【Opinion】How should we define washoku? (Dec. 19, 2016)

[By Isao Kumakura, President of the National Assembly on the Preservation and Continuation of Washoku Culture] Three years have passed since washoku, traditional Japanese dietary culture, was listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. In February 2014, the National Assembly on the Preservation and Continuation of Washoku Culture was launched to promote the culture. One of its main activities is to hold washoku tasting events on Nov. 24, designated as Washoku Day, at elementary and junior high schools nationwide. This year, some 3,000 schools participated, up 50 percent from a year before. On the other hand, most of the questions we receive continue to be “What is washoku?” In … Continue reading

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【News】 Japanese government to build up post-disaster reconstruction policy for accelerating resumption of agricultural production at some disaster-hit areas in Fukushima prefecture (Jan. 7, 2017)

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) will reinforce its post-disaster reconstruction policy for agricultural production at some areas of Fukushima prefecture in fiscal 2017, which were stricken by the tsunami and TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster on March 11, 2011. MAFF’s budget of 4.7 billion yen will be spent on a new policy program to support recovery of agriculture in the disaster-hit areas. The program supports agriculture in a wide range of fields from production, distribution to marketing, particularly in order to guarantee quality and safety of farm products and improve their brand images. The budget was originally allocated to Reconstruction Agency, while MAFF was authorized to be … Continue reading

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【News】 Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture to accelerate studies on artificial intelligence to be applied for farming in the near future (Jan. 7, 2017)

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) plans to start its full-scale studies on how to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture. With the fiscal 2016 supplementary budget, MAFF has launched a study program that teaches AI to remember agricultural techniques of skillful farmers to be followed by agricultural newcomers. In fiscal 2017, MAFF aims at developing an AI technique not only for reducing crop damages caused by insects and diseases, but also for proper farm management. A study on how to improve the accuracy of harvesting robots will also start. These studies of AI application are to be implemented in MAFF’s fiscal 2017 scheme named a “future agriculture … Continue reading

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【News】Noh no IKEBANA: Improving presentation skill                             (2) Arrangements that blend in well with the surroundings (Dec. 2, 2016)

<”Noh no Ikebana” is an art of arranging agricultural products together with agricultural implements and other familiar instruments. It’s a type of Ikebana but mainly for farmers. The series “Noh no Ikebana” will show you how to best feature the materials and containers you choose, with the help of fans of this style of Ikebana nationwide.> Noh no Ikebana for an entrance hall or a living room should go along with the surroundings. They should fit in well with the surroundings in size of course, but it’s also important for you to pay attention not to hide pictures and other small home decor items that are already there. Having a … Continue reading

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【News】 New Japanese beef’s logo type debuts: Japan Livestock Industry Association (Jan. 3, 2017)

Japan Livestock Industry Association (JLIA), a public interest incorporated association, has debuted a logo type of Wagyu beef (beef of Japanese cattle) for boosting beef exports to overseas markets. JLIA plans to gain more recognition for beef produced in Japan among consumers in the international market by making application to foreign countries for the trademark registration in January. The new logo type was designed to make an English letter of “Japan” bigger than that in the former type. JLIA’s officials expect that the new logo will be effective for Wagyu beef to avoid being mixed up with “Wagyu beef produced in Australia,” saying “A word of Wagyu has been deleted. … Continue reading

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