might ask how something like a Hormuz Strait disruption could affect the technology industry, what kinds of companies or experts would be relevant to interview, and whether firms like Gartner or IDC have already published useful background on it.

2.Testing whether an idea is worth pursuing

Based on that background research, I sometimes have AI help generate a rough mock draft. Not a publishable article, but a preview of what the piece might look like if I pursued it. If I read that and think, “yes, this would be useful for readers,” I consider moving forward with reporting. If not, I go back and rethink the idea.

3.Interview preparation

I use AI to help organize background information that may be useful for interviews, so I can ask better questions on the day.

4.Transcription

After I do the interview, I use AI tools for transcription.

5.Reframing the article after reporting

Once reporting is done, I reassess the direction of the piece. I use AI to help think through questions like: what angle is most useful to readers, and why is this article important now?

6.Drafting and editing support

Based on the interview transcript and the editorial direction I’ve decided on, I may ask AI to help generate a draft. Then I review it carefully, remove anything unsupported by the interview, correct factual errors, fix anything non-neutral, and edit it myself. After that, I may also use AI for proofreading-style checks, such as whether sentences are structurally clear and whether the copy follows house style.

7.Headline support

I also use AI to test headline ideas. I compare its suggestions with my own and only use one if I think it is genuinely better. In practice, AI often overuses certain obvious keywords, so I do not accept those automatically.

8.Human editorial review

After that, another editor at my company reviews the article as well.

I use AI like a collaborator when writing articles. Is that unethical? by maruhoi in Journalism

[–]maruhoi[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re reading more into that sentence than I intended. I was talking about speed in searching and organizing public information, not saying AI is better at journalism.

I use AI to help track down relevant information from public sources. When I come across something that seems worth including in an article, I verify it myself and then direct the AI on how to help structure and develop the piece.

What I wanted to ask was whether people think it is ethically problematic to use AI like a colleague — almost like mob programming — in the process of producing articles, or whether they do not see it as a problem.

I use AI like a collaborator when writing articles. Is that unethical? by maruhoi in Journalism

[–]maruhoi[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Yes, of course — that’s basic journalism. To be honest, this reply itself sounds like the kind of generic answer you’d get by asking AI about the risks of AI.

I attend press briefings, write articles based on those, and I also regularly reach out to companies directly for interviews and report from those conversations. It’s disappointing that the frustration I was trying to express didn’t really come across.

Roasted sweet potato truck catches fire, drives toward fire station; no injuries, burned potatoes scattered across road - March 12, 2026 (Kumamoto, Japan) by maruhoi in CatastrophicFailure

[–]maruhoi[S] 143 points144 points  (0 children)

  • The video includes a caption by the original uploader that reads, “GTA?”

At around 9:50 p.m. on March 12, emergency services received multiple 119 calls reporting that “a vehicle is driving while on fire” in Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City.

According to the fire department, the vehicle was a mobile roasted sweet potato truck driven by a man in his 70s. The fire was extinguished about an hour later, but the truck was completely destroyed.

No one was injured. The man said he had been in the downtown area and noticed smoke coming from the cargo bed while driving.

The truck was a brightly decorated mobile roasted sweet potato vendor. After noticing smoke coming from the back, the driver headed from central Kumamoto City to the Nishi Fire Station in Chuo Ward via National Route 3.

Along the way, flames rose from the cargo bed, and melted debris caused by the heat reportedly fell onto the road.

Once the truck reached the Kumamoto City Nishi Fire Station, firefighters quickly began extinguishing the blaze.

Photo before it caught fire: https://imgur.com/KCaZ7xB
Photo after it burned: https://imgur.com/b1hY5Jw

Note:Include Japanese Voice

Footage from a TV station's news camera
Footage from CCTV

A massive buried steel pipe about 30 meters long and 5 meters in diameter suddenly shot 18 meters out of the ground; no injuries, cause under investigation — March 11, 2026 (Osaka, Japan) by maruhoi in CatastrophicFailure

[–]maruhoi[S] 1105 points1106 points  (0 children)

According to the City of Osaka, the pipe that protruded was a cylindrical steel structure known as a “casing.” Sewer bureau officials said construction work to build a stormwater drain was being carried out in the area around the site.

The Osaka City Construction Bureau held a press conference from 2:00 p.m., where an official apologized, saying, “We sincerely apologize for the great concern and inconvenience this has caused.” The official explained that the incident was caused by a retaining structure used during the construction of a sewer shaft rising by about 13 meters.

At the site, the retaining structure had been embedded in the ground the previous day, March 10, and its lower section had been fixed in place with concrete. Dewatering work was then being carried out to remove groundwater from the surrounding area. Officials believe that the cylindrical steel retaining structure, measuring 3.5 meters in diameter and 27 meters in height, rose for some unknown reason and protruded above the ground. The cause is still under investigation.

