VOL. 120 may 2018
Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential Growing Japan’s Global Waste Not 6 Food and Agriculture 12 An academia, industry Marketplace Potential and government tie-up is creating hit An interview with Koji Inoue, regional products using agricultural Director-General of the Food Industry products once discarded Affairs Bureau in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Powdered Green Gold 8 Japan’s powdered green tea, matcha, is gaining fans worldwide for its taste and health benefits
Technology and 14 Strawberries A town is producing premium- grade strawberries using IT to keep Features greenhouse environments optimal
Immersed in Farmhouse 10 Culture Homestays in Japan’s rural farming villages give visitors deep insights into local culture and people
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PRIME MINISTER'S POLICY-RELATED NEWS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY DIARY AI Shaping the Evolution From a Single Drop of Blood
Also of Multilingual Speech Translation Technology
COPYRIGHT © 2018 CABINET OFFICE OF JAPAN WHERE TO FIND US The views expressed in this magazine by the interviewees Tokyo Narita Airport Terminals 1 and 2 ● JR East Travel Service Center (Tokyo Narita Airport) ● JR and contributors do not necessarily represent the views of Tokyo Station Tourist Information Center ● Tokyo Tourist Information Center (Haneda Airport, the Cabinet Office or the Government of Japan. No article Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Keisei Ueno Station) ● Niigata Airport ● Chubu Centrair or any part thereof may be reproduced without the express International Airport Tourist Information & Service ● Kansai Tourist Information Center (Kansai permission of the Cabinet Office. Copyright inquiries Int'l Airport) ● Fukuoka Airport Tourist Information ● Foreign Press Center/Japan ● Foreign should be made through a form available at: Correspondents' Club of Japan ● Delegation of the European Union to Japan ● Tokyo University ● Waseda University ● Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University● Ritsumeikan University ● Kokushikan www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/mailform/inquiry.html University ● University of Tsukuba ● Keio University ● Meiji University ● Osaka University ●Kyushu University ● Kyoto University ● Tohoku University ● Nagoya University ● Sophia University ● Doshisha University ● Akita International University ● International University of Japan
2 highlighting japan ISSUE 120, MAY 2018
Theme for may: Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential
The Future of Rice 16 Selective breeding research in Japan is sprouting many new varieties of rice that are easier to cultivate and more flavorful his month we feature Local Residents Protect Local some of the 20 Landscapes bumper crop of Citizen-backed initiatives and local Tideas that everyone ownership are helping to preserve from the government to Japan’s verdant rice terraces for future local communities and generations individuals have come up with to energize Japan’s Local Production for Local agricultural realm. 18 Consumption through School Lunches A city in Shizuoka Prefecture sources local produce for school lunches, contributing to the community
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MY WAY FROM JAPAN TO THE A TRIP BY LOCAL TRAIN Shaping Things That WORLD History in Motion Endure Instant World Cup
PRODUCTION All About, Inc. ON THE COVER MANAGING EDITORS Rie Ishizaki Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential EDITOR Douglas W. Jackson EDITORIAL SUPPORT Yoko Nishikawa, Aya Kato, Izumi Natsuhori, Chiho Negami CONTRIBUTORS Yukiko Ishikawa, Tamaki Kawasaki, Madoka Nomoto, Sayaka Kawabe, Tomoko Nishikawa, Katsumi Yasukura, Selena Hoy, Bifue Ushijima, Nicholas Rich, Helen Langford-Matsui DESIGN Phayoon W., Pakpoom L. VIDEOGRAPHY Hidehiro Yamada, Masanori Inada
May 2018 3 Prime Minister's Diary
THE SEVENTH JAPAN-CHINA-ROK toward its early resolution, and gained their understanding. TRILATERAL SUMMIT The three leaders had a frank exchange of views on how to make “We are determined to pursue North Korea take the right course and comprehensive cooperationin pave the way for its bright future. the future-oriented manner.” Prime Minister Abe stated that Japan’s He noted that such future- resolve to settle the unfortunate past oriented cooperation has steadily and make every possible effort for advanced; negotiations on the the normalization of the relations, Commemorative photograph session at the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting trilateral Free Trade Agreement on the condition that North Korea (FTA) has launched, the Trilateral resolves the outstanding issues of N Wednesday, May 9, the Investment Agreement entered concern such as the abductions issues Seventh Japan-China-ROK into force, the number of people- as well as nuclear and missile issues OTrilateral Summit meeting to-people exchange has doubled, completely and take the right course, was held at the Akasaka State Guest 21 ministerial-level meetings have has not changed. House in Tokyo. (The participating been held since the last summit The three leaders shared the view leaders were H.E. Mr. Shinzo Abe, and over 100 cooperative programs to cooperate in fora including the Prime Minister of Japan; H.E. Mr. Li have been implemented, trilateral East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN+3 Keqiang, Premier of the State Council cooperation has systemized through and to contribute together for the of the People’s Republic of China; and the establishment of the TCS. Prime integration of ASEAN. Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Moon Jae-in, President of the Minister Abe stated that he hoped Abe stated that Japan will promote the Republic of Korea (ROK). to carve a new start of the trilateral “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy,” The three leaders welcomed steady cooperation as this year marks the and required China and Korea to agree progress made in various fields of the 10th year since the first trilateral with this way of thinking. trilateral cooperation and expressed summit was hold. The three leaders agreed to appreciation of the initiatives of the The three leaders confirmed that promote free trade and cooperate Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat the complete denuclearization of the toward the early agreement of the (TCS) for its contribution. In Korean Peninsula is their common high quality Regional Comprehensive addition, they discussed the current goal and shared the view to continue Economic Partnership (RCEP) and status and future directions of their close cooperation toward the the acceleration of the trilateral FTA specific cooperation projects. The peace and stability in North East negotiation. Prime Minister Abe three leaders agreed to advance Asia. stated that due to Abenomics Japan is cooperation in a variety of areas, The three leaders confirmed to steadily advancing the path towards including strengthening people advance their cooperation toward an exit from deflation, and that he will -to-people exchange through the North Korea’s dismantlement of build a vibrant Japan and contribute to opportunity of the Olympic and all weapons of mass destruction, regional and global economic growth. Paralympic Games, finance, energy, including nuclear weapons, and The three leaders agreed on environment, disaster risk reduction, ballistic missiles in a complete, promoting the SDGs and cooperating and ICT. The three leaders also verifiable and irreversible manner in the areas such as health, climate confirmed that they will advance the in accordance with the relevant change and so on. Prime Minister Abe trilateral cooperation in a more “open United Nations Security Council stated that Japan, China and the ROK and inclusive” manner. Resolutions. Prime Minister Abe should cooperate and enhance their Regarding the over this10 years, stressed that it is necessary to urge counter measures as a whole including Prime Minister Abe emphasized North Korea to take concrete actions. border control and capacity building the spirit laid down in the Joint As for the abductions issue, for the third countries in regards to Statement of the First Japan-China- Prime Minister Abe called for the cross border crimes such as terrorism, ROK Trilateral Summit, which stated, two leader’s support and cooperation cybercrime and illegal drug trade.
