Category Archives: Others

CHIBA, Jul. 27 – Chiba Prefecture is strengthening efforts to eradicate wild snapping turtles by catching many in a short period. The foreign amphibians become active from May to September. So, the prefecture is setting approximately 800 turtle traps in rivers and agricultural canals in the Inba-numa area, in which the turtles’ population density is high. An estimated 6,500 turtles were roaming Chiba Prefecture at the end of FY2019. This year, the prefecture plans to catch 1,197 to reduce the population steadily. “What a haul! That’s beyond expectation!” In mid-July, three prefecture officials gathered at an agricultural canal in Yotsukaido City and screamed. The snapping turtle population density in the … Continue reading →

HIROSHIMA, August 26 -When the downpours that started on August 11 hit the greenhouses of a 51-year-old farmer in Akitakata City, Hiroshima Prefecture, he had a bunch of social media connected friends, 15 of them mainly from Hiroshima, to come and help his restoration work. The farmer, Koji Okada, is a YouTuber, or NohTuber (“Noh” means agriculture in Japanese), who usually talks about all the good things about being a farmer on the online video-sharing site. This time, however, he posted a report on the severe water damage. Then, his friend NohTuber saw the video and called on his friends on social networking services (SNS) to support Okada’s restoration works. … Continue reading →

SAGA, Aug.19 – The heavy rain on Japan’s third-largest island started on August 11 and continued for a week by August 18. The deluge of an unprecedented level for this time of the year is causing devastating damage to the tea and other agricultural production in Kyushu. The rainfall continues on and off, making it hard to grasp the whole picture of the damage. In Ureshino City, Saga Prefecture, the total rainfall for the week (from August 11 to August 18, 9 p.m.) reached 1,171 millimeters. As of August 18, the city confirmed damages at 58 local tea gardens, including landslides and collapsed anti-frost wind machines. At two tea gardens … Continue reading →

YAMANASHI, Jul. 30 – A local agricultural cooperative in Yamanashi Prefecture sold a limited number of peaches with an image of a popular Sanrio character, “Hello Kitty.” One of the world’s most popular cat and the JA Fruits Yamanashi collaborated to promote the consumption of the local summer fruits. The JA used Yamanashi’s patented technology to “print” the image on locally-grown “Natsukko” white peaches, which are currently in high season. Approximately two weeks before harvesting, peach growers wrapped each one of the fruits on the trees with a stocking with a light-blocking sticker to make the cute character appear clearly on the skin of the fruit. Last year, they printed … Continue reading →

KAGAWA, Jun. 3 – “Bonsai is not just a grandpa’s hobby but something good for the entire family to enjoy.” To deliver such a message, Hanazawa Myoshun En, a bonsai and wild grass and tree grower based in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, created an animation film named “Family Bonsai” and posted it on YouTube. To make it free from fixed ideas, the characters in the story are a family of unidentified nationality. To make it open to non-Japanese visitors, all the conversations are written in English and have Japanese subtitles. It’s a story of a little girl naming and taking care of her own bonsai with her family. The simple … Continue reading →