Fallen leaves compost agroforestry near Tokyo helps sustain fertility of farmlands

SAITAMA, Jan. 29 — The scratching sounds of raking fallen leaves echo in the forests under the sunlight filtering through the trees. Raking leaves is a winter task handed down from generation to generation among pioneer farmers in the Musashino district of Saitama Prefecture neighboring Tokyo. The whole family gets busy with the exhausting work from January to February, as fallen leaves are a precious resource for soil improvement. To promote this recycling-oriented farming method with the participation of local residents, leaf raking events are held in various parts of the district at this time of the year. The fallen leaves compost agroforestry in Musashino was added to the list … Continue reading

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Japan A2 Milk Association introduces certification system to give new option to consumers needing milk with less post-dairy digestive discomfort

For the first time in Japan, the Japan A2 Milk Association will introduce a new certification system for A2 milk, which is said to be less likely to cause discomfort in the stomach, this spring. The group of dairy farmers and producers seeking to popularize this easier-on-digestion milk will establish a system to certify the processes from production to distribution to start selling the products with certification marks in March this year. The initiative will create a new option for milk and, hopefully, a new market in Japan. On January 22, the association announced the establishment of the committee of A2 milk certification auditors as an auditing body to ensure … Continue reading

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Noto beef from quake-hit region fetches record high price for the day at an auction in Tokyo

TOKYO, Jan. 16 — Carcasses of Noto beef cattle, a wagyu beef brand from Ishikawa Prefecture, were auctioned on Jan. 15 at the Tokyo central meat wholesale market for the first time after a New Year’s Day earthquake hit the Noto Peninsula. Sales were brisk, with one bullock carcass sold at a record high price for the day, as many buyers said they want to somehow support cattle producers by purchasing their products. There are also moves by restaurants and retailers to organize sales campaigns to help the producers. A total of 12 carcasses from Noto Ranch & Co. and a Noto beef cattle fattening farm of JA Zennoh Ishikawa, … Continue reading

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Daikon radishes hung up to dry in the cold in a snowy mountainous district in central Japan

GIFU, Jan. 13 — Farmers in the Yamanomura district of Kamioka in Hida, Gifu Prefecture, are busy working on producing Okuhida Yamanomura Kanboshi Daikon, a local specialty made by drying daikon radishes. It is a traditional preserved food handed down in the district, an area with heavy snowfall located at an altitude of around 1,000 meters. Thick, boiled slices of radish are hung up outside where temperatures go down below minus 10 degrees Celsius and are dehydrated by going through the repeated cycles of being frozen at nights and thawed during daytime, developing their unique chewiness and sweetness. “It is a local winter task that has continued for over 100 … Continue reading

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Ibaraki Prefecture names January 10th “Dried Sweet Potato Day”

TOKYO, Jan. 11 –Japan’s top producer of hoshi imo (a specialty snack made of steamed, dried sweet potatoes)-Ibaraki Prefecture-named January 10th “the day of dried sweet potatoes,” or “Hoshi Imo no Hi” in Japanese. On January 10 this year, the prefecture held a press conference in Tokyo to celebrate the newly-established anniversary. Ibaraki Prefectural Governor Kazuhiko Oigawa explained to the press how the prefecture created the anniversary. The conference was attended by Maria Tani, a Japanese model and actress who became an ambassador for dried sweet potatoes from Ibaraki Prefecture in December last year, and she described the allure of hoshi imo. There are three reasons to call January 10th, … Continue reading

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