Photographs and text courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Government of Japan. 4 highlighting japan Feature Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential
Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential
With Japanese food continuously gaining popularity worldwide, boosting exports of food and agricultural products is a priority. The Japanese government is cultivating demand abroad for Japan’s high-quality agricultural goods, aiming for a trillion yen in exports in 2019. This issue explores trends such as the growing demand worldwide for Japan’s matcha green tea and employing ICT to optimize greenhouse environments, while also covering measures that preserve landscapes and farming in local communities.
May 2018 5 Feature Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential
Koji Inoue Growing Japan’s Global Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential
The Japanese government has set a target of Please tell us how you plan to bring more of Japan’s one trillion yen (circa US$ 9 billion) in exports of agriculture, forestry, fishery and food products to the agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products global marketplace. for 2019. We spoke to Koji Inoue—Director-General We’re promoting exports of those products and of the Food Industry Affairs Bureau in the Ministry also striving to meet the demand from international of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries—about the tourists visiting Japan, otherwise known as inbound various initiatives the government is employing to demand. In 2017, Japan’s total exports of agricultural, meet the goal. forestry, fishery and food products totaled around 807.1 billion yen (US$ 7.3 billion). If you add the food YUKIKO ISHIKAWA products foreign visitors purchased and took home, which came to around 350 billion yen (US$ 3.2 billion),
6 highlighting japan and the around 890 billion yen (US$ 8.1 billion) they spent on food and beverages in Japan, that’s a huge market worth over two trillion yen (US$ 18.2 billion). Expanding this market is a major theme in turning Japan’s agricultural, forestry, fishery and food industries into growth industries. In terms of specific export items, instead of products like scallops, pearls and tobacco that enjoy large export volumes, we’re seeing a trend toward more typical products such as beef, strawberries, green tea and rice.
What specific measures are you taking to reach the 2019 goal of one trillion yen worth of exports? One large-scale measure I’d like to mention is the establishment of the Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center (JFOODO). JFOODO conducts PR for Logo of the Geographical Indication protection system Japan’s agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products abroad to raise consumer awareness and expand the encourage producers to acquire these types of market. We also connect and match local producers certifications as part of their branding. with Japanese and overseas trading companies, overseas food service companies and retailers. In the What is the global market outlook for products past we have helped producers exhibit their goods at from the Japanese agriculture, forestry, fishery and food fairs outside of Japan. Our next step was holding food industries? the first “Japan’s Food” export fair at the Makuhari In the past, there were concerns that health- Messe international convention complex in Chiba oriented Western countries might shy away Prefecture in October 2017, drawing about 2,800 buyers from heavily marbled Japanese beef. However, from 70 different countries. It was so well attended that introducing this kind of beef in conjunction with the spaces for business negotiations were always full. sukiyaki and shabu-shabu preparation methods We’ve greatly increased the scale this year and expect greatly increased demand. So, instead of just trying 4,000 visitors from 80 different countries. to sell a product as is, connecting it to the best Branding and the protection of rights are also ways to eat it and the overall food culture of Japan essential to ensure that Japanese products are is an ingenious and essential step for expanding evaluated fairly. We help Japanese brands register plant exports. We’re also seeing growing interest in varieties overseas, and also have the Geographical Japanese food because of things like the rapid Indication (GI) protection system (see pp 8-9) to increase in Japanese restaurants all over the world. safeguard products with unique production methods By taking advantage of this opportunity, we will and natural characteristics of their production areas, be able to revitalize local Japanese industries, and such as climate and soil conditions. Other methods of create a better future out of this trend. branding include G.A.P.1, an agricultural process control However, instead of each group acting standard that indicates that producers have considered independently, we need to focus on services like issues such as food safety, the work environment SAVOR JAPAN3 (see pp 10-11) which combine food and environmental conservation, and with JFS 2, a and tourism to highlight the appeal of Japan’s Japan-based certification for food safety control. We various regions.
1 G.A.P. is an international third-party certification for Good Agricultural Practices (G.A.P.), currently covering over 120 countries and recognized as the international standard. 2 JFS standard: A food safety management standard originated in Japan, which established and operates the standards and certifications of the Japan Food Safety Management Association (JFSM). 3 SAVOR JAPAN https://savorjp.com/en/
May 2018 7 Feature Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential
POWDERED GREEN GOLD
The demand for Japan’s matcha powdered green tea, both in its drinkable form and as a healthy ingredient in processed foods, is growing worldwide. Preparing a bowl of matcha green tea
TOMOKO NISHIKAWA often considered Japan’s “tea the area cultivated in Nishio is capitals.” And yet the company devoted to producing tencha, the that boasts the largest share of raw tea leaves used for matcha. ECOGNIZED and production both within Japan and Tencha is relatively unknown appreciated worldwide, globally is located in Nishio, Aichi because most of it is shipped R fine matcha is gaining fans Prefecture. AIYA was established out for processing. In 2017, the in the West and elsewhere in Asia. in 1888, and was one of the high-quality tea created from Ministry of Finance trade statistics “Global Niche Top Companies those leaves, Nishio Matcha, was reveal that exports of matcha rose Selection 100” singled out by the registered under the Ministry 24.3 percent in 2017, and were Ministry of Economy, Trade and of Agriculture, Forestry and worth nearly 14.36 billion yen Industry. Fisheries’ Geographical Indication (US$ 129 million)—the highest it’s Nishio’s temperate climate, rich (GI) protection system. (see pp been since 1988. Greater health fertile soil and abundant water 6-7) The GI mark inspires trust in consciousness worldwide has resources by Yahagi River, and product quality, and should lead to virtually every country drinking relatively sheltered environment greater exports. more green tea, with many are keys to its matcha dominance, The development of tea becoming prime export markets. and historically nearby castle ceremony culture means that The USA is currently the major towns such as Nagoya and Okazaki Japan’s people have drunk matcha export destination for Japan’s were major consumption areas. since ancient times. However, matcha, followed by Taiwan, Unlike many other tea common folk tended to favor Germany and Singapore. production centers that produce sencha green tea, which came into Shizuoka Prefecture and the all types of tea, Nishio is more fashion because it was cheaper city of Uji in Kyoto Prefecture are focused. Over 96 percent of and easier to prepare, and didn’t
