Category Archives: Food & Agriculture

TOKYO, Nov. 14 – On November 13, 2023, the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZEN-NOH) completed the lineup of its Nippon Yell brand gummy candies made with fruits unique to each of all 47 prefectures in Japan. In just over two years, it released a total of 63 kinds, drawing consumers’ attention as the products that offer the fun of choosing. In September 2021, ZEN-NOH released the first line of Nippon Yell Gummy Candies, 28 kinds featuring 21 prefectures. Since then, the all-Japan gummy series sold more than 20 million bags by September this year. On November 13, ZEN-NOH released “Nippon Yell Gummy made of Mio Shizuku Strawberry from … Continue reading →

TOKUSHIMA/SAITAMA, Nov. 11 － Shinkame, junmai pure rice sake made from 100 percent Awayamadanishiki brand rice produced in Tokushima Prefecture, collaborated with the special effects film Gamera The Giant Monster in commemoration of the release of a new series. The collaboration version of Shinkame, meaning holy turtle, comes in a bottle with a limited edition label design in which the logo of a turtle is replaced with Gamera. Shinkame is produced by Shinkame Brewery in Saitama Prefecture using rice cultivated in an area covered by JA Awashi, a local farm coop in Awa, Tokushima Prefecture, strictly selected based on soil quality. The limited edition is marketed under the name GAMERA … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Nov. 4 – “Kei Truck Market” was held in Tokyo on November 3, 2023, to sell local products on the beds of Japanese mini trucks dubbed keitora in Japanese. Farmers and several keitora ichi (kei truck market) associations gathered at the venue with more than 50 mini trucks carrying processed products and seasonal agricultural produce, and the venue was full of people enjoying shopping. The event was part of the Japan Mobility Show, an exhibition of the latest automotive technology at the Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward, Tokyo. One of the most popular attractions at the market was an all-you-can-pack sale of green peppers by a truck that … Continue reading →

YAMANASHI, Nov. 6 — The Kyoutou region of Yamanashi Prefecture in central Japan boasts more than 1,200 years history of fruit cultivation and is a place where cultivation of grapes began in Japan. The region, consisting of the cities of Yamanashi, Fuefuki and Koshu, is located in the Kofu basin, roughly 100 kilometers — within a 90-minute drive or train ride — from Tokyo. Most of the agricultural land in this region is located on an alluvial fan with substantial slopes and undulations. Yamanashi Prefecture is the country’s top producer of grapes, peaches and plums, thanks to Kyoutou’s alluvial fan fruit cultivation system, which is included in the list of … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Oct. 24 — Vivid Garden Inc., a firm based in Tokyo’s Minato Ward that operates the Tabechoku online farmers’ market, has offered a set of candy apples using five different apple brands in cooperation with candy apple specialty store Pomme d’Amour Tokyo. The candy apples, which were available for a limited period, were made using apples that had been impacted by the extremely hot weather and turned out to be too small in size to be marketed. The firms came up with the idea in an effort to reduce food losses. The five unique apple varieties used for the candy apples include Gunma Meigetsu which is rarely seen in … Continue reading →