HOKKAIDO, March 21 — Farmers in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido, are busy spreading snow-melting agents on their fields to prepare for spring plowing. Wheel ruts created on the snow-covered fields by tractors offer a rare view of a “one-stroke sketch” patterns that can be seen only in early spring. One morning at 6 a.m. when the temperature hit minus 10 degrees Celsius, members of Tap Factory, a company in the city that produces rice and wheat on land totaling some 150 hectares, set out to do the work. Using tractors, they spread over the fields shatter-resistant, snow-melting calcium carbonate fertilizers containing carbon black. Wheel ruts slowly turn black and snow starts melting … Continue reading →

Osaka, Mar. 19 – Before the official opening of the Osaka/Kansai Expo, its Signature Pavilion, “EARTH MART,” unveiled its contents centered on food on March 18. Kundo Koyama, a Japanese radio and television scriptwriter, produces the pavilion. The theme of the pavilion is “Thinking about life through food.” Visitors can experience the food life cycle through exhibits such as art objects made from withered vegetables, a monument crafted from a large number of chicken eggs, and an exhibit showcasing meat packs and livestock birthing scenes. One of the main exhibits is the “Marketplace of Life,” which illustrates the total amount of food a person consumes throughout their lifetime. In a … Continue reading →