8 highlighting japan involve the intimidating as the complexities and customs of the tea ceremony. “The tea ceremony has survived because it is a meaningful practice, and I’m sure it will continue to exist,” says Takeo Sugita, AIYA’s president. “But many people avoided drinking matcha because they didn’t know the etiquette. If it had been drunk like coffee or Western tea, matcha might have developed into something more casual.” Since the 1960s, AIYA has sought new markets, and Lush fields of green tea also worked to overturn the stereotype that matcha is only and rich in fiber, chlorophyll and “It’s meaningless if matcha for drinking. They began selling vitamins, it gained acceptance is only used to gain prestige as matcha as a raw ingredient to as a health food in the United a high-quality product made be used in processed foods, States. It’s also a luxury grocery in Japan,” argues Sugita. “We and in 1978 began growing it item in cafés and homes in may claim that a product is real organically, long before that Europe. AIYA established local Japanese matcha, but we can’t sell became fashionable. During the subsidiaries in the United States it overseas if it does not meet the 1980s, matcha companies shifted in 2001 and Austria in 2003. By needs of the country it is being away from marketing it as a raw 2017, international shipments had exported to, which is the most ingredient. Instead, they used it reached approximately the same important thing. Competition to flavor various foodstuffs, such level as domestic shipments. will only grow fiercer. We as sweets and ice cream, which Lately a movement has need to deeply understand the established its place in Japan’s emerged in Japan determined characteristics of each market, food culture. to define the country’s matcha, construct systems to generate The overseas market for as a way to differentiate it from tangible benefits and export matcha also expanded during the powdered green tea produced in everything from high-quality 2000s. Packed with antioxidants other countries. matcha to inexpensive products that can compete with the green teas produced relatively cheaply overseas. If we can’t, we won’t survive.” Having a flexible approach to each country—such as whether to focus on quality or affordability, or whether to push tea for drinking or processing—leads to the expansion of overseas market shares. AIYA’s next strategies for expanding exports of its powdered green gold are the focus of a great deal of attention. Sweets flavored with powdered green gold
May 2018 9 Feature Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential
IMMERSED IN FARMHOUSE CULTURE
Traditional farmhouse in Nishi-Awa
Experiencing farm life in Nishi-Awa Visitor trying out indigo dyeing in Nishi-Awa
Homestays in HE farming village of Tono through fields and along a stream. Japan’s rural farming City in Iwate Prefecture has a The destination is a large farmhouse villages bring T population of just 28,000, and its with a splendid tiled roof. Near the visitors a deeper name translates as “distant field.” There entrance are a wheelbarrow and hoe, as understanding of are no fast food restaurants or chain well as piled-up baskets and firewood. local culture and hotels here, and the people speak in a The owner of the farmhouse, Kikuko people amid growing distinctive dialect. Tono is also known Kikuchi, calls out a welcome. things and abundant as a land of folklore, and has many old Tono is one of the places providing nature. legends of monsters and men. abundant hops to one of Japan’s major To bring in tourists, Tono is making beer producers, and Kikuchi raises hops use of the region’s defining features— as well as peanuts and rice. Her large SELENA HOY agriculture, nature and local culture—in vegetable garden sprawls out on the the form of farm village homestays. opposite side of the house. Alpine leeks The path from Tono Station leads and butterbur sprouts are ripe for the
10 highlighting japan Tono lifestyle, and this gives its residents greater pride in their homeland, protects their traditions, and spreads their culture to the world.” Tono is not the only place in Japan where visitors can immerse themselves in farmhouse culture. As part of an initiative to welcome international visitors, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Preparing a meal in Tono created SAVOR JAPAN (see pp 6-7), a service that recognizes certain areas and focuses on sharing information about the charms of farmhouse culture, along with the culinary and food culture experiences one can experience during the homestay program. One of the fifteen areas recognized for this within Japan is the Nishi-Awa region of Tokushima Prefecture. Here, on steep 40-degree slopes within the mountains, they use diverse agricultural methods passed down for four centuries to cultivate assorted grains like millet and buckwheat. These traditional farming methods have been registered as Clear waters add to the rural charm Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Participants in the homestay program to Nishi- Awa can not only stay in a century-old farmhouse, which has been beautifully renovated on the inside while maintaining its traditional appeal and atmosphere, but also enjoy cuisine made from locally grown vegetables and wild game from the surrounding mountains (like deer and boar) along with local residents. This region also boasts a wealth of sightseeing attractions, including a magical sea of clouds A delicious meal featuring local vegetables generated by the unusual terrain and climate, a rafting experience in the Oboke and Koboke ravines, and the townscape of Udatsu, which flourished picking in late April. Cutting vegetables and grilling during the Edo Period (1603-1867) thanks to indigo fish together with Kikuchi in her kitchen for dinner dyeing and has preserved its historical buildings and are part of the homestay experience. atmosphere. An NPO called Tono Natural Life Network runs Shinichi Kikuchi doesn’t believe that the inability this program, and currently has 140 farmhouses of most farmers to speak English is a problem, since registered. Its president, Shinichi Kikuchi, hopes smartphones are making communication simple (see that the program will revitalize the region while pp. 22-23). Kikuko Kikuchi agrees. “Communication protecting its traditional culture. Approximately two is highly valued in farm village homestays. Guests thousand people visit through the Tono farm village don’t simply sleep, eat, and then say goodbye,” she homestay program each year, but he feels they can says. “I can’t speak a word of English, but I have a bring in even more. heart.” “Tono is the true Japan—the homeland of Japan,” As proof of this, program participants who have Kikuchi says. “The Tono of old is still alive today. seen the heartfelt hospitality of their hosts return to Participants in the program empathize with the the farm village time and time again.
May 2018 11 Feature Agriculture
WASTE NOT
A university and an insightful associate 1 professor team up with regional industry and local government to create new value using agricultural products that were once discarded, as well as handle everything from product development to promotions.
