NAGANO, Oct. 1 – On the day of sake (October 1) in Japan, the Saku Branch of the Nagano Sake Brewery Association unveiled a pioneering project to brew sake, the traditional Japanese rice wine, using rice, “koji” mold, and sake yeast that will be returned from space. The seed rice, ideal for sake brewing, koji and such will be stored in the International Space Station (ISS) for a specific period and then brought back to Earth for cultivation for the brewers to craft “Space Sake” by 2030. The Saku Branch’s initiative, the Saku Sake Mission, of brewing sake from rice that has journeyed to space is a tribute to the … Continue reading →

OSAKA, Sep. 27 – At the Expo 2025 Osaka, an Osaka-based cosmetics manufacturer, Momotanijuntenkan Ltd., exhibited a dress that photosynthesizes and proposed a new era of apparel under the theme of “Future Fashion” with a “plant-colored” dress, which was achieved by planting seeds of Western-style grass and other plants in a special fabric and allowing them to grow. The attire comes in a knee-length dress with short French-style sleeves. The company planted grass and moss seeds in a specially designed mesh fabric and used a lining made of a fiber that features high moisture retention. During the day, the company placed the dress outside to promote plant growth. The manufacturer … Continue reading →

CHIBA, Sept. 24 — THE FARM, a farm resort in Katori, Chiba Prefecture, which offers services including vegetable harvesting activities, hot springs and glamping, has set on a second home business. The firm plans to provide benefits for owners of the second homes, such as free vegetable harvest at the farm resort, so that they can experience farming lives. By attracting more people from outside the region, the firm hopes to revitalize idle land and vacant houses. The farm resort was established by Wago, a firm that processes and sells farm produce, in the city’s Nishitabe district in 2012 and has been operated by its affiliated company since 2016. It … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sept. 18 — The Japan Gibier Promotion Association and major Japanese wine maker Mercian Corporation announced that they have launched a joint project to promote Japan’s wild game cuisine and wine made from domestically-grown grapes. The tastes of wine change according to terroir — the combination of natural factors like soil and climate — and the same is true for game meat, whose taste is significantly affected by the environment where the animals grow up. They plan to focus on the impact of terroir on their flavor to boost consumption of Japanese gibier and wine. According to the agriculture ministry, the number of deer and wild boars captured in … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sep. 18 – Is that mushroom safe to eat? Every autumn, there is no end to people suffering from food poisoning from eating wild mushrooms. Mushroom poisoning typically peaks from September to November. Seeing one fatal case last year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) is calling attention to it. According to the MHLW, Japan counted 595 mushroom-borne poisoning patients over the ten years until 2024. Among them, 566 cases were reported in September, October, and November, accounting for more than 90% of all cases. Over the past decade, up to 2024, the most common cause of mushroom poisoning in Japan was Omphalotus japonicus, commonly known as … Continue reading →