In a gesture to combat global warming, more than 16,000 offices and tourist sites across Japan went dark on the evening of June 21.
The facilities switched off lights from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Lights were also dimmed at the 634-meter Tokyo Skytree, which opened to great fanfare last month.
The environment ministry is behind the event, which started in 2003.
Tokyo hot spots losing appeal as Japan grapples with territorial disputes
April 18, 2013As if a nuclear disaster was not enough to turn off foreign visitors, recent demonstrations inciting hatred, along with a related backlash over a territorial dispute with China, are taking their toll on two Tokyo districts that were once hugely popular with tourists.
Snow forces 3,400 to spend night at Tokyo airport
January 15, 2013Tokyo's Narita International Airport operator says 3,400 travelers spent the night in the terminal after snow caused airlines to cancel 71 flights.
Scientists: Corals could disappear from Japan if CO2 continues to rise
January 10, 2013TSUKUBA, Ibaraki Prefecture—Corals could become extinct in the waters around Japan within 60 years if carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise at their current rates, the National Institute for Environment Studies and Hokkaido University said Jan. 9.
U.N. climate talks open in Qatar
November 26, 2012DOHA, Qatar--U.N. talks on a new climate pact resumed Nov. 26 in oil and gas-rich Qatar, where negotiators from nearly 200 countries will discuss fighting global warming and helping poor nations adapt to it.
Edo Period painting behind location of Tokyo Skytree
November 16, 2012The 350-meter-high observation deck of Tokyo Skytree offers a stunning view of Japan’s capital--as it appeared in the early 19th century.