MADOKA NOMOTO
ATSUMOTO University is situated in a tranquil rural landscape in the middle of MNagano Prefecture. It has earned wide praise for backing the sixth industrialization (see HJ Feb, 2018, pp 10-11) and promoting the efficient use of natural resources. The university is close to Azumino, a region famous for producing soba 2 and wasabi. Along with the Nagano Prefecture Central Shinano Area Sixth Industrialization Promotion Council, the university earned the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize, the highest award at the Fourth Food Industry Mottainai (wastefulness reduction) Awards in 2016 for its work in reducing food loss and promoting waste recycling. Any buckwheat flour left over after the soba- making process is normally discarded. For example, out of 22 kilograms of brown soba, 9 kilograms would be extracted to make buckwheat flour, while the rest would be discarded as waste. And wasabi leaves, which are edible if processed properly, were being discarded as well. The university suggested producing roasted buckwheat flour, and turning wasabi leaves 3
12 highlighting japan Organizing booths with companies from various industries and municipalities at events in the Tokyo metropolitan area also attracted tourists through sightseeing bus tours. Associate professor Kazuhiro Yanai at Matsumoto University’s Department of Health and Nutritional Science, Faculty of Human Health Science, started a project four years ago based on his award-winning endeavor to create valuable Azumino brand goods out of materials normally discarded. He and his students sought out partners such as Azumino City, the Azumino Society of Commerce and Industry, Saito Farms, Azumino Shokuhin (a food processing company and secondary industry producer), vendors 4 in tertiary industries and tourism operators such as JR East Nagano and Alpico Kotsu. In the end, the partnerships encompassed everything from developing products to promotional activities. Sixth industrialization businesses generally involve a primary industry practitioner taking on secondary and tertiary industry roles to gain more income. Yanai’s model, however, which he calls the Matsumoto University Regional Revitalization Model, is a project managed from start to finish with players involved in all aspects of production, tourism, and marketing and sales. It also links primary, secondary and tertiary industries, with a university or government body serving as its hub. “In the end, as the saying goes, every man knows his own business best,” Yanai explains. “By collaborating with specialists at each stage, we can 5 create products that are sure to sell. And distributing the earnings among everyone allows for more peace
1 Arukuma Soba made using buckwheat flour that is usually of mind and leads to better products.” discarded Yanai adds that one-shot cooperative efforts 2 A pork bun flavored with the processed wasabi leaves between industry, government and academia to 3 The Fourth Food Industry Mottainai Awards 4 Croquettes made with the processed wasabi leaves develop new products should no longer be considered 5 Paste made from wasabi leaves an achievement or successful contribution. “I’d like to create more successful cases like this that are not into a new product called wasabi leaf paste. In limited to just selling a product, but also examine cooperation with a local food manufacturer, the how they can change society and study the economic university used roasted buckwheat flour to develop results they generate.” Arukuma soba, which became a hit product that Yanai plans to apply his model to various other sold over 5.5 million packages and brought in more Azumino agricultural products, including apples and than ¥100 million (about US$ 913,000). strawberries, not only soba and wasabi. His ultimate The university’s revitalization work was a goal is to help local regions thrive, including boosting positive example of cooperation between industry, farm income, providing support for childcare, government and academia, and led to products creating new job opportunities (such as hiring that took advantage of the region’s characteristics. workers with disabilities) and attracting tourism.
May 2018 13 Feature Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential
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A town recovering from the 2011 earthquake is using digitalization TECHNOLOGY and visualization to produce its own premium brand of strawberries. AND SAYAKA KAWABE STRAWBERRIES
HE Great East Japan Earthquake and on the experience of veteran workers and intuition. accompanying tsunami wreaked catastrophic That makes it hard to start a new business or achieve Tdamage on 90 percent of the strawberry- industrial progress, and takes too much time to growing greenhouses in the town of Yamamoto, recover. Using the PDCA cycle in the agricultural Miyagi Prefecture. Starting in 2011, however, an business can bring continuous improvements and agricultural production corporation called GRA Inc. help create an ideal growing environment.” used information and communications technology GRA devised a plan to completely digitalize the (ICT) to build a viable strawberry-growing system process using ICT. Their yield was low the first year from scratch in just a single year. The CEO of because they couldn’t harvest samples in sufficient GRA Hiroki Iwasa—a Yamamoto native who was volume. The database they built, however, helped managing an IT company in Tokyo at the time— pinpoint measures for improvement, and they found decided to step in to help revive the area’s local their groove in year two. businesses. Iwasa became the main driver behind “GRA also uses automated systems inside the bringing a new life and purpose to strawberry greenhouse to regulate things like temperature, producers in his disaster-stricken hometown. humidity, solar radiation, carbon dioxide “By systematically digitalizing the plastic concentration and other environmental aspects that greenhouse environment and the yield and are clearly more effective than relying on human condition of the plants, and then comparing the experience and intuition alone,” Sugeno says. “Since data, we were able to see the causal relationships we can get very close to a designed environment, that resulted in poor cultivation,” says Wataru we can move forward at an accelerated pace even Sugeno, GRA’s researcher. “Before this, without having much experience. Data can be digitalization was never applied; everything relied monitored practically in real time, and uploaded to
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1 A new high-tech way of growing strawberries 2 Beautiful and tasty Migaki Ichigo 3 Wataru Sugeno, GRA's researcher 4 Using technology to improve strawberry production
the cloud to be shared with any location. That’s one Between FY2012 and 2017, GRA conducted a huge benefit of applying IT.” wide range of research as part of a research project The system has enabled GRA to supply a stable sponsored by Japan’s Reconstruction Agency and crop of strawberries with high sugar content and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. striking appearance. Their three superior varieties— Even while he engaged in demonstrating never- produced based on the concept that “if you polish before-seen technologies, Sugeno was seeking it, it will shine”—are sold under the unified brand countermeasures against crop diseases, and name Migaki Ichigo (“polished strawberries”). was able to construct an ideal environment for Migaki Ichigo has become a representative brand for strawberry cultivation. Yamamoto, boasting exclusive sales deals at famous Damage from the earthquake and tsunami had Tokyo department stores, and is exported overseas also made it impossible to properly cultivate the as a premium strawberry brand. soil in Yamamoto, so GRA adopted a nutriculture On the other hand, it’s difficult to determine method that employs coconut shells. Their certain benchmarks and indices in the agriculture production method—largely free of the influence business without the knowledge of veteran farmers. of climate and soil—takes full advantage of the That’s why GRA is digitalizing the intuition environmental control capabilities unique to cultivated by farmers with years of experience to greenhouses. The company is also deploying visualize of their expertise. workers to other areas to grow Migaki Ichigo in Aichi “It’s easier to get into the industry,” Sugeno says, and Kanagawa, and began cultivation in India in “when things that only veteran farmers understand 2012. There are great expectations for the part that become clear. Visualization is also assisting in the ICT will play in the future of global agriculture. training of a new generation of agricultural workers.”
