Category Archives: Others

【News】 Kabuki shout echoes through mountains (Sept. 14, 2014)

Hiroki Arai – Hinoemata Kabuki (Hinoemata, Fukushima Prefecture) – Hinoemata Kabuki performed by Hinoemata villagers is one of the traditions that can be traced back to the Edo Period. It was started by a villager who watched a kabuki play in Edo. Learning from what he saw, ancient Hinoemata villagers created Hinoemata Kabuki as a performance in dedication to the gods. Since then, it’s been handed down through generation to generation for more than 270 years. On the evening of September 6, 2014, a shrine located in the central part of the Hinoemata village was packed with people waiting for a kabuki play to begin. It was the day for … Continue reading

Posted in Others, Photos | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Kabuki shout echoes through mountains (Sept. 14, 2014)

【News】 Make ties and sail boats for future (Sept. 7, 2014)

Kotaro Yamada – Reed Boat School (Ishinomaki-shi, Miyagi Prefecture) – Three and a half years ago, the great earthquake hit the eastern part of Japan and tsunami swept away a large part of reed fields along the Kitakami River. Today, a specified non-profit organization (NPO) organized by local residents of Ishinomaki-shi, Miyagi Prefecture, is trying to restore the fields. In late August, it had an event for approximately 30 people, mostly the local and some from other areas, to offer an experience of building reed boats. The event was held for the first time by the organization, inviting Jin Ishikawa, a professional adventurer, as a lecturer. Ishikawa has learnt reed … Continue reading

Posted in Others, Photos | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Make ties and sail boats for future (Sept. 7, 2014)

【Editorial】 Drastic action against climate change needed (Aug. 28, 2014)

  It is highly likely that western Japan will post the worst shortage of sunlight for August after the end of World War II. How should we face the current climate change, in which extreme weather has become the new normal? Time has come for farmers to think of drastic measures to prepare for disasters beyond expectations which have now turned into nothing out of the ordinary. According to the Meteorological Agency, sunlight hours in early August in both the Sea of Japan and the Pacific sides of western Japan were only 20 percent of an average August. If this trend continues throughout the month, the region is likely to … Continue reading

Posted in Food & Agriculture, Others | Tagged | Comments Off on 【Editorial】 Drastic action against climate change needed (Aug. 28, 2014)

【Editorial】 Say no to war on the 69th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II (Aug. 15, 2014)

  Aug. 15 marks the 69th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. The tragic memories of the war are fading as the number of survivors is dwindling and more than 100 million of the Japanese are people born after the war. Amid weathering of wartime memories, the government formally reinterpreted the Constitution, overturning its core principle of pacifism to pave the way for the Self-Defense Forces to exercise military power abroad. Many people, including those who experienced war, have expressed concerns over the current social conditions which they say resemble the time when the war was looming. On the day commemorating the end of war, we should heed … Continue reading

Posted in Food & Agriculture, Others | Tagged | Comments Off on 【Editorial】 Say no to war on the 69th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II (Aug. 15, 2014)

【News】 Fukushima farmers condemn TEPCO and government for not disclosing cesium fallout during debris removal (July 19, 2014)

  Tomokatsu Sowa Farmers of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, criticized the Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the agriculture ministry on Friday, July 18, for failing to make public for nearly a year that radioactive cesium has been dispersed during work last summer to remove debris at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The fallout may have caused radioactive contamination of rice grown in Minamisoma, as cesium exceeding the government limit of 100 becquerels per kilogram was detected in rice harvested last fall in the city, including areas located more than 20 km from the crippled nuclear plant. In a meeting between farmers, local governments, TEPCO and the ministry held in … Continue reading

Posted in Food & Agriculture, Others | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Fukushima farmers condemn TEPCO and government for not disclosing cesium fallout during debris removal (July 19, 2014)