In the city of Beppu, Oita Prefecture, known for its hot springs, annual year-end cleaning was held at the "Furosen" hot spring on December 2. The hot spring is operated by the city. This year marks 100 years since Beppu became a city, and eight citizens joined the cleaning to celebrate the anniversary. People thoroughly scrubbed the floor and other surfaces with brushes, showing gratitude for the blessings of the hot springs. Other hot springs run by the city will also be fully cleaned in December.

Japanese original

Easy Japanese news is taken from the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun, a newspaper for children. This is perfect material for anyone studying Japanese who has learned hiragana and katakana. We encourage beginners to read the article in English followed by Japanese, or vice versa, to test their comprehension.

A fresh set will be published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 p.m., Japan time. Click/tap here for past installments.

Intermediate learners who do not need English assistance can directly access the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun site here. Furigana (hiragana) is added to all kanji in the text.