May 2018 15 Feature Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential
THE FUTURE OF RICE
In Japan, where rice is a staple food, research into selective breeding techniques is paving the way for new, more flavorful and easier-to-cultivate varieties. 1
TAMAKI KAWASAKI 2
APAN grows over three hundred varieties of rice, but only five make up two-thirds of the country’s planted Jrice fields. “Those five are the ‘brand’ breeds most popular with Japanese consumers, such as Koshihikari,” says Masayuki Yamaguchi, the selective breeding expert and director of the Division of Rice Research at the Institute of Crop Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO). “And actually,” he adds, “all five are variations on Koshihikari developed through selective cultivation.” Japan began establishing agricultural experiment stations around a century ago, and experimentation in selective breeding technology for rice gained momentum 3 in both national and prefectural centers. Since the Japanese archipelago stretches for about three thousand kilometers from northeast to southwest, its climate varies significantly, producing several distinct harvest seasons when the same variety is grown nationwide. One goal of selective breeding is to create optimized varieties that can be harvested most efficiently and with the highest yields in each region of the country. Selective breeding involves planting seeds gathered by cross-breeding pollen from one breed’s stamen to the pistil of another, and selecting the full-grown plants that possess the desired characteristics. This selection process has to be repeated six to eight times before those traits
16 highlighting japan are stable, so it takes almost a decade to breed a single new strain. The first selectively bred variety, Rikuu No. 132, was created in 1921. It gave birth to Norin No. 1 a decade later, which in 1956 led to Koshihikari, the hit variety known for its wonderful flavor and appearance. “However, this was problematic from a selective breeding standpoint,” Yamaguchi points out, “because it started a fad of pursuing flavor rather than yield. Koshihikari was selectively bred nationwide. As a result, Japan’s premium brand rice breeds share Koshihikari’s drawbacks of low yield, collapse during cultivation, and susceptibility to disease.” Premium brand rice, which sells for relatively high prices on the market and can boost the income of farmers, got plenty of promotional support from local governments. While competition among regions growing brand-name rice intensifies, rice used for feed—which is subsidized by the national government— is a popular crop with farmers as well. As Yamaguchi remarks, “That caused a bipolarization, where it’s either low-yield brand-name rice that’s difficult to cultivate or rice grown for feed.” His concern stems from the fact that halting production of nonbranded commercial rice will cause rice prices to rise. That’s why NARO pursues selective breeding for high-yield breeds to increase commercial rice varieties destined for Japanese cuisine and a variety of other uses. “Our goal is to create safe and reliable domestic rice varieties,” Yamaguchi notes. “We’re developing several different breeds to be used as commercial rice in the food industry and other areas that produce high 4 1 A ripening crop of rice yields, have good flavor, and are easy to cultivate, 2 New rice just sprouting matching supply and demand between producers and 3 Rice before and after businesses.” being hulled Among the new NARO breeds, Yamaguchi’s 4 Masayuki Yamaguchi, recommendation is Emi-no-Kizuna, which has a director of the Division of Rice Research at the high yield and a light flavor perfect for the vinegared Institute of Crop Science, rice used in sushi. Yamaguchi says he wants to go NARO on to produce commercial-grade rice varieties for ready-made meals and food service, and export them proactively as well. Photography courtesy of NARO
May 2018 17 Feature Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential
T all started with my invitation to go potato- “Idigging to the students at the elementary school my daughter attended,” says Masahiro Sugimoto, an advisor of the Mishima Municipal Research of School Lunches Society for Agricultural Producers, a group that supplies local farm produce for school lunches in Mishima. The nutritionist in charge of the lunches was struck by the great taste of the komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) students also brought back and approached him to include the society’s products in the lunches. “By coordinating among producers, we set annual prices, held meetings to check the size and quality of the vegetables,
Members of the society meeting with and invited nutritionists to tour school children over lunch the farms,” explains Masatoshi Hayashi, the chairman of the society. “We also created a system to deliver fresh vegetables directly LOCAL PRODUCTION to fourteen municipal elementary FOR LOCAL CONSUMPTION schools and three municipal lunch supply centers for junior high THROUGH schools in Mishima.” In 2009, Mishima began more actively encouraging using local produce for local consumption in school lunches, declaring itself SCHOOL a “city that promotes dietary education.” As of fiscal 2017, local produce accounts for 42 LUNCHES percent of lunches on nearly two hundred lunch days in Mishima. According to a survey by the Schools in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture have been Ministry of Education, Culture, supplying local produce for school lunches since 2002. Sports, Science and Technology, the national average in fiscal 2016 for incorporating local produce in KATSUMI YASUKURA school lunches was 25.8 percent. With washoku (Japanese cuisine) at their core, Mishima's
18 highlighting japan school lunch menus are designed to prevent lifestyle-related diseases, promote traditional Japanese eating habits, and help kids learn about their local food culture. “There are around a thousand students in each grade at all the elementary and junior high schools in Mishima,” says Akira Hasegawa, the school education division chief in the Mishima City Board of Education. “So many students have been nurtured through school lunches made of Showing off the local fields local produce these past sixteen years. I believe that awareness toward local produce for local consumption, and the importance of washoku, has surely risen among every citizen, including parents of students.” “I regularly have the chance to eat school lunches and talk with students at elementary schools, and sense an increased interest in agriculture among students,” Sugimoto says. “For example, they asked me about the best seasons for vegetables, how to grow them, and the difficulties of growing them. They told me they’ve started to track the varieties Learning about local production and consumption and prices of vegetables in supermarkets. Some even said they’ve started to help with farm work at their relatives’ homes.” The school lunches featuring local produce have also had a positive impact on farmers. “Along with contributing to the community, there is nothing more encouraging than being told directly by students that your vegetables are tasty,” says Hayashi. “And if washoku can become a fixture of children’s diets, it will also have a Touring Mishima's fertile fields positive effect on the future of agriculture. It’s hard to be optimistic about the lack of future farmers to take over farms in Japan, but a younger generation is getting interested in agriculture in Mishima.” “Maintaining a stable system for growing vegetables is essential to continue providing local produce for school lunches,” Sugimoto says. He works his fields and keeps the eyes of city officials and nutritionists on the fields as they ponder the best ways to ensure the production of safe and delicious vegetables. Matching the faces of the producers to their produce
May 2018 19 Feature Food and Agriculture Marketplace Potential
Local Residents TOMOKO NISHIKAWA
Citizen-backed initiatives and local Protect Local ownership are helping to preserve Japan’s many verdant rice terraces covering mountainside and ensure that they are Landscapes passed on to future generations.
