Category Archives: Others

【News】 Never ever push me from the back! (Sept. 6, 2015)

Kotaro Yamada Narita Dream Dairy Farm, a guest ranch in Narita-shi, Chiba Prefecture, has a bridge exclusively designed for goats. It’s a popular attraction for visitors to see goats walking in the air. Wooden panels are fixed on logs to make the goatwalk of about 50 meters long, 18 centimeters wide and 2.5 meters high. It was built in July 2011 to allow goats, which love heights, can play on it. Goats climb up and walk on the narrow bridge quite lightly and easily. Sometimes they fall but never get hurt as they are also good at landing on their feet. The farm has approximately 30 goats and visitors can … Continue reading

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【Editorial】 Japan’s tourism boom an opportunity to expand agricultural income (Sept. 4, 2015)

  Waves of visitors from foreign countries are flocking to Japan, with their number approaching the 2 million mark on a monthly basis. Tourists, especially from Asian countries, are on the rise fueled by the weaker yen, relaxation in visa requirements and an increase in air routes and flights. In order to make this tourism boom a driving force to expand farmers’ income and revitalize rural villages, it is necessary to direct big-spending tourists to regional areas as repeaters. The government and the private sector should work together to take timely and sustainable measures to let it happen. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the number of overseas tourists totaled … Continue reading

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【News】 Forest kindergartens gaining popularity, prompting regional municipalities to promote them to lure young families (Aug. 23, 2015)

Izumi Shirayanagi Forest kindergarten programs, which let preschool children play and learn in a natural environment such as mountains and rice paddies, are becoming increasingly popular in Japan. Spending time outdoors in nature is believed to have a positive impact on children’s development both physically and mentally. Local governments have begun providing assistance to the programs to encourage young families to move in to depopulated rural villages. Forest kindergartens first started in Denmark and Germany as outdoor nurseries without ceilings or walls. In Japan, similar activities are introduced by kindergartens, nurseries, afterschool classes and private childcare groups. According to the national network of forest kindergartens, children of such kindergartens play … Continue reading

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【News】 Egret flowers spreading white wings (Aug. 20, 2015)

Kotaro Yamada In Isezaki-shi, Gunma Prefecture, 8,500 stocks of egret flowers are now in full bloom at “Egret Flower Show.” The show is held by a 71-year-old amateur plant grower, Hiroyuki Ishihara, to offer the public the chance to have a close look at the pearly white blossoms that resemble egret birds in flights. Egret flowers are one type of terrestrial orchids found in wetlands. It actually is one of the near threatened species listed in the Red List of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan. In Gunma Prefecture, it has already become extinct, according to the local government. In Ishihara’s greenhouse, tens of thousands of egret flowers are … Continue reading

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【Series】 World War II 70th Anniversary – Old shore artillery battery looking down at peaceful ocean (July 26, 2015)

Kentarou Tominaga, Kotaro Yamada and Hiroki Arai Miura-shi in Kanagawa Prefecture is known for producing a wide variety of high-quality vegetables. In one of the fields there, however, there is a round flat odd structure that actually fits in the place and everyday life of local residents. It is what remains from an old artillery battery, Kenzaki Battery, built by the Imperial Japanese Army. The facility was built in current Minamishitaura-machi in Miura-shi as a part of the Tokyo Bay Shore military bases developed in Meiji Era and during World War ll. A 6-meter-long 15-inch naval gun was located to protect Tokyo and Yokosuka Military Port. Less was known about … Continue reading

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