Category Archives: Others

HOKKAIDO, Mar. 16 – The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) and Hokkaido University have reported in numerical models that paddy fields contribute to lowering air temperature in summer. They confirmed in the simulations that, on sunny days in summer, the temperature in the area with paddy fields is lower by around 2 degrees than in the urban area and that paddy fields can help control the temperature in a broader area. The research scientifically explained one of the multiple functions of paddy fields. It also finds that this mercury control effect diminishes if carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air increases, and that will make us more susceptible to … Continue reading →

YAMANASHI, Mar. 13 – Yamanashi Prefecture has created a trilogy of videos in English on the prefecture’s official channel on the video-sharing site “YouTube” to present the charms of its agricultural products. It’s part of the initiative to address potential customers overseas, as delivering face-to-face messages is difficult due to the Covid 19 outbreak. The prefecture has posted the three videos, releasing the first one in mid-February. Each content is about two to three minutes long, all spoken in English. They explain that Yamanashi is called the “Fruit Kingdom” and that it participates in the “4 per mille initiative,” a global program to cut carbon dioxide emissions, for the first … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Feb. 16 – Soy milk production from January to December 2020 in Japan was record-high 430,534 kiloliters, according to the survey of Japan Soymilk Association. The use of plain soy milk for home-cooked dishes is expanding. However, the production growth slowed down in the October-December period as the number of convenience store shoppers dropped primarily in business districts due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The production volume of soy milk products in 2020 grew 5.3% year-over-year to 430,534 kiloliters. “People today use soy milk quite regularly for cooking hot pots and other dishes and for coffee,” according to the association.

TOKYO, Jan. 10 – The export of Japanese rice to Greater China (China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong) is surging. The demand for Japanese rice in those markets is growing as more people started to dine at high restaurants and cook more at home, while work-from-home policies are prevailing to stop the spread of the Covid-19. Also, there is a stronger demand from young people there who started to enjoy cooking at home. According to a person involved in the agricultural wholesale market in Beijing, Japanese rice is one of the favorite ingredients among local young home cooks. The number of young people who enjoy cooking at home is increasing due … Continue reading →