HE largest of Japan’s rice terraces, Maruyama Senmaida, is a vast array of 1,340 rice paddies that rise up 160 meters on the southwestern slope ofT 736-meter-high Mount Shirakura. The Maruyama area is located in the east of Kiwa Town, part of Kumano City in Mie Prefecture. The view of large and small paddies—a proud, rich landscape reflecting the wisdom and hardships of long-ago farmers—is considered one of Japan’s finest. In 1999, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries named it as one of the 100 Best Rice Terraces in Japan. While it is not clear exactly when these rice paddy terraces were created, according The lush green rice terraces of Maruyama Senmaida to written records there were 2,240 rice paddies here in 1601. By 1992, however, there were only about 530, the result of a policy of tree roots, repair the stone walls and revive cedar afforestation and rice crop conversion the fields, which had fallen into disuse one by instituted around 1970. The aging local one. In 1994, residents joined with the local community, depopulation and accelerating government to enact the Maruyama Senmaida abandonment of cultivated land over the years Ordinance, which was the first in Japan.” Over were all factors as well. the next four years or so, they restored 810 Local residents viewed losing this precious paddy fields covering about 2.4 hectares. cultural heritage during their generation as To preserve and pass on the restored paddy unacceptable, and were determined to preserve fields to future generations, the community it. “In 1993, all the people in the Maruyama area established an ownership system in 1996. formed the Maruyama Senmaida Preservation Owners pay an annual fee that entitles them Society,” Kenichi Wahira of the Public to plant and harvest rice—done by hand in the Corporation to Promote Kumano City Homeland traditional manner—and participate in mushi- explains. “Everyone gathered to help dig up okuri (using lit torches to banish harmful
20 highlighting japan Volunteers and locals working in the rice paddies
insects) during a traditional farming event at more people about Maruyama Senmaida.” which everyone prays for a bountiful harvest. TV and other media have picked up on the “We receive over a hundred applications a beautiful scenery and the area’s restoration year,” Wahira says. “Some owners have worked initiatives, which boosts the number of tourists. with us since we established the system over But what the residents truly want is to preserve twenty years ago. Some made new friends, and and pass on Maruyama Senmaida to future there are foreigners among our owners. Each generations. year many people look forward to planting rice “What we are doing is not about holding together, matching their schedules.” fancy events and enjoying a fleeting kind In recent years, students from Sagami of popularity,” Yoshida explains. “It’s about Women’s University began visiting Kumano City working with the same spirit, on an ongoing as part of the region’s collaborative activities. basis, as the owners and students have been They study the importance of agriculture and doing, and increasing the number of people its relationship with nature while learning about involved. Both the Maruyama Senmaida rice planting, harvesting and other aspects from Preservation Society, which operates in line the locals. with the agricultural work, and the Maruyama “Thanks to the students, we make Senmaida Protection Society, which receives tremendous progress with the work,” says financial support, have gained members each Kenji Yoshida of Kumano City’s Local Areas year. Seeing this cycle spreading throughout the Promotion Division about the program. “The whole country is what makes us happiest.” local people also look forward to interacting Encouragement and efforts like these to with their young helpers afterward. Many of the protect rice terraces that can be considered the students use social media to talk about how the original landscapes of Japan will continue as work is going. This is a great opportunity to tell long as the community stays strong.
May 2018 21 Series Policy-Related News
Shaping the Evolution AI of Multilingual Speech Translation Technology
VoiceTra is a speech translation app TAMAKI KAWASAKI that uses artificial intelligence to allow speakers of thirty-one languages to communicate instantly. VoiceTra’s fast and OICETRA is a multilingual speech accurate translation is expected to solve the translation app capable of instant translation communication problems for travelers from between thirty-one languages, developed abroad. by the National Institute of Information andV Communications Technology (NICT). Speech translation systems are being developed elsewhere in the world, with several well-known web services already in existence. However, one of the biggest advantages VoiceTra has is that it does not use English as an intermediate step in the translation process. Instead, the app translates directly from Japanese into thirty other languages, allowing for a much higher level of accuracy. Taking into account the wide range of tourists in Japan, it supports major European languages and Asian languages as well, which is also one of its unique selling points. “VoiceTra is currently the only app that supports two-way speech translation between Japanese and Myanmarese,” states Kiyotaka Uchimoto, director of the Planning Office at the Advanced Speech Translation Research and Development Promotion Center of NICT. The number of visitors to Japan is expected to keep increasing as the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games approach. To create a society where visitors would not have to worry about language barriers, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced its Global Communication Plan in 2014. Since then, many private enterprises have joined this nationwide initiative, speeding up NICT’s research and development to the point where they were able to carry out field experiments of their multilingual speech translation technology in real-world settings, such as hospitals, shops, restaurants and tourist destinations.
22 highlighting japan VoiceTra translates between 31 languages. Supported languages (31 languages) (Includes dialects of Chinese and Portuguese.) Speech input (23 languages supported) Speech output (17 languages supported) To be supported soon
Japanese Vietnamese Sinhala Polish
English Spanish Danish Portuguese
Chinese (Simplified) Myanmar German Brazilian
Chinese (Traditional) Arabic Turkish Malay
Korean Italian Nepali Mongolian
Thai Urdu Hungarian Lao
French Dutch Hindi Russian
Indonesian Khmer Filipino
VoiceTra is available for free to individual Japan,” says Uchimoto, thinking back over the users. It offers a simple and easy-to-use road that led him to this point. NICT’s speech interface, and accurately recognizes the recognition technology has held up well against differences between various speakers such as rival technologies from prestigious universities their inflections and speaking styles. Moreover, and noted research labs around the world the translation process is nearly instantaneous. at the International Workshop on Spoken The system utilizes a neural network (deep Language Translation (IWSLT), an international learning) based on human neural pathways to competition, placing first in the world for three accelerate its learning process. The accuracy years in a row. increases as the number of users rises with Besides being used in train stations and more information at the disposal of machine other public transport, medical facilities and in learning algorithms, leading to a natural and other situations in Japan, VoiceTra is now going nonliteral translation. Emergency services, beyond just a smartphone app in the hands of railway operators, taxi companies and hospitals private enterprises. For instance, a hands-free have customized the VoiceTra technology and ID card-sized device developed by one company are using it to communicate with visitors from targets doctors and nurses in hospitals. The abroad. The smartphone app has also marked a device translates voices detected from the front total of three million downloads. (i.e., the patient’s voice) into Japanese, and This wonder of technology is the culmination voices detected from the top of the device (i.e., of nearly three decades of study, despite a the doctor or nurse’s voice) into a designated rocky start due to skepticism regarding the language. Further research is being done at merits of such research. “Nevertheless, we NICT on technologies that detect and translate were convinced that this speech translation multiple languages simultaneously. “The technology was necessary for the future of ultimate goal of our research is simultaneous interpretation that gives the most appropriate VoiceTra is being used in hospitals to translation according to the context. To help us help medical staff build the necessary database, we hope that as communicate with patients many people as possible will try out VoiceTra when they visit Japan,” says Uchimoto.
VoiceTra official site: http://voicetra.nict.go.jp/en/index.html
May 2018 23 Series Science & Technology
From a Single Drop of Blood
TAKAHIRO BIFUE USHIJIMA OCHIYA Head of Molecular and Cellular The National Cancer Center Research Medicine at The National Cancer Institute of Japan has developed a new Center Research diagnostic method capable of identifying Institute of Japan thirteen types of cancer early on using microRNAs. They hope this will change the future of cancer diagnostics by detecting the illness more precisely and with minimal stress to the patient.
