Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

TOKYO, Oct. 8 — JA ZEN-NOH Meat Foods Co., a meat seller of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives group, and Japan Airlines (JAL) began on Oct. 7 selling wagyu beef and taking care of quarantine procedures for people flying abroad. The service will allow people traveling to the United States and Singapore using JAL flights departing Haneda and Narita airports to purchase wagyu beef products sold by JA ZEN-NOH Meat Foods and have them clear quarantine procedures for export by JAL. By making it easier and more convenient for travelers to buy wagyu beef to take out of Japan, the companies hope to boost overseas wagyu consumption and increase awareness of … Continue reading →

HOKKAIDO, Oct. 7 — Shipments of pumpkins used for Halloween decorations are in full swing in the town of Chippubetsu, Hokkaido. The Kitasorachi region including the town is Japan’s major producing area of ornamental pumpkins. Some 50 farms in Chippubetsu grow ornamental pumpkins of different shapes and sizes on fields totaling 12 hectares. The pumpkins include Kyoryu no Tamago (dinosaur’s egg), a fist-size variety with distinctive green stripes, and Atlantic Giant, a cultivar that could grow to weigh more than 100 kilograms. Akiko Nakanishi, 50, a pumpkin grower in the town, lines up harvested pumpkins inside a greenhouse to be wind dried. She is busy polishing them by hand and … Continue reading →

IBARAKI, Oct. 3 – Ibaraki Prefecture, the biggest chestnut producer in Japan, began offering a hot new boxed gift product, a homemade Mont Blanc kit. The kit includes chestnut paste, a Mont Blanc squeezer (called Odamaki in Japan), a recipe, and more for everyone to enjoy making the classic dessert at home. The prefecture aims to encourage people to enjoy fresh, homemade Mont Blanc and promote the region, taking advantage of the Japanese chestnut boom. The name of the boxed gift is Kasama-no-Okurimono, a gift from Kasama, a region known for producing high-quality chestnuts. You should also note that they use a Chinese character for chestnuts in writing ’kuri (chestnuts … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sept. 29 — Beniharuka had the largest acreage in Japan among all sweet potato varieties including those for cooking, brewing and producing starch, according to a survey by the agriculture ministry. In the 2022 harvest season, Beniharuka’s cropping acreage was 7,055 hectares, up 5 percent from a year before. It took over the top position long held by Koganesengan, whose total planted area was 6,613 hectares in 2022. Beniharuka occupied the top share of 22 percent in terms of acreage, as it gained support of growers for high-yielding, quality crops, as well as its sticky texture and rich sweetness. While half of the planted areas are located in Ibaraki … Continue reading →

YAMAGATA, Sep. 29 – In Oe City, Yamagata Prefecture, there is an art craft called Momono-mi Kogeihin, made from peach seeds thrown away at local canned fruit plants. It’s one of the town and prefecture’s thank-you gifts for hometown tax programs. The local specialty items are produced at a local studio called Momono-mi Kobo (Peach Seeds Studio). According to Noriyasu Kamoda, the studio’s 70-year-old owner, the craft is one of a kind in Japan. The studio purchases peach seeds from a local canned fruit factory in Sagae City, Yamagata Prefecture, which makes canned peach from the fruits grown in Yamagata. The seeds are washed and dried for about eight years, … Continue reading →