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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Established florist in Tokyo’s Ginza puts an end to 71 years of business

TOKYO, Dec. 16 — Suzuki Florist, an established flower shop in Tokyo’s Ginza upscale shopping district, will close down on Dec. 31, bringing down the curtain on its 71 years of history. The florist, which opened its main store in 1953 near the Kabukiza kabuki theater, has been promoting the attractiveness of Japan’s flower culture and Japan-grown flowers. Its branch shop inside Sony Building in Ginza, which shut down in 2017 along with the closing down of the building, had been a place to showcase Japan-grown flowers to customers in the metropolitan area. Akira Suzuki, the late founder and chairman of the company who also served as deputy head and … Continue reading

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