Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

18 Nippon-Yell food products featuring 6 ingredients from Japan’s Tohoku northeastern region roll out on March 18

TOKYO, Mar. 14 – The Nippon Yell Project Association of the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZEN-NOH) and leading food and beverage makers has announced that it will simultaneously roll out the third set of Nippon Yell-brand products, this time featuring ingredients from six prefectures in the Tohoku region of Japan. Twelve manufacturers have developed 18 products, from beverages to confectioneries and bread, and will roll out the products on March 18 to support agricultural producers in the northeastern region of Japan.The association was established in 2023. It chooses specific agricultural products or regions and invites manufacturers in different categories to develop unique products simultaneously. It chose “hyuganatsu” citrus … Continue reading

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Automated orchard pesticide sprayer developed to reduce growers’ workload

TOKYO, March 12 — A research team led by Kyoto University has developed a self-driving speed sprayer to reduce the burden of applying pesticides on fruit trees. The vehicle runs on a pre-set route utilizing the GPS and sprays pesticides while circling around. It can spray agricultural chemicals in a way just like workers with professional skills, and it is estimated that it can help cut their working hours by more than 60%. Fruit growing regions are grappling with aging and shortage of operators, and reducing the burden of pesticide application has been a challenge. The team worked to make the machine driverless also because handling speed sprayers poses a … Continue reading

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One-cup sake making drinking sake easier and joyfuller

TOKYO, Mar. 10 – In the Showa era, one-up sake was just for older men, but today, it’s also for young people and foreign nationals. Naito Shoten is a local liquor shop in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, that sells more than 100 types of single-serve cup sake from all over Japan. The shop displays the sake like books on the shelves. The cups were originally designed to be sold locally, so they have distinctive designs unique to regions and breweries. As they come in small portions, people can enjoy comparing different flavors of sake from different breweries. About 15 years ago, an 84-year-old liquor shop representative, Tatsuo Tojo, came up with … Continue reading

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Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama, also an advocate for agriculture, dies

TOKYO, March 9 — Akira Toriyama, a manga artist from Nagoya who created world-famous works including “Dr. Slump” and “Dragon Ball,” died of acute subdural hematoma on March 1. He was 68. Toriyama advocated the importance of agriculture and rural villages, and his adventure manga focusing on food education, titled “Oishii Shima no U-sama” (Delicious Island’s Mr. U) and published in 2009, is still loved by many children today. “Oishii Shima no U-sama” is an 18-page, A5-size full-color booklet included in “Agri Guruguru School,” a learning material for fifth-grade elementary school children produced by an agricultural and livestock industries promotion council of Aisai, Aichi Prefecture. The main character of the … Continue reading

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Traditional wasabi production in central Japan makes use of plentiful spring water

SHIZUOKA, March 4 — Shizuoka Prefecture is Japan’s top producer of wasabi — the quintessential seasoning of Japanese cuisine that the country boasts to the world. The native Japanese plant, whose lower part of the stems are grated to make spice that stimulates the nose with a sharp flavor, has been grown in a traditional way in Shizuoka, and the wasabi cultivation making use of abundant spring water, geological features and weather conditions has been added to the list of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The Ikadaba wasabi fields in the city of Izu in the central Izu Peninsula are made up … Continue reading

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