Category Archives: Photos

WAKAYAMA, Dec. 7 – Young Japanese ume fruits growers and designers in Wakayama Prefecture collaborated to produce heart-shaped ume pickles using nanko-ume, the best Japanese apricot brand in Japan. The photogenic traditional fermented sour pickles (called ume-boshi in Japanese) will grab the hearts of young people, they said. They’re whole pieces of deseeded ume-boshi which are molded using heart-shaped frames. The repeated use of food driers made them drier and thicker in texture. A team of 15 ume apricot farmers in their 20s and 30s in Minabe Town and Tanabe City in Wakayama Prefecture and designers of a Wakayama-based company specializing in developing and selling ume products, moro molo, developed … Continue reading →

AICHI, Jul. 19 – A new crane game service that allows you to catch local specialties remotely via the Internet is becoming popular in Japan. It’s called “Furusato Catcher.” It’s an online service for you to enjoy your stay-at-home time while supporting people in the agricultural and tourist industries suffering economic damages due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Approximately 60 game machines stand in a roadside warehouse in Oharu Town, Aichi Prefecture. There are no players in the building, which is rather quiet, unlike usual game arcades. Only the arms in the machines are moving busily, trying to catch prizes. The catchers are controlled by online players all over the country. … Continue reading →

AICHI, Jul. 16 – A trial use of hawks to get rid of crows out of fruits growing areas started on July 15, 2021, in Obu City, Aichi Prefecture. The city will release trained hawks regularly at a local pear orchard to protect the fruits, which are now almost ready for harvest. Once the measure’s effectiveness is confirmed, the city plans to make it a standard pest bird control method in the area. The demonstration is ongoing at a 1.5-hectare orchard of a 77-year-old local pear and peach grower, Yoshichika Kuwayama. The city has asked the Nagoya branch of a pest bird control specialist, Oyodo Corporation Ptex, to do the … Continue reading →

FUKUSHIMA, Apr. 5 – The boy began his run in the schoolyard in Abukuma Highlands in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Holding the torch aloft, he placed his feet firmly on the ground. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics have been postponed for one year. The torch relay for the peaceful festivities, which is billed as the “Recovery Olympics” by Japan, set off on March 25 at the J-Village sports complex in the prefecture struck by the 2011 earthquakes and nuclear crisis. The 16-year-old boy, Ryoji Sakuma, was the third torchbearer in the seventh section on the first day in Katsurao Village. He ran a lap of … Continue reading →