Category Archives: Photos

Kale is no longer just an ingredient of bitter unpleasant aojiru green juice. Today, it’s cool to eat kale salad or kale soup for its super high nutrition value above all. It’s 50 times richer in beta-carotene than cabbage (Beta-carotene helps maintain healthy skin.) The popularity of kale is as a superfood is growing in Japan mainly among young beauty-conscious women, following the endorsement of models and celebrities at home and abroad.

A tree of full-blown cherry blossom is standing right next to a rice paddy, mirrored on the water and providing a magnificent view to both locals and tourists in Haibaramorokino, Uda-shi, Nara Prefecture. The tree of approximately 80 years old is also known as “Mirror Cherry Blossoms” as its reflection on the still water is so beautiful. The rice field belongs to a 78-year-old rice grower, Manji Sasaoka. On April 12, 2016, he was busy preparing for rice planting under the cherry blossoms in full bloom. “The blossoms and the water are in perfect harmony. Farmers here are getting older with many giving up their rice fields. But I want … Continue reading →

The earthquake destroyed houses, downed hydro poles and pushed up manholes. It attacked farmers and their villages in the central part of Kyushu island while they were preparing for the coming busy season. Scores have been killed or injured by the strongest earthquake to hit Kyushu with a magnitude 7 in Mashiki-cho, Kumamoto Prefecture that knocked down houses and destroyed roads. These photos were taken on April 15, 2016, one day after the first major earthquake to reveal the earthquake’s devastating damages on the agricultural industry in the quake-hit area.