miyazaki

For the first time in Hayao Miyazaki's decades-spanning career, the 82-year-old Japanese anime master is No. 1 at the North American box office. Miyazaki's latest enchantment, "The Boy and the Heron," debuted with $12.8 million, according to studio estimates.

A Japanese city is launching a crowdfunding campaign to help preserve a special spot of woodland: The forest that inspired the animator of beloved movie "My Neighbour Totoro."

The city of Tokorozawa outside Tokyo plans to buy the 3.5-hectare "Totoro Forest" for 2.6 billion yen ($19 million), with crowdfunding covering just a small portion of that, a city official told AFP.

The Shinmoe volcano in southwest Japan erupted for the first time in six years, the country's national meteorological service said.

The seismic activity in the region of Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures began at the end of last month. The first eruptions in six years took place early Wednesday morning - the volcano ejected a pillar of ash at a height of 300 meters.