TOKYO, Oct. 3 – Japan’s first and new online comic book with stories about only milk is gathering the attention of social media users. It’s the online magazine called “Weekly Saturday & Sunday Milk ,” for which ten cartoonists already famous on several social media take turns to provide new stories to share the attractiveness of milk. It’s one of the unique initiatives by the Japan Dairy Association (J-milk) to raise milk consumption over the weekends when no school lunch with a pack of milk is provided to children. The first strip was released on September 30 by Kei Kurata, who is popular for her comic essays about ordinary happenings. … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sep. 21 – A powerful aid for Japan’s domestically-made milk consumption appeared on September 20, 2023. Morinaga Milk Industry Co. unveiled “AI Hirano Remiroid,” an AI-based android  made after Remi Hirano, a Japanese culinary personality famous for her charming machine-gun talks. It’s the first TV personality robot equipped with Chat GPT, an interactive artificial intelligence (AI), in Japan. Remiroid advertises domestic dairy products and introduces unique recipes with the famous cheerful voice of Hirano. “Remiroid is my subordinate. I want it to try various things,” Hirano said merrily at the press conference on September 20. According to Morinaga Milk, the appointment of Remiroid is expected “to lead the growth … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sep. 17 – A dried sweet potato specialty store called “Hoshiimono Hyakka” has opened in the Kitasenju Marui Department Store in Adachi Ward, Tokyo. It’s a rare establishment that sells only dried sweet potato products in Tokyo, and the store name means “everything you want” in Japanese. With the current popularity of sweet potatoes, dried sweet potato snacks, or hoshi-imo in Japanese, are also becoming more popular. The shop sells various hoshi-imo products, not only hoshi-imo made of different sorts of sweet potatoes but also hoshi-imo ice cream and puddings, which are already popular among female customers with a sweet tooth. Approximately 90% of hoshi-imo in Japan are produced … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sept. 16 — The prices of Shine Muscat grapes this year have been below the average year, as the markets are seeing a lull in high prices amid abundant supply and dark clouds are looming over strong exports. Meanwhile, the scope of products using the variety is expanding, including processed items containing Shine Muscat grape juice. The Shine Muscat variety became widely popular due to its good taste, as well as its seedless feature and edible skin which makes it easy to eat. Overseas demand for the variety also increased, with shipments showing a growing trend both in terms of value and volume. More growers shifted production from black … Continue reading →