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 →

HIROSHIMA, Jul. 22 – Agricultural and dairy farmers want to live ordinary lives. On July 21, dairy, rice, and vegetable farmers from Hiroshima Prefecture held a tractor demonstration, which they referred to as the “Peasant Uprising,” in Kitahiroshima Town, Hiroshima Prefecture, to urge the importance of realizing sustainable agriculture. The event was attended by approximately 70 people from all over Hiroshima, with producers and consumers united in calling for, for example, increased milk consumption. A total of 22 vehicles, including tractors, light-duty trucks, and a medi-car for heatstroke prevention, with flags that read “Income Compensation for All Farmers” and so on, marched approximately two kilometers, with other participants on foot … Continue reading →

CHIBA, July 22 — Adam, an AI-equipped, cargo-carrying robot that tracks and follows humans, has recently been used in orchard farming, contributing to saving labor in a variety of farm work including harvesting and weeding.   Adam, developed by agriculture IT startup Kisui Tech in Sendai, is a four-wheel drive transport vehicle that can be loaded with up to 300 kilograms of cargo.   AI allows the robot to recognize humans and follow specific people. It can also drive autonomously to preset destinations.   Farmers can operate the robot remotely using a controller. It comes with a grass cutting attachment that can be used for weeding in orchards.   The … Continue reading →

CHIBA, Jul. 12 – Some active-duty Self-Defense Force (SDF) members and corporate workers have formed a five-member team of “Agricultural Self-Defense Force” to encourage SDF officers to choose agriculture as their post-retirement option. The team will provide information and farming techniques to retiring SDF officials to support their engagement in agriculture. It aims to offer a solution to the lack of new employment opportunities for retiring SDL members and address the shortage of agricultural workers. The party aims to attract 100 officials annually by 2035 to join this “4th Self-Defense Force” after retiring the Ground, Maritime, and Air SDF.   In the middle of June, at the hydrangea festival held … Continue reading →

HOKKAIDO, July 9 — Farmage Co., a pasturing equipment seller in the town of Tobetsu, Hokkaido, started selling Grass Money Story, a board game simulating the economics of grazing dairy farming.   The board game was developed based on the company’s knowledge and expertise accumulated through its history of supporting the spread of grazing dairy farming for over 40 years.   People from various age groups can enjoy playing the game and learn the basics of dairy farm management and the benefits of grazing.   The board game, put on sale on July 1, lets players act as dairy farmers, making decisions on pasturing plans, grassland management, cattle management and … Continue reading →