Kurashi - News From Japan

Some people really make a difference. 100 or 200 years from now, if people do not have the seeds to produce food, they will ask - why did these important veggies and fruits and foods disappear? As we debate this issue and that, we tend to forget that each day, we eat just a few foods, some 10-20 varieties usually. People who are busy living in cities may rely on even less. Yet, for our health, there are thousands of crops that can make a huge difference. They all help us human beings stay healthy and sane. Thus we ought to treat them with more respect. Like, farm them, harvest them, enjoy them. In Japan, my guess is that we rely on not 10-20 varieties but more like 100-200. You can help me with the research. It is important. Here is a documentary film that tries to explain this. From the Youtube site: Throughout history, farmers have grown crops suited to local environments and of native species, by nurturing and hand-selecting the seeds to carry on a lineage. However in ...

The Mainichi has a great piece about Japanese farmer and poet Kanji Hoshi, 76, who has been engaged in organic farming for 38 years in the Yamagata Prefecture town of Takahata. Kanji-san is opposed to Japan's TPP participation: Hoshi is the author of an essay called "Sonno joi no shiso: han TPP no chiiki ron" (The philosophy of revere agriculture, expel the barbarians: anti-TPP localism), published in May 2011 in the book, "Takahata-gaku" (Takahataology). In it, he writes: "I would like the philosophy of revering agriculture and expelling the barbarians to be the stronghold against the black ships of TPP," Hoshi writes. "We need to give primary importance to agriculture for its production of food for life, and to justly appreciate its function of protecting the environment. If we destroy our beautiful homeland, we will not be able to face our descendents. 'Expel the barbarians' refers to the elimination of our disposable consumer civilizat...

I went to a fun meeting today with the Soybean Field Trust Movement people, including farmers and consumers, who are trying to encourage interest in locally grown soy. One speaker noted that in Ibaraki Prefecture (considered No. 2 after Hokkaido for soy production) a recent inventory revealed over 100 different varieties. Much soy in Japan is used for tofu, miso and soy sauce. Did you know that soy is used as edamame , often as a snack? The Soybean Field Trust Movement started some 13 years ago, when it became clear that imported soy from the US was increasingly genetically modified, and controlled by large multinational corporations like Monsanto. On top of that, the soy that Japan imported from Latin America was found to lead to the destruction of the Amazon forests. Japan still imports a lot of soy, but companies like Honda Motor Co. (!) have set up special silos in North America that only accepts non-GMO soy: In Ohio, non-GMO soybean acreage increased 6%, the largest increase in a...

The Japan Times has found a new trend - young people are getting interested in farming and discovering novel ways to make ends meet: Nahoko Takahashi, 27, who grows rice and vegetables in Yamagata Prefecture has been training female university students for two years. Giving them the opportunity to experience the pleasure of farming has reinforced her belief that women can play a big role in changing the industry's image. This spring, Takahashi will launch a "young women's only farm." "Women are sensitive to the latest trends. I think we can breathe new life into agriculture," said Takahashi, who will run the new farm with "nice-looking girls" and take advantage of this branding strategy when selling their products in Tokyo. To start with, she has secured a hectare of land to grow sweet tomatoes in five different colors — orange, yellow, red, green and black — and rice. She plans to use herbal medicines as fertilizer, the latest thing in farming. So...