Category Archives: Photos

【News】 Agriculture, Commerce and Industry Hook up to Promote Local Agriculture Produce (Nov. 30, 2014)

Kotaro Yamada – Vegetable Treasure Ship (Mishima-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture)  – The Youth Group of the Mishima Kannami Agricultural Cooperatives (JA Mishima Kannami) and the Young Entrepreneurs Group (YEG) of the Commerce and Industry of Mishima (CCI Mishima) have joined hands to promote local agricultural produce. They dedicate a wooden boat packed with locally-grown vegetables to the Mishima Taisha Shrine in Mishima-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture, on November 23, the day of Niinamesai harvest festival, successfully making it a new attraction of the festival. Their presentation of the 4-meter-long treasure ship with local vegetables on the stage is already one of the highlights of the festival. The wooden boat was made jointly by … Continue reading

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【Series】 Japanese food worth sharing with world – Abura-fu Donburi from Tome-shi, Miyagi Prefecture (Nov. 21, 2014)

  Bowl of rice topped with Abura-fu cooked in mouth-watering sweet-salty soup broth. Umami-rich Donburi to delight everyone’s palate Abura-fu Donburi is a bowl of rice topped with fried wheat gluten (Abura-fu), onions and eggs cooked together in sweet-salty seasoned soup broth. Now it is well-known as a gourmet dish from Tome-shi, Miyagi Prefecture. The soft creamy egg, sweet-savory onions and juicy wheat gluten match perfectly with white rice and the deep flavor of the broth stimulates your appetite. Abura-fu is made by deep-frying wheat gluten bars in vegetable oil. It’s a traditional local food of Tome-shi and was one of the ingredients for the vegetarian plate that was served … Continue reading

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【News】 Here comes red big talisman! (Nov. 16, 2014)

Kotaro Yamada – Ushi-oni (Shimanto-shi, Kochi Prefecture)  – Every year in early November, a float of a red big Ushi-oni bull-faced demon figure goes around in the Tosa area in Shimanto-shi, Kochi Prefecture. The parade is part of the Hage Tenmangu Shrine’s Autumn Festival. The unique talisman figure walks through the village, making a procession down the Chinkabashi bridge, with local villagers walking along, and acting up in the shrine, all in order to thank God after the yearly harvest in rather a dynamic way. Hage, a home of the Hage Tenmangu Shrine, is a village located alongside the Shimanto River. Approximately 60 families living in the village all join … Continue reading

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【News】 Hot pots with piece of cake on top? (Nov. 16, 2014)

Hiromi Chiba Hot pots with savory pieces of cakes and cute animals on top. This is becoming a new trend among Japanese families who want to add a new twist to the Japanese traditional winter dish. Don’t worry. The figures are actually made of grated Japanese radish in a way they call “daikon oroshi art (grated Japanese radish art)”. Kazuyo Yamazaki, 35, is also the one who learnt about the daikon oroshi art on the Internet and introduced it to her family. First, she prepares usual hot pot ingredients in the pot. Then she creates some kid-friendly figures such as pieces of cakes and animals using grated daikon. She also … Continue reading

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【News】 Take a walk in the stars! (Nov. 2, 2014)

  Hiroki Arai – Bamboo Lantern Festival (Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture) – In Kanagawa Prefecture, community groups are already playing an important role in managing, and conserving bamboo forests while using them as a symbol for enlivening communities, under the leadership of a non-profit organization, NPO Japan Bamboo Fan Club. On October 25, 2014, the NPO held the 11th Bamboo Lantern Festival at Kozukue-joshi Shimin-no-Mori park in Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, and turned the park into a stadium of stars. More than 5,000 bamboo lanterns were used to create the fantastic sceneries along the walkways in the bamboo forest of approximately 2,000 square meters. Volunteers lit all the floating candles in … Continue reading

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