【News】Natural waterslide in Oita popular during summer (Aug. 2, 2016)

Ryumon no Taki, a waterfall in Matsuki in the town of Kokonoe, Oita Prefecture, is popular among children who enjoy water-sliding during the summer vacation. The 26-meter-high, 40-meter-wide waterfall is followed by a wide slope made smooth by the waters of the river. Children sit on plastic bags and swim rings to slide down the natural waterslide for about 50 meters. Local residents say the amount of water is larger than last year because of much rain in the rainy season. An eight-year-old girl of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, who brought a fertilizer bag she borrowed from her grandfather who is a farmer, said: “It feels great because I can slide … Continue reading

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【Opinion】Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s “reform” means dismantling of cooperative principles (July 8, 2016)

By Nobuhiro Suzuki, Professor of the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences In today’s Japan, the society is in danger of becoming extremely biased in every aspect, as those with overwhelming power shrewdly crush countervailing powers. A proper balance of power is being lost in various cases: the prime minister’s office versus bureaucracy; the ministries of foreign affairs, finance and economy, trade and industry versus the agriculture ministry; the prime minister’s office versus the ruling Liberal Democratic Party; the prime minister’s office versus the media; the ruling bloc versus the opposition; company management versus labor unions; retailers versus manufacturers versus farmers. Globally, we are seeing a big … Continue reading

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【News】 Gibier festivals increasingly held in Japan to spread message “Enjoy Gibier Cuisine just in Summer Season” (July 31, 2016)

A number of restaurants increasingly launched a new business of serving wild game (gibier) dishes made with deer and wild boar meats this summer with a slogan of “Enjoy Gibier Cuisine just in Summer Season.” Their attractive message emphasizes that good tastes of gibier meats are condensed in summer season because deer and other wild animals grow this season taking lots of nutrient-rich green grasses. Gibier meats are in season now. Appeals for consumption of gibier meats in summer season are being spread by many restaurants to deny customers’ understanding that the meats are available only during hunting seasons of autumn and winter. These restaurants have been challenging a business … Continue reading

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【News】Candles brighten up terraced rice fields for Firefly Bonfire Festival in Yokoze-machi, Saitama Prefecture (July 10, 2016)

Approximately 600 candles and small lanterns brightened up the stepped rice paddies in Terasaka, Yokoze-machi, Saitama Prefecture. The Firefly Bonfire Festival prepared by local farmers offered its visitors a splendid experience of enjoying candle lights, with city lights in the background. The candle light festival started on June 30 this year and lasted for three days, being hosted by a group of local farmers who gathered to restore the stepped rice paddies in Terasaka, Yokoze-machi. The farmers prepared two types of light sources, candles in bamboo candle holders and cans with bio-diesel fuel (BDF). The festival is an event to appreciate farmers’ hard work after the rice planting season. It … Continue reading

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【News】 Highest priced rice certified in Guinness World Records: 11,304 yen per 1 kg (July 29, 2016)

Toyo Rice Corporation, one of the major rice diversified manufacturers in Japan based at Chuo-ku, Tokyo, made an announcement that its own brand rice produced in Japan was certified and listed in the Guinness World Records as the “World’s Most Expensive Rice” (11,304 yen per 1 kg). The Toyo Rice manufactured the “World’s Highest Quality Rice” by blending several varieties of rice, carefully selected from among top quality ones such as “Niigata-Koshihikari” and “Kumamoto-Nikomaru,” which were awarded gold prizes at the International Contest on Rice Taste Evaluation in 2015. The Corporation applies a unique technology in polishing the brown rice of the selected varieties, which does not remove effective ingredients from … Continue reading

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