Japan-grown fig tempura is now on food chain Tenya’s menu

ASAKURA, Oct. 11 — A Japanese agriculture cooperative in the southern island of Kyushu has teamed up with the fast food tempura chain, Tendon Tenya, using a locally-produced fruit: Fig tempura. The Japanese tempura bowl operator has a typical menu that consists of a bowl of rice topped with tempura. Toiling with six months of trial and error, the food chain developed the new product, using “Toyomitsu-hime” figs produced by JA Chikuzen Asakura, the agricultural cooperative in Asakura city, Fukuoka prefecture. The new fruit tempura is now on the menu at Tendon Tenya until Oct. 30. A portion of the sales will be donated to northern Kyushu areas that were … Continue reading

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Cool Japan Fund to open Japanese food shops in Europe with first one opening in London in 2018

TOKYO, Oct. 4 – Cool Japan Fund (CJF), a public-private fund for boosting overseas demand for Japanese products and services, announced on October 3, 2017, a plan to support the opening of a series of Japanese restaurants and grocery stores equipped with open kitchens  in Europe. It plans to open the first grocery store in London during the first half of 2018, and possibly, second and third ones in Paris and Milan shortly after. The expansion into Europe will hopefully allow the fund to deliver the Japanese food culture to more consumers, sell groceries from all over Japan in overseas markets, and promote the export of agricultural products from Japan. … Continue reading

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“Nominsha” custom cars for onion farmers with unique shapes and functions making their ways on Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture

Hyogo, Oct. 1 — Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture is famous in Japan for its onions, and there on the island, you’ll see a lot of unusual-looking vehicles called farmers’ cars or nominsha in Japanese, custom cars which are built at local iron works by hand-assembling automotive parts and components taken from used automobiles. One of the distinctive features shared by all nominsha vehicles is its extraordinary mobility. This is created by combining extra large tires taken from construction vehicles and engines from used passengers vehicles so that the drivers can go up and down easily across the ridges. No other vehicle can drive directly in the onion fields for … Continue reading

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New Zealand’s investor makes first kiwifruit harvest in Japan

TSUNO, Oct. 9 — A firm with New Zealand’s capital has made its first harvest of kiwifruit in southern Japan. That could create a successful grower business and the long-term benefit in a marginal and ageing community. Mikiwi, the Japanese subsidiary of the New Zealand investment company, has partnered with Japanese growers to grow kiwifruit in Tsuno town, Miyazaki prefecture. It invested 360 million yen to produce 6.4 hectares of kiwifruit in 2014. The New Zealand investor said at a press conference on Oct. 8 that it expects between 40 and 45 tons of kiwifruit in Japan, with revenue of 14 million yen for this fiscal year ending in March … Continue reading

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Chubu Centrair Airport can now inspect Japanese-grown food

TOKYO, Oct. 8 — Japanese inspectors have set up a service counter for plant and animal quarantine within the terminals at Chubu Centrair International Airport, the main gateway for the central Japan. That will make it much easier for foreign visitors to have Japanese-grown fruits and vegetables inspected and obtain relevant certification before taking them to their home countries, the agriculture ministry said. Previously, such a quarantine service was located far from the departure and arrival terminals at airports, and it has been time-consuming for travelers to get inspection certificates. The government is looking to promote Japanese-grown agriculture products overseas, and it has installed a quarantine service counter within terminals … Continue reading

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