Category Archives: Food & Agriculture

KYOTO, Aug. 4 – The Anraku-ji Temple in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, held a Shishigatani Squash (Kabocha) Memorial Dedication on July 25. It is a traditional event with a history of about 230 years, supported by local farmers, that serves visitors simmered squash and prays for their health.At 6:00 in the morning, Chief Priest Koujun Ito, 39, and approximately 50 local Buddhist parishioners began cooking squashes in large deep pots for approximately 1,000 visitors. The sweet aroma of simmering kabocha and the lively sound of cutting their hard skin filled the air around the temple. They used a traditional vegetable in Kyoto called Shishigatani Kabocha, a squash with a distinct gourd-like … Continue reading →

NAGASAKI, July 29 — Shigemitsu Tanaka, 84, of the city of Nagasaki, who serves as co-chair of Nobel Peace Prize winner Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, has spoken about the significance of food security based on experiences of food shortages during and after World War II, during an interview with The Japan Agricultural News. I was four years old when an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945. I was deeply shocked and the incident lingers in my memory. A sudden explosive sound and a blast hit and all the glass windows of the house I was staying … Continue reading →

NIIGATA, Jul. 25 – Pet shop signboards in the countryside in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, are attracting visitors from both inside and outside Niigata, after being featured by a 37-year-old ex-Akihabara-maid, Zuna Niina (a pen name). While working as a maid at a maid-themed café restaurant in Akihabara, Tokyo, she also participated in the bucket rice growing challenge on the roof of the Japan Agricultural News building. After getting married, she moved to Nagaoka City and discovered the local treasure, which has become as popular as they are now, being featured in a return gift for hometown tax donations from Nagaoka City.Niina, born in Tokyo, worked part-time at one of … Continue reading →

HIROSHIMA, Jul. 22 – Agricultural and dairy farmers want to live ordinary lives. On July 21, dairy, rice, and vegetable farmers from Hiroshima Prefecture held a tractor demonstration, which they referred to as the “Peasant Uprising,” in Kitahiroshima Town, Hiroshima Prefecture, to urge the importance of realizing sustainable agriculture. The event was attended by approximately 70 people from all over Hiroshima, with producers and consumers united in calling for, for example, increased milk consumption. A total of 22 vehicles, including tractors, light-duty trucks, and a medi-car for heatstroke prevention, with flags that read “Income Compensation for All Farmers” and so on, marched approximately two kilometers, with other participants on foot … Continue reading →

CHIBA, July 22 — Adam, an AI-equipped, cargo-carrying robot that tracks and follows humans, has recently been used in orchard farming, contributing to saving labor in a variety of farm work including harvesting and weeding.   Adam, developed by agriculture IT startup Kisui Tech in Sendai, is a four-wheel drive transport vehicle that can be loaded with up to 300 kilograms of cargo.   AI allows the robot to recognize humans and follow specific people. It can also drive autonomously to preset destinations.   Farmers can operate the robot remotely using a controller. It comes with a grass cutting attachment that can be used for weeding in orchards.   The … Continue reading →