【News】 New items for vegetable growing and cooking now increasingly sold for summer vacation homework of school kids (Aug. 10, 2016)

Various topics related agriculture and cooking have been proposed to school kids for their “summer vacation study projects” by many kinds of companies aiming to boosting sales of their respective products. The topics include “finding difference in taste of vegetables” and “observing process of growing vegetables.” Oisix Inc., operating an online market of organic farm products at Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, is marketing two kinds of cooking ingredient packages named “cooking kit,” prepared specially for school children. One of these “cooking kits” contains ingredients for a gratin, including three varieties of fresh egg plants. A sheet of memorandum is also available in the package, guiding school pupils to make an observation record … Continue reading

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【News】 World junsai picking championship held in Mitane-cho, Akita Prefecture (July 17, 2016)

Farmers and towners of Mitane-cho, Akita Prefecture, hold the world championship of junsai picking every summer. The town is Japan’s largest producer of junsai, a delicate, slimy vegetable known as water shield in English, and the championship is held to make junsai more popular and give a boost to the junsai production. Junsai is a wild aquatic plant that grows in water of one to three meters deep. People eat its sprout which grows in water and is covered with a transparent, viscous jelly. Its growing area totals 69 hectares nationwide and 33 hectares or almost 50% of it is in Mitane-cho. This year’s 3rd annual championship was held on … Continue reading

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【News】Cold brew iced green tea becomes hot seller, chic cold brewing bottles supporting boom (July 13, 2016)

The Japanese tea industry and tea producers are trying to boost the consumption of green tea this summer by making cold brew iced green tea a “hot” and favorite drink for boiling hot days. Cold brew green tea has higher level of epigallocatechin content compared to hot brewed one. (Epigallocatechin has a function to boost the immune system of the human body.) The introduction of stylish wine-bottle-shaped containers for cold brewing was also a key to draw attentions of consumers. Some taxies served iced green tea to their customers for free. Iced green tea is very likely to be a hot item in Japan this summer. Functionality is a key … Continue reading

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【News】 ZEN-NOH to assist aging residents at large-sized condominium buildings in opening their own marché (Aug. 9, 2016)

ZEN-NOH (National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations), agricultural cooperatives’ (JAs’) national business organization, headquartered at Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, launched a business of assisting condominium residents in opening a small-sized farmer’s market named “marché” in their common area of the large-sized condominium building. The opening of marchés at condos in big cities’ residential resion is expected not only to be useful for the residents to create a network of communication among themselves, but also helpful for aged residents to access their own “marché” within their residential area. Aged people called “disadvantaged shoppers” are increasing among condo residents as well, who have difficulties in accessing grocery stores located at distant places. ZEN-NOH now … Continue reading

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【News】 Green tea tasting workshop opens for international tourists at the hot spot of Asakusa in Tokyo (Aug. 7, 2016)

Japanese green tea tasting workshop has been held for international tourists at Asakusa in Tokyo, one of the most popular sightseeing spots among foreign visitors in Japan, since the end of this July. The Japanese green tea café organizing the workshop aims at boosting sales of the green tea by providing international tourists with proper information on making good green tea with a Japanese teapot called “Kyusu,” which is not familiar with those tourists. The workshop, in which participants enjoy a program of experiencing green tea tasting, was initiated at the café operated by Japonica Lodge, a new type of inbound travel service companies, based at Taito-ku, Tokyo. The café … Continue reading

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