Category Archives: Photos

HACHIMANTAI, Jan. 10 ― Gentian, a brilliant blue flower, grows best in sunny conditions. But Ayumi Miyano, a 36-year-old gentian grower, has tried her luck and experimented with the herb, finding a way to keep her business going even in the freezing temperature in winter. Miyano and her 10 part-time female workers make products, such as candle and herbarium, out of the herb in Hachimantai, Iwate prefecture, known for its gentian-growing region in Japan. They cut the plant when the flowers are just beginning to open and then hang them up for some time. “I’m hoping this can be a place for us to survive in winter,” Miyano smiles.

TOKYO, Jan. 28 ― Surprise your partner with a heart-shaped wagyu steak gift for Valentine’s Day. That was the idea the high-end Japanese department store, Takashimaya, in Tokyo came up with to make Valentine’s Day a special event for customers. The department’s meat sales section is offering online delivery services of these special steaks through Valentine’s Day. It cuts wagyu beef in a heart shape and sells a pair of 120-gram set for loin slice at 6,912 yen and round slice at 4,752 yen.

KAKEGAWA, Jan. 5 ― Japanese tea growers have welcomed the year of the pig in the Chinese zodiac calendar with a giant pig made of “susuki” pampas grass. A group of about 20 tea growers installed the 5-meter-long and 3.5-meter-high pig shaped object at the top of Mt. Awagatake in Kakegawa, Shizuoka prefecture. They used 500 kilograms of silver-colored susuki pampas grass, which is also known as “chagusa,” used for tea cultivation providing natural fertilizer in Shizuoka, a main producer of Japanese green tea.

MIYAZAKI, Jan. 1 – Foreign tourists visiting rural areas in Japan are on the rise. As the Japan National Tourism Organization statistics show, the estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan topped 30 million in 2018, and repeat visitors is also increasing. Foreign tourists with a clear intention to have deeper experiences in Japan are traveling to the countryside to enjoy nature, the unique landscape, tradition, culture and local specialties. Breathtaking scenery Shiiba, a village in Miyazaki Prefecture, is recently attracting foreign visitors with Sennin no Tanada, meaning rice terraces of the hermit. Also referred to as the Machu Picchu of Shiiba, because of the resemblance of the landscape to … Continue reading →