ETECTING cancer early lowers mortality the world in demonstrating how miRNAs in the rates and allows treatments that have blood change in the presence of cancer. a minimal impact on the mind and “Cancer can be diagnosed through lab tests body. It is said that one in two people in that spot tumor markers in the blood,” explains JapanD will suffer from cancer in their lifetime, yet Takahiro Ochiya, the institute’s head of Molecular the country’s cancer screening rates are under 50 and Cellular Medicine. “Tumor markers can’t be percent—relatively low compared to other nations. detected until cancers are of a significant size, and According to a Cabinet Office public opinion poll, a diseases other than cancer can produce tumor lack of time is the major reason given for not being markers, so testing for them is not a terribly reliable screened, so making the process quick and easy method of diagnosing cancer.” would have a positive impact on screening rates. According to Ochiya, the institute’s testing can The National Cancer Center Research Institute detect specific miRNAs during the nascent stages of Japan has an answer: it’s called the AMED Body of cancer, and the kind of miRNA found makes Fluid RNA Measurement Basic Technology Project, it possible to identify the type of cancer. “Just a and has made fast, accurate and simple screening single drop of blood—fifty microliters—is enough possible. The key to this technology is analyzing for a diagnosis, which is simple and only takes two microRNAs 1 (miRNAs)—RNA molecules in cells days.” related to the symptoms and onset of diseases such Researchers found specific miRNAs for different as cancer, and cell multiplication. The center leads types of cancer through comprehensive analyses
*1 Short RNA consisting of about twenty base pairs that regulate various biological functions. Over two thousand kinds of human miRNAs have been found so far. miRNAs are related to the symptoms of diseases such as cancer in terms of the onset of the disease and cell multiplication.
24 highlighting japan OUR GOAL cancer exosome For early detection of cancer specific marker
Medical Cancer-specific Prospective DNA Exosome Checkup & Study Screening Tumor-specific microRNA
Cancer cells Industry
Normal cells
of miRNAs done on blood samples from the center is intent on improving screening accuracy National Cancer Center Japan’s bio bank 2. Japanese and will collect clinical data on the scale of ten manufacturers have also developed diagnostic thousand people within the next few years. The devices that detect miRNAs, making the creation next step is to create an insurance-based medical of a countrywide system of effective cancer service system. screenings more of a reality. Building a database “The blood-test diagnosis has only a minimal for miRNAs for different types of cancer and the physical impact, and the estimated cost is 20,000 development and basics of diagnostic technology yen (approximately US$182),” explains Ochiya. have been settled, and the project will now enter “If medical insurance covers this testing, cancer its application phase. screenings will be less expensive. All that will The thirteen types of cancer this method can change cancer screenings dramatically.” now pinpoint are gastric, esophageal, lung, liver, If cancer can be detected early, the treatments biliary tract, pancreatic, bowel, ovarian, prostate, administered will be even more effective. In bladder, breast, sarcoma and glioma. Prospective addition, greater numbers of people being able to clinical research commenced in August 2017 get on with their lives even while suffering from at the National Cancer Center Hospital. Data cancer would translate to increased productivity was collected from the blood of three thousand on a national level, and lower medical costs. This patients diagnosed with cancer, and safety and is a screening method that holds tremendous effectiveness verifications were carried out. The promise.
*2 Refers to both the facility and the mechanism used to store information related to medical examinations and tissue and blood specimens for medical research.
May 2018 25 Series My Way
Euan Craig at his pottery wheel
Shaping Things That Endure Australian potter Euan Craig has shaped his craft in Japan for decades, following a folk craft tradition that blends creativity and beauty with utility.
Euan Craig’s life in Japan began in Tochigi with NICHOLAS RICH Mashiko’s pottery community, but he first sat at a potter’s wheel in Australia. Born in Melbourne in 1964, he began to think of his future when he was APANESE pottery comes in many varieties. just fourteen. His choice of career was more of an One of them is Mashiko ware, produced in the objective calculation than a calling. “I wanted a job town of Mashiko in Tochigi Prefecture since I wouldn’t retire from, where I could forge my body the late Edo Period (1603-1867). The area’s high- and work with my hands. It also had to include my qualityJ clay and proximity to the large Tokyo market interests in science, art and philosophy,” he says. made Mashiko into one of Japan’s leading pottery Ceramics met all of these requirements. regions. Mashiko ware includes many everyday Euan ran a small ceramics workshop in Swan Hill items such as braziers, water jars and clay pots. for four years after graduating with a BA in ceramic
26 highlighting japan design from La Trobe University in Bendigo. During Euan’s works on display that time, a Japanese friend introduced him to the pottery community of Mashiko. In January 1990, Euan set off on a life-changing pilgrimage. The town of Mashiko is the mecca of Mashiko ware, and gained enormous attention from the mingei folk-art movement led by Living National Treasure Shoji Hamada in the 1920s. “I studied Japanese ceramics and folk-art movements in university and had heard of Mashiko, so I really wanted to go there someday,” states Euan. Euan became an apprentice of Tatsuzo Shimaoka, a student of Shoji Hamada and Living National Treasure himself. Euan spoke no Japanese upon arriving in Japan, but he studied hard while training under Shimaoka and also learned the fundamental mingei teaching: mingei works are made by and for the common people, and are beautiful due to their rusticity and utility. Euan opened a studio in 1994, and lived in Mashiko for twenty-one years in total. He integrated with the community and met his wife there. As a member of the Japan Mingei Association, he firmly believes in the holistic relationship of creativity, craft, and the beauty of usefulness. After his shop and kiln were ruined in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, however, he moved to the town of Minakami in Gunma Prefecture, with his The artist in his workshop livelihood and his family’s safety driving his decision. He now lives in an old farmhouse in Minakami with his wife and four children. His large workshop and gallery are set up inside the house, with a fireplace for winter work, a dirt floor, and large windows that let in ample sunlight. Euan draws water from the well outside, and shapes his wares using a foot-powered potter’s wheel. Euan says he is proudest of his plates and other tableware. “Meals bring people together and nourish them—just like art.” He is collaborating with three restaurants near an art shop in Tokyo to make works to fit the cuisine of their special menus. He plans to hold a 25th-anniversary exhibit at the same art shop in Euan’s works are beautifully rustic November 2018.
The old farmhouse in Minakami where Euan lives with Euan is pleased by that milestone, but his idea of his family success is something different. “I create beautifully simple and practical items that people will continue to use every day of their lives, and will remain even after I’m gone. That is the art of everyday life.” His work is fundamentally tied to the daily existence of other people, and to enriching their world.
May 2018 27 Series From Japan to the world
Behind the story of cup-type instant noodles are the setbacks and challenges that the inventor of instant noodle experienced during his quest to make them a global food.
