Category Archives: Others

Japan’s Fundodai Goyo unveils new soy sauce with no color

KUMAMOTO, March 6 ― Fundodai Goyo Inc., a Kumatmoto-based maker of soy sauce and miso, has unveiled its new product: soy sauce with no color. To celebrate its 150th anniversary this year, Fundodai Goyo developed the new shoyu, which flavors and seasons like regular soy sauce, color but without reddish-brown color. With no color, the new product doesn’t darken the color of foods. One bottle, or 100 ml, costs 500 yen (about 4.45 dollars).

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JA Hokkaido opens a café in Tokyo to promote local products

TOKYO, March 1 ― A Farmers’ group in northern Japan is seeking to promote their products at a newly opened café in Tokyo, as the farmers are facing an influx of dairy imports due to the landmark trade deals such as the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement. The agricultural cooperatives in Hokkaido, also known as Hokuren, has opened a new outlet “Milkland Hokkaido→Tokyo” at the busy shopping district of Jiyugaoka. The café offers menu that uses Hokkaido-grown farm products such as rice, corn and dairy products. It also offers cooking classes that also use locally made products.

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Ehime teens win national tourism contest ideas for foreigners

SHIKOKUCHUO, Feb. 27 ― Japanese high school students in the Shikoku region has won a national award for their idea to draw foreign tourists to their local attraction: Bonsai. Four students from Doi High School in Ehime prefecture identified the local Akaishi pine is something special to offer and proposed a trip to the Shikokuchuo city to make it a travel destination for foreign tourists. Now, local bonsai co-operatives and a travel company have tied up to realize the students’ idea. They organize a seven-day, six-night trip to the city, which charges 19,800 yen per person. The first trip will be offered to eight foreigners who live in Japan and … Continue reading

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Japan’s JA Bank unveils new animal character image

TOKYO, Feb. 23 ― The Norinchukin Bank, the financial arm of Japan’s agricultural cooperatives, also known as JA Bank, has unveiled its new animal character image, Yorizo. Yorizo is merging the two Japanese words of “yorisou” or being considerate of someone’s feelings and “zou” or elephants. It is designed to alight JA Bank’s new business strategy of listening to its clients carefully.

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Okayama Prefecture to strengthen protection of intellectual property rights abroad for its fruit brands

OKAYAMA, March 18 – The Okayama Prefectural Government will strengthen protection of intellectual property rights abroad for brands of peaches and grapes developed in the prefecture, amid the increase of usurped patent applications filed outside Japan. Starting in fiscal 2019, the prefectural government will conduct research on cases of infringement of intellectual property rights and prepare to register fruit varieties and trademarks in foreign countries, especially in Southeast Asian nations, in addition to Taiwan and Hong Kong which are the key export destinations for fruits produced in Okayama. Okayama Prefecture allocated 7.16 million yen for the project in the fiscal 2019 draft budget, more than triple the amount of 2 … Continue reading

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