Fruits World exhibit in Bando, Ibaraki, will surely satisfy your endless curiosity

IBARAKI, Dec. 16 – The Fruits World exhibit at the Ibaraki Nature Museum in Bando City, Ibaraki Prefecture, is now attracting a lot of attention as an event offering visitors a chance to enjoy and feel various shapes and scent of all kinds of fruits. There are more than 100 kinds of fruits on display, including local specialties such as chestnuts and melons showed in very unique exhibitions, for example, of cut surfaces as well as flower samples. Visitors can enjoy looking at the fruits from all different angles. One of the features of the event is how you can look at the shapes of fruits. The biggest highlight is … Continue reading

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Japan-made rice flour attracting attention at gluten-free foods fair in Spain

MADRID, Dec. 3 – Country Arroz Promote Network, a nonprofit organization working to promote Japan-made rice flour, on Dec. 1 became the first Japanese organization to participate in Festival del Celiaco, a major trade fair for gluten-free foods held in Madrid. The event, the 35th of its kind, was organized by the Madrid Association of Celiacs and Gluten Sensitive People, with 50 organizations setting up booths, attracting more than 6,000 people in a day. The network offered steamed buns and noodles made with rice flour for people to try, while selling Japan-made rice flour and noodles imported from Japan by a local wholesaler. Gluten-free noodles were especially popular among visitors, … Continue reading

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AEON cuts Australian beef prices ahead of TPP-11’s enforcement

TOKYO, Dec. 7 – Japanese retail giant AEON Co. announced on Dec. 6 it will cut prices of Australian beef by a maximum of 20 percent starting Dec. 7, ahead of the enforcement of the 11-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement on Dec. 30. The move, which is likely to be followed by other retail firms, indicates a trend toward cutting prices of imported products along with the expected declines in tariff rates after the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, also known as TPP-11, comes into effect. AEON will sell its private label Australian beefsteaks at 518 yen per 100 grams, down 20 percent for sirloin and down … Continue reading

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[Our Noh no Ikebana] “See how grains are bending their heads down,” says Shihoko Matsuo, 78, from Hachimantai City, Iwate Prefecture

“The charm of Noh no Ikebana is in how we can enjoy it with friends. There is no particular style, and we are free to do anything. Vegetables in funny shapes have characters, and they are excellent materials for the arrangements. I think of the growth path of each agricultural product and try to express their stories in my arrangements. I began to pay attention to the joy of finding buds, the beauty of veggie flowers, and the fragility of life even during the daily usual agricultural works. When I find out-of-the-size-and-shape vegetables, I feel happy and start to think about how I can use them in my arrangements. I … Continue reading

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Japan’s new “Sugoi” apple: size is not so big, but tastes great

KUROISHI, Nov. 9 ― Apple growers in Aomori prefecture are geared toward exports. The regional farmers cooperatives in Aomori, including the JA Tsugaru Mirai, have reduced prices of Japanese apples by exporting smaller-sized “Sugoi” apples. Sugoi means terrific or excellent in Japanese. Typically, the size of Japanese apples is big, but Aomori apple growers started selling smaller-sized one so the prices is lower, allowing them to tap into new markets in Southeast Asia. The growers named it Sugoi apple, because it tastes great, even though it may not be as big as Fuji apple. The farmers’ groups also have made a special portable package, which has a portrayal of Japanese … Continue reading

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