Instant World Cup
HELEN LANGFORD-MATSUI
A cross-section of Ando’s Cup Noodles
UP-T Y PE instant noodles are now a apart and placed them inside paper cups, poured hot common dish for people around the world. water on top and then ate the noodles with forks. Affordable, convenient, and now more He realized that the key to making instant noodles a nutritious than ever, they satisfy the global dish was to adapt them to food cultures around variousC needs of consumers. the world. The inventor of instant noodles, Momofuku After returning to Japan, Ando started developing a Ando, had dreamed of developing ramen noodles new instant noodle product stored in a heat-resistant that people could eat anywhere conveniently. The container to allow consumers to hold the container in founder of Nissin Foods, he encountered a cultural one hand while eating the noodles. He tested close to and culinary roadblock when he traveled to the forty different prototypes before arriving at the ideal- United States in 1966 to introduce supermarket sized cup. buyers to his Chicken Ramen, the world’s first Putting the noodles upright inside the cup also instant noodles. As Haruka Aoki from the Corporate turned out to be problematic: they would tilt or flip Communications Division at Nissin Foods Holdings over, and not settle properly. So Ando seized upon the explains: “At the time, Americans did not possess concept of “reverse thinking.” Instead of depositing the chopsticks or the right bowls for preparing instant noodles inside the cup during the production process, noodles.” the noodles would be laid upside down, the cups would Ando watched as the supermarket buyers—lacking be placed over them, and be turned over later. His idea the proper bowls and utensils—broke the noodles worked, and his factory went into mass production.
28 highlighting japan Young people trying Cup Noodles in 1971
Momofuku Ando, inventor of instant noodles
A Cup Noodle vending machine
In 1971, Nissin’s Cup Noodles—the world’s first and ingredients and even the texture and length cup-type instant noodles—launched in Japan. of the noodles. Even the size of the cups varies. The benefits of this unique product were not fully “In the Philippines it’s customary to eat smaller understood at first, and many stores would not place amounts much more frequently, so it have been Cup Noodles on their shelves. But when sold in popular for smaller cups in that market,” explains vending machines that also dispense hot water, the Daisuke Okabayashi, the manager of the Corporate product became a big hit. Two years after achieving Communications Division at Nissin Foods Holdings. success in Japan, Cup Noodles crossed the Pacific As times and tastes change, cup-type instant and the product was marketed in the U.S. noodles continue to evolve. Ever since the mid-1990s, In 2017, approximately 21.2 billion servings of cup- as interest in healthier eating habits began to rise, the type instant noodles were sold around the world. product has gone through gradual improvements. Although the tally was less than the 78.9 billion units Consumers can now choose from a variety of options, of bag-type instant noodles purchased, cup-type including products featuring nonfried noodles, instant noodles now hold over half of the instant dietary fiber, low sodium, lower calories and larger noodle market in countries such as Japan, Mexico, servings of vegetables. There is no doubt that cup- Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Germany and Spain. type instant noodles will continue to change to suit Cup-type instant noodles often reflect the consumer tastes. respective dining cultures of the countries where they are marketed, both in local tastes
May 2018 29 Series A Trip by Local Train History in Motion A journey on one of Oigawa Railway’s steam locomotives connects people with the charms of travel from a lost era.
NICHOLAS RICH
IGAWA Railway, also known as Dai- Oigawa Railway’s Kanaya Station is just across the Tetsu, operates two lines running platform from JR Tokaido Line’s Kanaya Station, an for sixty-five kilometers in Shizuoka hour and a half from Tokyo on the JR Tokaido Line. Prefecture. Determined to preserve Five minutes on a local train from Kanaya Station, Japan’sO steam locomotive (known as SLs in Japan) passengers will arrive at Oigawa Railway’s main culture, the company was the first in the nation to station, Shin-Kanaya Station. With pasteboard tickets bring these trains back onto the tracks. in hand, passengers can experience rail travel as it Japan’s first SL came from Great Britain in 1872, was in an earlier age—a moving memory for train and and SLs were widely used during the first half of the history fans alike. 1900s. After Japan switched to electric, diesel and The sight of SLs stopped at the Shin-Kanaya other locomotives in the 1950s, however, they largely Station platform is quite impressive. After the crew disappeared from service. scoops coal into the furnace, a plume of steam and To prevent the loss of an essential part of Japan’s smoke bursts forth, accompanied by that iconic high- train culture, Dai-Tetsu acquired its first SL train pitched whistle. A round trip, incidentally, consumes in 1976 and returned it to service. Since then, the approximately one ton of water. The passenger cars company has beautifully restored three different have a relaxing interior with spacious seating and large types of SL trains and runs them nearly every day on windows from which to enjoy scenery or catch the their sightseeing lines. cool breeze.
30 highlighting japan Take the train to enjoy the natural landscapes of Shizuoka
The perfectly restored carriages
Dream Suspension Bridge spans the Sumata River
Oigawa Railway
One of Oigawa Railway’s steam locomotives
Onboard, crew members sell souvenir pictures and bridge that spans the Oi River, and runs along the SL-themed limited-edition toys and candy, creating bank of the river over the course of the hour-and-a- a festival-like atmosphere. The conductors, known half journey. In the summer, the verdant tea fields as “Mr. and Ms. SL,” are very friendly. The railway is reflect the sunlight, and almost seem to be shining also famous for the crew’s harmonica performances themselves. and a cappella renditions of various songs. SLs Passengers getting off at Senzu Station can take a running between Shin-Kanaya Station and Senzu bus to nearby Sumata Gorge and enjoy a scenic hike Station on the Oigawa Main Line take on the faces of through a forest to see the Dream Suspension Bridge. Thomas the Tank Engine and his friend James, both This 90-meter-long, 8-meter-high span sways over especially popular with children, during a set period the shining, azure blue waters of the Sumata River, a each year. tributary of the Oi River. The scenery is different for each line. The Ikawa A ride on an Oigawa Railway SL is a romantic and Line traverses the steeply undulating mountainous nostalgic experience. Combining retro technology territory between Senzu Station and Ikawa Station, and timeless nature, this train service is an homage and uses a rack and pinion system to pull the train to the days of another age, and can truly be up the steepest slope of any track in the country. considered history in motion. The Oigawa Main Line runs between Kanaya Station and Senzu Station. It passes under a suspension © 2018 Gullane (Thomas) Limited.
May 2018 31 AOI MATSURI
he Aoi Matsuri, held every May 15, is one of Featuring over five hundred people dressed as T Kyoto’s three main festivals and is regarded Heian nobles, the procession goes from Kyoto’s as Japan’s most elegant and charming festival. A Imperial Palace to Shimogamo Shrine, and then to national ritual since the Heian Period (794–1185), Kamigamo Shrine. Visitors can enjoy the festival it’s one of the few that preserve traditional from paid seating at Kyoto Gyoen National Garden dynastic customs. or along the approach to Shimogamo Shrine.
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