Category Archives: Food & Agriculture

TOKYO, June 12 — National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) announced on June 11 that it has developed Benitsurugi, a new columnar apple variety. Columnar apple trees grow in an upright form without the branches extending horizontally like in typical apple trees, making it easier for growers to manage them and enabling them to harvest the fruit using picking machines, leading to improved work efficiency. It is a mid-season variety and is comparable to major varieties in terms of quality such as sugar content, NARO said. It is the first time a columnar apple grown for eating raw that meet a certain standard was developed in Japan. It took … Continue reading →

SHIMANE, May 23 – “Night Strawberry Picking” in Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture, is becoming a popular tourist attraction. The unique experience of picking strawberries in an illuminated greenhouse to break the plants’ dormancy is drawing in repeat visitors. The Omori Farm of Strawberries in Yasugi City began the night event in 2021 as a seasonal event in May every year. The farm is open to visitors five days a week (closed on Monday and Friday) at night from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The greenhouse is lit to break the dormancy of strawberry plants, creating a unique atmosphere for the attraction, and you get to enjoy picking two varieties, Kaorino … Continue reading →

HYOGO, May 22 — Oriental white storks can be seen searching for food near farmers preparing rice paddies in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, a town aiming to coexist with the birds designated in Japan as a specially protected species. In the Tajima area, which includes Toyooka, farmers, local authorities and an agricultural cooperative work together to implement stork-friendly farming — growing rice with reduced use of pesticides and no use of chemical fertilizers. They also adopt other environment-friendly measures including winter flooding — keeping irrigation water in rice fields during winter to maintain biodiversity — and the use of organic fertilizers. Biotopes are developed using fallow fields to provide a habitat … Continue reading →

TOKYO, May 14 – According to the farm ministry of Japan, a substantial increase is seen in the number of Japanese primary and junior high schools incorporating gibier, including meat from locally hunted deer and wild boars, into their school lunch menus. The figure has increased to nearly 1,000, a record-high and 2.5 times compared to five years ago. This trend comes amidst ongoing reports of agricultural damage caused by wild birds and animals nationwide. As the bill for the amendment of the Basic Act on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas, which is expected to pass during the current Diet session, encourages the use of wildlife meat for school lunch, … Continue reading →