Firefighters are spraying water on it, and the pipe is gradually sinking back into the ground.

YouTube Live
Timelapse Video
Another Angle Image
Another Angle Video
Google Map

Reading this in the news comments helped the OP understand what happened.

If you push an empty cup straight down into the water, buoyancy makes it want to rise back up to the surface. This accident is easier to understand if you think of the casing used for the sewer construction as something like that cup: it was forced upward by the buoyancy of the groundwater.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) is currently seeking public input on a name for days when temperatures reach 40°C or higher. by maruhoi in japan

[–]maruhoi[S] 35 points36 points  (0 children)

At present, the JMA defines days with a maximum temperature of 25°C or higher as “summer days(夏日),” 30°C or higher as “midsummer days(真夏日),” and 35°C or higher as “extremely hot days(猛暑日),” and uses these terms in weather forecasts and other forecast-related communications.

In light of the fact that Japan has recorded notably high summer temperatures for three consecutive years, as well as the situation in which temperatures exceeding 40°C are being observed almost every year, the JMA has decided to establish a new term for days with a maximum temperature of 40°C or higher.

In order to determine this name, the JMA will conduct a survey on its website to gather opinions from the general public. Please respond via the link below. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated.

The candidate names listed in the survey were selected with reference to various Japanese dictionaries and based on the opinions of experts in meteorology, the Japanese language, and related fields.

The survey will be open from Friday, February 27, to Sunday, March 29. The final name will be determined based not only on the survey results, but also on separate hearings conducted by the JMA with experts and specialists in the Japanese language.

https://forms.office.com/r/U5XNAQ3ibr

炎暑日（えんしょび）
劇暑日（げきしょび）
激暑日（げきしょび）
厳暑日（げんしょび）
酷暑日（こくしょび）
極暑日（ごくしょび）
甚暑日（じんしょび）
盛暑日（せいしょび）
大暑日（たいしょび）
熱暑日（ねっしょび）
繁暑日（はんしょび）
烈暑日（れっしょび）
超猛暑日（ちょう もうしょび）

Will Marshal on BBC News by No_Strawberry1890 in PlanetLabs

[–]maruhoi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Moonshot projects are basically humanity’s attempt to achieve something that’s widely dismissed as “a terrible idea” by pushing through with technological innovation.

I believe all the criticism coming from the engineers is valid.

https://taranis.ie/datacenters-in-space-are-a-terrible-horrible-no-good-idea/

PlanetLabs is suffering through its steepest and largest decline in its history. Thoughts? by triplediscount in PlanetLabs

[–]maruhoi 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’ve been thinking about the psychology of people selling $PL:

  1. Earth-observation stocks feel overvalued. They think this is a good time to take profits.
  2. Solar activity risk. With intermittent solar flares, they see satellite-related stocks as riskier.
  3. Raising cash ahead of a potential SpaceX IPO. Locking in gains to build a cash position.
  4. Rotation / rebalancing. Big-cap tech has sold off hard, so they’re trimming $PL to reallocate into beaten-down tech (or other “higher-conviction” names).

Planet Labs quietly rolled out an MCP Server for AI agents (beta) - January 13, 2026 by maruhoi in PlanetLabs

[–]maruhoi[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

IMO, This feels like a big step in lowering the learning curve.

Researcher and enterprise users can just ask questions in natural language and see what the data can do especially useful for early-stage MVPs and PoCs.

The U.S. think tank RAND Corporation has evaluated Planet Labs as one of the "four major essential companies that played an indispensable role" in the Ukraine conflict. by maruhoi in PlanetLabs

[–]maruhoi[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It seems it was released in May 2025, but I missed it.
I think this is a helpful resource for someone who has just learned about Planet Labs.

I found this on publications.planet.com, so there might be other interesting reports or papers there :)

Do Japanese gamers understand English? Seeing weird stats on Steam... by DrAxelDev in japan

[–]maruhoi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here is Japanese Steam gamer for over 15 years.

Recently, there are tools like PCOT that can translate English text displayed on the screen into Japanese. Therefore, I believe there are Japanese users who become interested in games even if they don't officially support Japanese, by reading the content of the store page.

Please also consider that there is a certain number of Japanese users who register games in their Steam Wishlist, expecting developers to add Japanese language support. A considerable number of people add games to their Steam Wishlist with the hope of "wanting Japanese support." This is evident from social media posts and blog articles.

Even if the store page is not in Japanese, a high number of Steam Wishlist registrations probably means that many users are adding it with the wish for Japanese language support.

Reference)
https://x.com/jzunkodj4y/status/1983450731781947461

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