Category Archives: Others

TOKYO, Dec. 16 – On December 13, the cheering squad formed by all the students of Tokyo University of Agriculture held its last joint practice for cheering runners advancing to the 102nd Tokyo-Hakone Round-Trip College Ekiden Race (Hakone Ekiden) for the 71st time in total and the first in two years. The practice was joined by approximately 70 students in total, including the leaders dressed in student uniforms, brass band members, and cheerleaders. They dance to famous cheerleading school songs such as Aoyama Hotori, known as the Daikon (white radish) Dance, and Midori no Seiei, and they exchange ideas to improve the performance. In Hakone, they plan to help their … Continue reading →

IWATE, Mar. 16 – Shoes made of leather from Iwate Tankaku cattle, a rare Japanese shorthorn breed that accounts for less than 1% of beef cows in Japan, have made a debut. This is the first time that domestic cowhide has been used as shoe material by Regal Corporation. The long-standing shoemaker in Japan began producing them at its two factories in Iwate Prefecture. The all-new leather shoes are made entirely in Iwate, from the materials to the making. Iwate Tankaku cattle are raised on pasture with their parents from spring to autumn in a low-stress environment. Therefore, its leather has an excellent texture, a lower fat content, and quality … Continue reading →

TOYAMA, Dec. 1 – Pairs of socks sold by Sukeno Co., Ltd., a socks manufacturer based in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, are selling well. The “Sushi Socks,” which look like sushi when rolled up, are popular, particularly among inbound tourists, and the company has sold 220,000 pairs so far. There are nine types, including ikura fish eggs, tako octopus, and masu-zushi, traditional sushi in Toyama made using sliced trout or cherry salmon. The manufacturer uses white yarn for rice parts and yarns in five to six colors for sushi ingredient parts so that they look tactile. By rolling and tucking a sock in its cuff, you can make it look … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Nov. 4 — A building material for interiors using soil from vegetable fields was created and used at a store in Tokyo. The material is produced by casting clay into forms and drying them just like sun-dried bricks. It can absorb and release humidity, and also has the ability to fix carbon. It is an eco-friendly material that can also be crushed and reused. Imomatsu, a food store in Tokyo, requested an architect to develop the material in order to make its interiors match the store’s goal of promoting the attractiveness of the vegetables it sells. The architect created the material using soil taken from fields in the town … Continue reading →

TOKYO, May 28 – Giving silver vines to cats? Yes, but lisianthus flowers can also make your cats happy. The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) has published that lisianthus flowers possess scent components like iridoids and actinidine, like silver vine, which attract cats. This is the first time these components have been found in the types of flowers sold as cut flowers. This property will likely become a new advantage of lisianthus, which is already famous for its wide variety of colors and shapes and good keeping quality. NARO analyzed 13 breeds, including New Lination White, with a weak, sweet scent. Then, 36 chemical compounds, including iridoids and … Continue reading →