Category Archives: Photos

FUKUSHIMA, Jan. 4 – Farming villages in Japan are filled with dazzling arrays of colors. Here in Fukushima, you’ll find one of the best sights from the villages with a very long farming history. Trains are running on the JR Suigun Line through the golden countryside of Asagawa Town, Fukushima Prefecture. In October 2019, Japan Railways shut down some parts of the Suigun Line when heavy rain caused by a typhoon washed out some bridges over flooded rivers. The rain also left severe damage to local rice growers as it broke down the Yashiro River, which flows through the town. After one year and five months, in March 2021, the … Continue reading →

NIIGATA, Dec. 14 – This is neko-chigura, a woven cat house made of rice stalks. As the number of cat lovers increases in Japan, Sekikawa Tourist Information Center “Nya-mu” in Sekikawa Village, Niigata Prefecture, is receiving a growing number of inquiries about the products from all over the country. At Nya-mu, you can see local crafters demonstrating the production process of the handmade huts. Neko-chigura is a folk craft derived from chigura, traditional rice straw baskets for babies of farmers working out in the fields some time ago. Its history began about forty years ago when Sekikawa villagers started to make them as unique local products. The straw cradles are … Continue reading →

WAKAYAMA, Dec. 7 – Young Japanese ume fruits growers and designers in Wakayama Prefecture collaborated to produce heart-shaped ume pickles using nanko-ume, the best Japanese apricot brand in Japan. The photogenic traditional fermented sour pickles (called ume-boshi in Japanese) will grab the hearts of young people, they said. They’re whole pieces of deseeded ume-boshi which are molded using heart-shaped frames. The repeated use of food driers made them drier and thicker in texture. A team of 15 ume apricot farmers in their 20s and 30s in Minabe Town and Tanabe City in Wakayama Prefecture and designers of a Wakayama-based company specializing in developing and selling ume products, moro molo, developed … Continue reading →

AICHI, Jul. 19 – A new crane game service that allows you to catch local specialties remotely via the Internet is becoming popular in Japan. It’s called “Furusato Catcher.” It’s an online service for you to enjoy your stay-at-home time while supporting people in the agricultural and tourist industries suffering economic damages due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Approximately 60 game machines stand in a roadside warehouse in Oharu Town, Aichi Prefecture. There are no players in the building, which is rather quiet, unlike usual game arcades. Only the arms in the machines are moving busily, trying to catch prizes. The catchers are controlled by online players all over the country. … Continue reading →

AICHI, Jul. 16 – A trial use of hawks to get rid of crows out of fruits growing areas started on July 15, 2021, in Obu City, Aichi Prefecture. The city will release trained hawks regularly at a local pear orchard to protect the fruits, which are now almost ready for harvest. Once the measure’s effectiveness is confirmed, the city plans to make it a standard pest bird control method in the area. The demonstration is ongoing at a 1.5-hectare orchard of a 77-year-old local pear and peach grower, Yoshichika Kuwayama. The city has asked the Nagoya branch of a pest bird control specialist, Oyodo Corporation Ptex, to do the … Continue reading →