Old cherry blossoms in full bloom decorating agricultural heritage

KANAGAWA, Apr. 2 – A someiyoshino cherry blossom tree in full bloom stands right next to “Kuji Ento Bunsui” in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture as if it’s looking into the water. The tree of approximately 90 years old has long been a witness to the cylindrical water diversion which used to support local rice farmers. This year, the blossoms started to bloom on March 15, 10 days earlier than usual. The water diversion is a facility to divide water for agricultural use into multiple directions. The cylindrical water divider in Kuji was built in 1941. The water drawn from the “Nikaryo Yosui” made in the Edo era used to overflow … Continue reading

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Number of community organizations supporting residents in rural areas top 5,000 in Japan

TOKYO, April 29 – The number of “regional management organizations” which organize projects aimed at solving issues regarding rural communities totaled 5,236 in 742 municipalities nationwide in fiscal 2019, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced on April 28. Such organizations, which conduct activities to support local residents’ lives including encouraging interactions among elderly people, increased 449 from the previous year, topping 5,000 for the first time since the ministry started collecting data in fiscal 2015. The organizations are mainly created in each of the elementary school districts in agricultural and mountain villages and are operated autonomously by local residents to complement public services, organizing community networking events, community … Continue reading

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Covid-19 pandemic shatters Kobe beef and Tajima beef producers’ dream for Olympic boost Price per kilo dips below 2,000 yen

HYOGO, Apr. 20 – The cherry blossoms were in full bloom on April 13, 2020, in Shiso City, Hyogo Prefecture, in the upper reach of the Ibo River, the origin of hand-made Ibo-no-ito somen noodles. “The flowers are the same, but they look totally different from two years ago,” said Takahiro Taniguchi, a 58-year-old owner of Taniguchi Cattle Farm, which has been in business in Shiso for 29 years. Then, he turned his eyes to a piece of paper in his hand. It was the list of the bid prices of the meat sold by his colleagues today, and the numbers in the note are all in the upper 1,000-yen … Continue reading

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Farms to accept workers from tourism and restaurant industries with reduced jobs amid COVID-19 outbreak

NAGANO/AOMORI, Apr. 12 – As the agriculture industry continues to face severe labor shortage, moves are seen in some areas to dispatch workers from the tourism and restaurant sectors hit by the new coronavirus outbreak to work at farms. Because of the decrease in the number of foreign visitors and requests by authorities to refrain from making nonessential outings, it is getting increasingly difficult for firms in the tourism industry to maintain employment of their workers. On the other hand, farms are struggling to obtain workers, as the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented foreign trainees, mainly from China, whom they have relied on for labor, from coming to Japan. <JA Sakuasama … Continue reading

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Price of cut flowers hits lowest in a decade in Japan

TOKYO and KOCHI, Apr. 11 – The market price of cut flowers is continuing to fall. The daily average of the flower prices at seven primary flower wholesale markets in Japan dropped six yens to 32 yens per one piece, the lowest ever in a decade, according to the daily market index released by the Japan Agricultural News. After Prime Minister Abe declared a state of emergency on April 7, many of large-scale florist chains and individual retailers in big commercial complexes decided to suspend their business, triggering a huge decline in the average price of cut flowers in the index called Nichi-noh INDEX. Offering of the day at the … Continue reading

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