Category Archives: Others

【News】 WTO members urge China, South Korea and Taiwan to agree on expanding zero-tariff digital products (May 13, 2015)

  Satoko Adachi – Geneva Amid unclear prospects over negotiations to eliminate tariffs on additional high-technology products under the World Trade Organization, industrialized countries such as Japan, the United States and the European Union are stepping up pressure on China, South Korea and Taiwan to come to agreement on the list of items. They are eager to settle the negotiations on the expanded Information Technology Agreement (ITA) before the summer break in order for member countries to conclude the talks at its ministerial meeting scheduled in Nairobi in December. However, the talks remain stalled after South Korea and Taiwan expressed opposition to an agreement reached between the U.S. and China … Continue reading

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【News】 Food manufacturers focusing on onomatopoeia to promote mouthfeel (April 28, 2015)

“Pari,” (crisp) “puchi” (pop) and “saku saku” (crunch)  – these are some of the onomatopoeia, or words that imitate sounds, that Japanese food manufacturers recently highlight to advertise the mouthfeel of their products. More and more food makers are making use of a rich vocabulary of onomatopoeia in the Japanese language to attract new customers and boost sales of their existing lineup of items. Companies are introducing unique campaigns, such as asking consumers to taste their product and vote on what they think is the most appropriate term to express its mouthfeel, or offering recipes which make the most of their products’ texture. Tokyo-based Morinaga Milk Industry Co. is conducting … Continue reading

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【News】 Enjoy your big day in town blessed with scent of flowers (April 19, 2015)

Kazuhiro Eguchi – Peach Garden Wedding (Fuefuki-shi, Yamanashi Prefecture) – If you want to make your wedding something very special, how about getting married in Fuefuki-shi, Yamanashi Prefecture, surrounded by peach flowers in full bloom? It’s a “Peach Garden Wedding” proposed by farmers in Japan’s famous peach-growing town and a non-profit organization (NPO), Fuefuki Shunkan Net. The town of Fuefuki is located on the east of the Kofu basin and has a delta that stretches from Mts. Misaka and is formed by the Fuefuki River. The “Peach Garden Wedding” can take place in April when the town filled with peach gardens turns pink as hundreds of thousands of peach flowers … Continue reading

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【News】 Fire your imagination (April 12, 2015)

-Bonsai Art Museum (Saitama-shi, Saitama Prefecture)- Kotaro Yamada The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Saitama, is the world’s first and only publicly-run bonsai museum where visitors can enjoy looking at masterpieces of bonsai and learn how to appreciate its history. Located in Saitama-shi, Saitama Prefecture, which is known for having many local bonsai nurseries and experts since the Taisho Era, it’s expected to play an important role in promoting Japanese culture. “You’ll find it more interesting when you look it at from underneath as if you are a dwarf,” said Shinichiro Hayashi, a 35-year-old curator of the museum and his advice was very true with a 95 centimeter tall Chaenomeles sinensis … Continue reading

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【News】 10,000 “matobi” bonfires (March 29, 2015)

-Lightings to welcome spring and ancestors’ souls (Kamikoani Village, Akita Prefecture)- Kotaro Yamada On the Spring Equinox Day, great big Chinese characters are lit up on fire in the villages alongside the Koani River in the northern part of Akita Prefecture. The seven-day period starting three days before Spring Equinox Day and ending three days after is called “higan”, which is a time when people in Japan pay their respects to ancestors. These special bonfires are called “matobi”, which literally means “10,000 bonfires,” and placed on the night of the spring equinox to entertain ancestors’ souls. This unique festival is held in Kamikoani and other villages in Akita Prefecture as … Continue reading

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