【News】Full smile over a bowl of ramen(Feb.29, 2016)

A pop-up restaurant run by a fruit grower in Katsuragi-cho, Wakayama Prefecture, is drawing attention of noodle-eaters across Japan. The restaurant is named Ramen Soko, which literally means noodle warehouse in Japanese, and opens only in early spring while its 58-year-old owner, Tadao Hirayama, is free from farm work. The grower of Japanese apricots and persimmons loves ramen noodles so much that, whenever he got a chance, he spent time in his kitchen trying to create his original ramen recipes. Then in 2011, he ended up opening his own noodle shop that opens only on Sunday from February through April at a warehouse where he usually stores fruits. Hirayama serves … Continue reading

Posted in Photos | Comments Off on 【News】Full smile over a bowl of ramen(Feb.29, 2016)

【News】 Musician-cum-goat cheese producer stimulate a local community in Toyama prefecture (Feb. 17, 2016)

Tomomi Yoshida, 34, has been enthusiastic in goat cheese production as well as in musical activities at Kurobe-shi, facing the Japan Sea in the eastern part of Toyama prefecture. A cheese product of YOSHIDA KOSAN, which company she has been working for, was awarded “Supreme Product Prize” at a goat cheese international contest, “All’Ombra della Madonnina,” held at Milan, Italy in May 2015. Her company was the first Asian winner of the award at the contest. This January, Japan Airlines began to offer the cheese produced by her company during in-flight meal services for passengers of its international flights. Tomomi Yoshida has another occupation of a singer. Music of her … Continue reading

Posted in Others | Comments Off on 【News】 Musician-cum-goat cheese producer stimulate a local community in Toyama prefecture (Feb. 17, 2016)

【News】 Online food shoppers most significantly influenced by “picture” (Feb. 16, 2016)

An online survey conducted by one of leading e-retailers in Japan, Ai-LAND Co., Ltd., based at Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, found that “a product photo” most significantly influences online food shoppers when they make a purchase. The poll carried out in four weeks since Oct. 29, 2015 was validly responded by 808 consumers. The latest report on the survey, released by Ai-LAND, revealed that some changes took place in online shopping behaviors over the three years from 2012. To a multiple-answer question of “which factor most significantly influenced your decision to shop online food products,” 47 percent of the respondents chose an answer of “a product in a website picture looked so … Continue reading

Posted in Food & Agriculture | Comments Off on 【News】 Online food shoppers most significantly influenced by “picture” (Feb. 16, 2016)

【News】 JA Youth Association to strengthen farm policy representation activities (Feb. 18, 2016)

National Council of Agricultural Co-operative Youth Associations (JA-zenseikyo) held its 62th convention in Tokyo on Feb. 16-17. More than 1,500 young farmers, representing youth associations of agricultural co-operatives (JA) throughout the country, took part in the meeting. At the final session of the two-day meeting, those young farmers adopted a declaration of the convention, “Bring together wisdom and action of young farmers!,” emphasizing their renewed determination not only to make efforts to stabilize their farm managements, but also to enhance their agricultural industry so that the following generation can take it over as an attractive industry. A “young farmers’ views contest” was organized at the convention, in which participants shared … Continue reading

Posted in Cooperatives, Food & Agriculture | Comments Off on 【News】 JA Youth Association to strengthen farm policy representation activities (Feb. 18, 2016)

【News】 One-pot meal with “one-foot tall pile of meats” is in high demand (Feb. 14, 2016)

A hot pot dish called “Bakumori Nabe” (meat-piled cooking pot) is now gaining popularity at some of Japanese gastropubs, izakaya. These gastropubs offer  special meals to their guests, ingredients of which are served on a dining table in a shape of one-foot tall pile of meats in a shallow pot. All the guests that order the dish are deeply impressed when a pot pealed with “mountain-high meats” appears in front of them. Information on this unconventional way of serving ingredients for the guests at the pubs has quickly spread on the Internet. The people of izakaya have got a very good response from their guests. The special dish of “one-foot … Continue reading

Posted in Food & Agriculture | Comments Off on 【News】 One-pot meal with “one-foot tall pile of meats” is in high demand (Feb. 14, 2016)