SAITAMA, Dec. 8 — Chichibu Yomatsuri, an annual night festival with a history going back more than 300 years, was held in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture. The festival, which honors silkworm farming that had thrived in the district, is regarded as one of the three major float festivals in Japan. The other two are Kyoto Gion Festival in Kyoto Prefecture and Hida Takayama Festival in Gifu Prefecture. The Chichibu festival fascinates visitors with its spectacular, ornate floats and fireworks lighting up the winter sky. At 6 p.m. on Dec. 3, the day when the main festival was held, people pulling the floats shouted “Horyai!” along with the rhythmical sounds of Japanese … Continue reading →

MIYAGI, IWATE, Nov. 21 – “Half-farmer, half-fisher” in the Tohoku northeastern region of Japan are being tossed about by escalating China-Japan political tensions. On the Pacific Coast in the Tohoku region of Japan, some people earn income from both farming and fishing, and they are struck again by the return of China’s ban on marine product imports from Japan. In August 2023, China suspended all Japanese seafood imports after Japan decided to release treated water from the No. 1 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean. However, the ban was lifted partially this year. Therefore, the latest suspension was a big blow. Hayashi, a fruit farmer and sea cucumber fisher … Continue reading →

HIROSHIMA, Nov. 30 — Workers at JA Hiroshimashi, an agricultural cooperative based in the city of Hiroshima, are busy pickling Hiroshima-na mustard greens, a traditional local specialty popular as year-end gifts. Around 4 tons of Hiroshima-na greens are placed in a pickling tank which is 1.8 meters wide and long and 3 m deep. After salt is sprinkled on them, they are pressed down with nine 250-kilogram weights. Up to roughly 15 tons of the vegetable are pickled in a day. They are pickled for a whole day, rinsed with water and then pickled again for one more day. Chili peppers and kelp are added at the end to create … Continue reading →

HIROSHIMA/YAMAGATA, Nov. 25 — A total of some 300 farmers and consumers took to streets in the cities of Hiroshima and Yamagata on Nov. 24 to call for income security. Similar rallies have been organized by farmers and held nationwide since December last year. The people led by tractors and minitrucks marched through the streets in downtown Hiroshima. It was the second time such a rally took place in Hiroshima Prefecture, after the one held in the town of Kitahiroshima in July. Among some 100 participants, around 60% attended for the first time. Kumiko Asaeda, a farmer and vice head of the Hiroshima rally’s organizing committee, said, “I’m relieved that … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Nov. 27 – The 54th Best Dresser Award ceremony was held in Tokyo to recognize individuals who have been influential in several different areas, adorned with approximately 800 Eustoma flowers provided by Takii & Co., Ltd., a Kyoto-based seed company. The flowers, commonly known as lisianthus, were collected from across Japan to decorate the venue and make bouquets for the award winners. Takii chose Eustoma in a bluish lavender color to match the award’s theme color. The varieties used for the ceremony included the Prima series, with richly fringed petals and an impressive three-dimensional shape, and the James, a large, frilled, double-flowered variety. The awards were given to four … Continue reading →