Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

TOKYO, Aug. 6 — The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization announced that it has developed Sogetsu, a new cultivar of Japanese pear with very early maturity. The pear variety with yellow-green skin can be shipped to markets in the Kanto region before the Bon holidays in mid-August even in outdoor cultivation, meaning the pears can be marketed at high prices to meet the increase in demand for the fruit, as it is typically offered as gifts during that time. Sogetsu can be cultivated in pear producing areas throughout the country. The saplings are expected to be put on sale in the autumn of 2026 or later. The fruit weighs … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Aug. 4 — The National Federation of Agriculture Cooperative Associations known as JA ZEN-NOH began distributing milk to hotels free of charge to be offered to guests as welcome drinks. By taking the move in cooperation with Resol Holdings Co., a hotel chain operator in Mobara, Chiba Prefecture, JA ZEN-NOH hopes to support dairy farmers by boosting raw milk consumption during the summer holidays when school lunches, where milk is a regular part of the menu, are suspended and demand for milk shrinks. It is the first attempt by JA ZEN-NOH to collaborate with the hotel industry that enters a busy season during the period. Three milk brands will … Continue reading →

KYOTO, Aug. 4 – The Anraku-ji Temple in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, held a Shishigatani Squash (Kabocha) Memorial Dedication on July 25. It is a traditional event with a history of about 230 years, supported by local farmers, that serves visitors simmered squash and prays for their health.At 6:00 in the morning, Chief Priest Koujun Ito, 39, and approximately 50 local Buddhist parishioners began cooking squashes in large deep pots for approximately 1,000 visitors. The sweet aroma of simmering kabocha and the lively sound of cutting their hard skin filled the air around the temple. They used a traditional vegetable in Kyoto called Shishigatani Kabocha, a squash with a distinct gourd-like … Continue reading →

NAGASAKI, July 29 — Shigemitsu Tanaka, 84, of the city of Nagasaki, who serves as co-chair of Nobel Peace Prize winner Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, has spoken about the significance of food security based on experiences of food shortages during and after World War II, during an interview with The Japan Agricultural News. I was four years old when an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945. I was deeply shocked and the incident lingers in my memory. A sudden explosive sound and a blast hit and all the glass windows of the house I was staying … Continue reading →

NIIGATA, Jul. 25 – Pet shop signboards in the countryside in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, are attracting visitors from both inside and outside Niigata, after being featured by a 37-year-old ex-Akihabara-maid, Zuna Niina (a pen name). While working as a maid at a maid-themed café restaurant in Akihabara, Tokyo, she also participated in the bucket rice growing challenge on the roof of the Japan Agricultural News building. After getting married, she moved to Nagaoka City and discovered the local treasure, which has become as popular as they are now, being featured in a return gift for hometown tax donations from Nagaoka City.Niina, born in Tokyo, worked part-time at one of … Continue reading →