TOKYO, Feb. 8 – February 9 is the day of meat in Japan as the pronunciation of meat (niku in Japanese) sounds similar to the Japanese numbers 2 (ni) and 9 (ku). Some restaurant chains in Japan had discounted offerings of wagyu beef dishes or sold an additional volume pack of wagyu at their online retail shops. Due to continuing price hikes, consumers are becoming increasingly budget-minded, creating a harsh environment for sellers of wagyu beef, one of Japan’s high-priced foods. So, these unique schemes are expected to boost consumption. A leading shabu-shabu traditional hot pod dish restaurant chain, Shabushabu Onyasai, held a campaign to offer a special discount of … Continue reading →

  TOKYO, Feb. 5 — In an effort to support konjac farmers hit by sluggish demand, JA ZEN-NOH, the marketing arm of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives group, and major convenience store chain FamilyMart Co. together developed new products using konjac grown in Gunma Prefecture. Katsuo Konnyaku, simmered konjac mixed with dried bonito flakes, and Konnyaku Miso Dengaku, konjac with sweet miso sauce, will be put on sale for a limited period at FamilyMart stores nationwide excluding Okinawa Prefecture, starting on Feb. 18. Konjac is produced mainly in Gunma. The prices of konjac plant corms, an ingredient to make konjac, have been on a declining trend due to slumping consumption and … Continue reading →

A popular anime movie, “The Rose of Versailles,” was released on January 31, 2025, with active collaboration projects promoting agricultural and livestock products. Saga Prefecture will roll out a new product that uses local marbled Wagyu beef to resemble red roses. A Saitama-based supermarket chain, Belc, started to sell a grilled pork belly rice bowl named “Berubara-Donburi.” (Berubara is a short name for “The Rose of Versailles,” as derived from its original Japanese title “Berusaiyu no Bara.”) Many more other projects will follow, targeting the fans of this popular Japanese manga series. One of the collaborative projects by Saga Prefecture is the “meat art” gift. The prefecture will use finely … Continue reading →

ISHIKAWA, Jan. 28 — The Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) group’s branch in Ishikawa Prefecture started selling rice packed in bags with popular anime scenes related to rice printed on them. Major publishers — Kodansha Ltd., Shogakukan Inc. and Shueisha Inc. — and manga artists cooperated under the Ishikawa Genkimai Project to support farmers hit by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake and torrential rain last year. A part of the sales of the products will be given to the farmers to fund the restoration of rice paddies in the Okunoto region of the prefecture. Three rice brands that represent the prefecture are sold in nine types of bags. For example, the Yumemizuho … Continue reading →