Moving forward in autumn sunshine

FUKUSHIMA, Jan. 4 – Farming villages in Japan are filled with dazzling arrays of colors. Here in Fukushima, you’ll find one of the best sights from the villages with a very long farming history. Trains are running on the JR Suigun Line through the golden countryside of Asagawa Town, Fukushima Prefecture. In October 2019, Japan Railways shut down some parts of the Suigun Line when heavy rain caused by a typhoon washed out some bridges over flooded rivers. The rain also left severe damage to local rice growers as it broke down the Yashiro River, which flows through the town. After one year and five months, in March 2021, the … Continue reading

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Japan External Trade Organization executive vice president says exports key to boost farmers’ income

TOKYO, Jan. 9 – As Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) focuses on pushing exports of farm produce and food products, its executive vice president Mitsuhito Sendai said it is important to help raise farmers’ income through boosting exports. In an interview with The Japan Agricultural News, Sendai stressed that JETRO will take measures to support efforts to further promote exports amid the COVID-19 pandemic, based on successful cases. He said he believes it is possible for Japan to meet the government’s target of exporting agricultural and food products totaling 5 trillion yen in 2030, adding that the nation may be able to export 10 trillion yen, considering the increase in … Continue reading

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Exports of Nikkori pears grown in Tochigi Prefecture rise fivefold in 2021 from a year before to hit record high

TOCHIGI, Jan. 9 – Overseas shipments of Nikkori pears produced in Tochigi Prefecture grew fivefold from a year before in 2021, hitting a record high of 57.7 tons, as local agricultural cooperatives made various efforts to promote the brand. Seven farm coops in the prefecture cooperate to secure the pears for exports as their humongous size appeals to foreign markets, while Zen-Noh Tochigi, responsible for sales and marketing, took on the tasks of negotiating with buyers, coordinating shipment volumes, obtaining export certificates and inspecting products, in order to ease the burden on the cooperatives. Nikkori is a large, late-maturing pear variety with good flavor, weighing 800 grams to a kilogram … Continue reading

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Neko-chigura cat cradles becoming increasingly popular among cats and cat lovers in Japan

NIIGATA, Dec. 14 – This is neko-chigura, a woven cat house made of rice stalks. As the number of cat lovers increases in Japan, Sekikawa Tourist Information Center “Nya-mu” in Sekikawa Village, Niigata Prefecture, is receiving a growing number of inquiries about the products from all over the country. At Nya-mu, you can see local crafters demonstrating the production process of the handmade huts. Neko-chigura is a folk craft derived from chigura, traditional rice straw baskets for babies of farmers working out in the fields some time ago. Its history began about forty years ago when Sekikawa villagers started to make them as unique local products. The straw cradles are … Continue reading

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Wakayama producing heart-shaped ume-boshi that grabs hearts of youth

WAKAYAMA, Dec. 7 – Young Japanese ume fruits growers and designers in Wakayama Prefecture collaborated to produce heart-shaped ume pickles using nanko-ume, the best Japanese apricot brand in Japan. The photogenic traditional fermented sour pickles (called ume-boshi in Japanese) will grab the hearts of young people, they said. They’re whole pieces of deseeded ume-boshi which are molded using heart-shaped frames. The repeated use of food driers made them drier and thicker in texture. A team of 15 ume apricot farmers in their 20s and 30s in Minabe Town and Tanabe City in Wakayama Prefecture and designers of a Wakayama-based company specializing in developing and selling ume products, moro molo, developed … Continue reading

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