Category Archives: Photos

【Series】 Our Noh no Ikebana : “We celebrated shop opening by autumn flowers and vegetables” says Tamiko Katsuge from Hino city, Tokyo(Dec. 1)

I met Noh no Ikebana 12 years ago at one of the gatherings of female farmers in Hino city, Tokyo. The group, Michikusa-kai, invited a lecturer from a Noh no Ikebana club in Tokyo and I was so thrilled to know ordinary items like vegetables and flowers can be combined to make such an artistic presentation. It was also very happy to see my vegetables looking so beautiful in the arrangement. I currently work with 15 other members of a local Noh no Ikebana club, and exhibit arrangements at local events such as annual symposiums on urban farming held by Hino city. Events are where we can enjoy various outputs … Continue reading

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Japanese tea machine maker invents portable tea canisters

SHIMADA, Nov. 19 — Drink your tea anywhere, anytime. That’s the concept for Katsuyoshi Asahara when he invented a new tea canister. It resembles a marker pen and it’s fairly compact. Push the pen point gently so that the tea powder is released into your cup. Then pour hot water. Voilà, the tea is ready. There are seven different types of tea powder, including Japanese green tea and oolong tea, explains the president of Shimada-based Asahara Industry in Shizuoka prefecture, one of the tea-growing regions in Japan. Asahara calls the tea canisters “Cha-ckee,” named after a popular marker pen brand “Hi-Mckee” made by Japanese stationary manufacturer Zebra. “I hope people … Continue reading

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Agricultural heritage in Japan: Living and farming on steep mountains for more than 400 years in Nishi Awa region, Tokushima Prefecture

TOKUSHIMA, Nov. 12 – Peak season for buckwheat harvest began in the fields in the mountains in the western part of Tokushima Prefecture, in the area designated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries as one of the agricultural heritages in Japan in 2016. The steep slope farming system here in Nishi Awa region is very unique, traditional, and considered so rare in the world that it’s one of the candidates for the world agricultural heritage of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Nishi Awa comprises four areas: Mima, Miyoshi, Tsurugi, and Higashi-Miyoshi. At the sloped fields in a 350-meter-high-altitude Sakurai Village in Tsurugi town, a … Continue reading

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Greenhouses glowing at night to grow high-quality chrysanthemums (in Tahara town, Aichi Prefecture)

AICHI, Nov. 5 – A number of greenhouses are glowing and creating a breathtaking night view in Tahara town, Aichi Prefecture. What creates this most spectacular scenery is lighting in chrysanthemum nurseries set by local farmers. In other words, it’s the latest skills and techniques of farmers that light up one of Japan’s largest chrysanthemum producers. You can enjoy the magnificent night view from a lookout at the height of approximately 150 meters in the park called Akabane Bunka no Mori. At around 9 p.m., glowing greenhouses appeared in the darkness as the farmers turned on the lights to keep the short-day plant nurseries bright. The greenhouses were lit up … Continue reading

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【Series】 Our Noh no Ikebana : “Wildflowers are good to express satoyama landscapes” says Teruko Hoshino from Akita city, Akita Prefecture (Nov. 3)

“My first encounter with Noh no Ikebana was an open class held regularly by Midori net–Akita, an Akita-based association that support local agricultural infrastructure development. The idea of making something artistic out of agricultural products moved me so much that I decided to joint the team and help it organize the open classes and promotional activities. Akita has an active agricultural industry, but not many of Akita people living in urban areas are interested in agriculture. Then, how can I make more people interested in agriculture? I have been thinking about it for a long time. So Noh no Ikebana is the best tool for communicating the charm of agriculture … Continue reading

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