Category Archives: Photos

Sun and wind make rice taste even better!

AOMORI, Sept. 21 — Bokake, a traditional method for drying rice, began in one of the rice-producing regions in Hirosaki city, Aomori Prefecture. Bokake, which means hanging rice on a pole in Japanese, is a traditional way for drying rice by hanging them on a pole under the sunlight for two to three weeks. Here at Makanae region in Hirosaki city, farmers set up poles of approximately 2.5 meters and hang approximately 50 bundles of rice around each pole. An 83-year-old farmer, Kikue Jin, her family, and relatives have just finished the work with 150 poles in her rice field. “We’ve been doing this for about 50 years. Sun and … Continue reading

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Wagyu beef feeders compete in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, to win title of best beef in Japan

The 11th National Competitive Exhibition of Wagyu (Japanese beef cattle) was held during five days from September 7th to 11th in Sendai city, Miyagi Prefecture. 513 heads of bulls and cows from 39 prefectures participated in the quinquennial competition, where prefectures compete with pride and confidence in the shapes and the meat quality of their best wagyu. The judges this year gave the grand prize to Kagoshima Prefecture, which is the host of the next national exhibition. The venue also had booths for visitors to try beef from across the country and attracted 417,000 visitors in 5 days.

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【Series】 Our Noh no Ikebana:“I use ripe agricultural products to express joys in late summer,” says Tokiko Shimizu from Ibaraki city, Ibaraki Prefecture (Sep. 1)

Tokiko Shimizu, 75, from Ibaraki city, Ibaraki Prefecture, talked about the fun of Noh no Ikebana. “Overgrown vegetables are often thrown away, but with Noh no Ikebana, they can be excellent materials. I sometimes remove the leaves or hold them upside down to think about how I can arrange them. I enjoy doing so very much. I usually make my arrangement with seasonal agricultural products and flowers from my farmland and garden and put it in the entrance hall. As containers, I often chose thing like a wooden well bucket. They often catch the attention of my visitors and give us a fun topic to talk about. Some people said … Continue reading

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Sumibon newly-styled bonsai art becoming hot fresh local specialty in Nagano Prefecture

NAGANO, Aug. 29 ─ A new type of bonsai produced by a youth dispatched to a local government in Nagano Prefecture through a program called “the local community development caravan” is now gathering attention for its potential of becoming a new local specialty. The producer of the new form of bonsai art, called sumibon in Japanese, is Tomonobu Asano, 35. Currently, he works in Nobushina, Nagano Prefecture, mainly to make better use of idle lands. Asano, who started to help the region in June last year, learned one day that an 82-year-old local rice farmer, Chikao Sekiguchi, makes charcoal on his own and enjoys sumibon as his hobby. Then, the … Continue reading

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Sumibon newly-styled bonsai art becoming hot fresh local specialty in Nagano Prefecture

A new type of bonsai produced by a youth dispatched to a local government in Nagano Prefecture through a program called “the local community development caravan” is now gathering attention for its potential of becoming a new local specialty. The producer of the new form of bonsai art, called sumibon in Japanese, is Tomonobu Asano, 35. Currently, he works in Nobushina, Nagano Prefecture, mainly to make better use of idle lands. Asano, who started to help the region in June last year, learned one day that an 82-year-old local rice farmer, Chikao Sekiguchi, makes charcoal on his own and enjoys sumibon as his hobby. Then, the two men worked together … Continue reading

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