【News】Shimotsuki Matsuri – festival of masked villagers dancing around boiling hot pots (Dec. 18, 2016)

Shimotsuki Matsuri is a festival held every December in the remote mountains in the Toyamago area of Iida, Nagano Prefecture, to pray for rich harvest all night. The traditional Shinto event features huge pots of boiling water with steam rising to invite gods from across the nation. The sounds of Japanese traditional drums and flutes are heard in the villages until dawn. The festival is held at nine shrines in the area in early to mid-December before the winter solstice. Seihachimangu Shrine in the Kamimachi district holds the event on Dec. 11 every year. The main event starts at 1 p.m. when priests purify the clay stove and pots filled … Continue reading

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【News】Oshiroi Matsuri: wear thick, sticky face pack to pray for next year’s good harvests (Asakura city, Fukuoka Prefecture) (Dec. 11 2016)

Every year on December 2, a festival called “Oshiroi Matsuri” is held in Asakura city, Fukuoka Prefecture, as a prayer for good harvests in the coming year. It takes place at Oyamazumi Shrine. Villagers paint their faces with “oshiroi,” which is a white paste made from rice flour and water, to express appreciation for current year’s harvest and wish for next year’s good harvests. The while ceremony starts with a ritual. Shrine’s top priest performs a ritual and gives prayers in front of approximately 50 worshippers in the hall. Then the people enjoy a social gathering that serves pressed sushi, simmered vegetables and all other colorful dishes. The highlight of … Continue reading

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【News】 Japan-EU EPA negotiations: LDP Diet members’ caucus opposes to tariff cuts on agricultural products more than TPP free trade pact (Jan. 17, 2017)

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Diet Members’ Caucus for Measures for Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, chaired by Hiroshi Okada, member of the House of Representatives, held the first general meeting in Tokyo on January 16. “The Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement or EPA must be made so that the Agreement will not adversely affect agricultural, forestry and fishery industries in Japan. We need to fully give assurance to our producers that they will be able to continue their reproduction,” Koya Nishikawa, Chairman of LDP’s Research Commission on Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Food Strategy, said at the general meeting. A number of Diet members attending the meeting made statements one after another, … Continue reading

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【News】 Unauthorized uses of Japanese F 1 hybrid strawberry “Yotsuboshi” in foreign countries to be blocked with new plant patent protection system (Jan. 15, 2017)

Kyushu Okinawa Agricultural Research Center of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization or NARO headquartered at Tsukuba city in Ibaraki prefecture has decided to introduce a new system to prevent unauthorized commercialization of Japanese patented strawberry varieties in foreign countries. NARO’s Research Center, based at Koshi city in Kumamoto prefecture, agreed to collaborate in implementing the system with three prefectural governments of Mie, Kagawa and Chiba, which succeeded in jointly developing a new strawberry variety named “Yotsuboshi” (literally, four stars). Under the new system of protecting strawberry breeders’ right, NARO’s Research Center and three prefectural governments will recruit a cooperative corporation in respective foreign countries. The cooperative corporation will … Continue reading

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【News】 Japan’s exports of agricultural, fishery and food products in January-November 2016 level off due to decreased export of fishery products (Jan. 13, 2017)

A total amount of Japan’s exports of agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products has been on track for growth in recent years. In 2016, however, it is likely to level off. The exports of those products amounted to 669.9 billion yen in January-November 2016, only 1 billion yen or 0.1 percent up over the relevant period of 2015, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) announced on January 12. Sales of farm products such as rice, beef, and green tea have been continuously increasing in overseas markets. It is anticipated, however, that exports of fishery products will experience a slump during many years to come because a poor catch … Continue reading

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