Come and join straw-art piglets and big mama!

Meet this big mama pig and piglets in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. An artist and volunteers, nearly 100 in total, came together to make this gigantic straw sculpture using rice straw supplied by a farmer in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture. It took 1.5 months for them to complete it. It is part of “Shoku-to-Ikiru (Living with Food),” an event to provoke interest in food-related social issues, such as food waste and vanishing regional food culture. The sculpture, measuring six meters in length, two meters in width, and three meters in height, was created by a 48-year-old artist, Yuma Matsumoto, under the theme of “Mother’s Milk.” It has … Continue reading

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Yellow chives dried in the sun as shipments reach peak

OKAYAMA, Jan. 12 — As shipments of yellow garlic chives, the specialty of the Makiishi district in the city of Okayama, are reaching peak levels, they are seen dried under sunlight at farms as a final touch after harvesting. Yellow chives are grown from regular green chive plants under what is known as “light shielding cultivation.” After the plants’ green leaves are trimmed, leaving a small base of stubby leaves, they are kept in darkness to regrow with chlorophyll synthesis being inhibited, thus turning yellow. At this time of the year, yellow chives are sundried for about an hour immediately before being shipped to make the yellow leaves brighter. Unlike … Continue reading

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Fruit and vegetables market in Tokyo holds its first auction of the year

TOKYO, Jan. 6 — As major wholesale markets across Japan held their first auctions of fruits and vegetables on Jan. 5, seven Takarabune treasure boats carrying colorful vegetables were auctioned at Tokyo’s Ota wholesale market. Two giant boats and five large boats were put on auction and the giant boats were sold for 500,000 yen each and the large boats for 150,000 yen each, the same prices as last year. In an address to buyers, Kota Kawada, president of major wholesaler Tokyo Seika Co., said, “The business environment is expected to remain challenging in 2025, but the Ota market will take on a central role in leading Japan’s food scene.” … Continue reading

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It calmly watches over your fortune in the Year of the Snake

GUNMA, Dec. 31 – The year 2025 is the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac, and in Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture, a giant snake made of rice straw welcomes visitors again at Michi-no-Eki Takumi-no-Sato, one of Japan’s roadside stations. The straw snake, measuring 7 meters in length and 1.8 meters in height, is built on a bamboo and wooden frame using rice straw grown locally in rice fields of approximately 1,000 square meters. It took approximately 3 weeks for local farmers and carpenters to make and prepare it for the start of display in November. On busy days, the roadside station has approximately 4,000 visitors who enjoy looking … Continue reading

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Spa resort offering aroma-rich bath experience using locally-grown yuzu citrus fruits

SAITAMA, Dec. 22 – On December 21, in Ogose Town, Saitama Prefecture, visitors at a local spa resort, O Park Ogose, enjoyed a yuzu bath, a bathing tradition celebrated on the winter solstice in Japan. The spa put yuzu citrus fruits grown in Saitama in a tub so that visitors could release the weariness of the past year while enjoying the rich aroma of yuzu. The spa had a campaign to offer a free entry ticket in exchange for 2 kilograms of yuzu fruits and gathered 13 kilograms of yuzu from its neighbors by December 21. It puts them in its open-air spas. The spa will continue offering a yuzu … Continue reading

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