Category Archives: Others

Tourists’ spending on foods in Japan hits a record high in 2017

TOKYO, Feb. 12 — Overseas tourists’ spending on foods in Japan surged to a record high in 2017, with the growing worldwide popularity of traditional Japanese cuisine, called washoku. While visiting Japan, overseas tourists spent a record 345.6 billion yen in 2017, up 19% from a year earlier, preliminary estimates from the agriculture ministry showed. Tourists’ spending on Japanese snacks totaled 158.9 billion yen, while that on other foods including sake, tobacco and beverage products was 186.8 billion yen. The top spenders on foods were from China, South Korea and Taiwan, highlighting Japan’s popularity as a destination for Asian neighbors. There was also a growth in visitors from Hong Kong, … Continue reading

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Miyazaki-brand beef included in official Oscars 2018 after-party menu

MIYAZAKI, March 1 – A brand beef from Miyazaki Prefecture is going to be served at the reception after the 90th Academy Awards ceremony in the U.S. on March 4, 2018. It’s the first time for the authentic wagyu brand beef from the prefecture to be included in the buffet menu for the festivity for the film industry. A total of 136 kilograms of Miyazaki-brand beef is to be served to the winners, nominees and guests, a total of 1,500 people, as tartare or small-sized steaks. The proposal of offering Miyazaki wagyu beef at the reception was made by Miyuki Sohara, a Los-Angels-based film director from Miyakono-jo-shi, Miyazaki Prefecture, to … Continue reading

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Japan aims to boost wild game meat sales to cut crop damage

TOKYO, Feb. 11 — Looking for deer meat on sale in Japan? Game meat is famous for being low in fat but high in nutrition. But in Japan, people seldom eat it, so the meat of captured wild animals usually ends up being buried or incinerated. Japan sold 1,283 metric tons of wild game meat in 2016, valued at 3 billion yen, the agriculture ministry said. The ministry initiated hearings from butchering facilities that slaughter wild boar and deer killed by hunters. It said game meats sold to restaurants totaled 1,015 metric tons, accounting for nearly 80 percent of the overall sales. Others were sold as food for domestic animals … Continue reading

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Kasumi Ishikawa visits ZEN-NOH, says “I particularly enjoy eating rice overseas!”

TOKYO, Feb. 8 – Kasumi Ishikawa, a professional table tennis player and a member of the table tennis club of National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZEN-NOH), visited the ZEN-NOH office in Otemachi, Tokyo, on February 7 to update her activities. “I enjoy eating rice after the games overseas,” she said while speaking about what she eats before the games and while traveling overseas. Ishikawa also added that she always bring a rice cooker with her when she goes abroad to play games and that she pays attention to eating a lot of well-balanced food after the games as she loses weight from playing hard. “I’m thankful to ZEN-NOH for … Continue reading

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Japan’s land with unknown owners to reach 7.2mln ha by 2040

TOKYO, Oct. 27 — A glut of property whose owners are unknown could take up some 7.2 million hectares by 2040 in Japan, a governmental group’s study has shown. That area is nearly as big as the whole of the northern island of Hokkaido, said an expert group on unclaimed property set up by the Japanese government at an Oct. 26 press conference. The group pointed out the growing presence of such properties will impede collection of asset taxes by local authorities as well as hamper public work construction and government projects such as consolidation of farmland. As of now, there is an estimated 4.1 million ha of property with … Continue reading

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