Almost two years have handed since Russia started its invasion of Ukraine, and on the nineteenth, the Japan-Ukraine Economic Reconstruction Promotion Conference will probably be held in Tokyo on the nineteenth.
In addition to authorities officers comparable to Prime Minister Kishida and Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmikhali, roughly 130 firms from each international locations are scheduled to take part.The private and non-private sectors will work collectively to help reconstruction in seven areas, together with agriculture and infrastructure growth. We are planning to change paperwork.
FUKUI, Feb 19 (News On Japan) –
The Hokuriku Shinkansen extension, set to open on March 16, has introduced important modifications to Fukui Station, one of many new stops. A life-sized dinosaur monument in entrance of the station offers a prehistoric ambiance, with a Tyrannosaurus additionally being constructed.
In mild of the extension, the federal government has launched the “Hokuriku Support Discount” for the 4 prefectures of Hokuriku. However, Ishikawa Prefecture, nonetheless combating restoration and going through secondary evacuations, may delay the beginning of this initiative.
On the opposite hand, ryokans in Fukui Prefecture’s Awara Onsen, which suffered reputational injury following the earthquake, are hopeful concerning the “Support Discount.” The problem lies in balancing catastrophe restoration with the revival of the tourism business. The journey in the direction of a vibrant Hokuriku entails navigating each these points.
The nineteenth marks the seventh week for the reason that Noto Peninsula Earthquake, which brought on tremors with a most seismic depth of seven, occurred. In the Oku-Noto area of Ishikawa Prefecture, the place infrastructure akin to water provides has been severely broken, the problem is how you can safe manpower and time for restoration and particles removing.
A satellite tv for pc developed by a Japanese non-public firm to {photograph} “space debris” was launched from New Zealand on the night time of the 18th, with the intention of eradicating “space debris” reminiscent of unused synthetic satellites and rockets floating in outer area. The satellite tv for pc was positioned into the deliberate orbit and the launch was profitable.
Ishikawa, Feb 19 (News On Japan) –
Temperatures throughout Japan on Sunday, February 18, soared to ranges typical of March or April. In Ishikawa Prefecture, which suffered harm from the Noto Peninsula earthquake, the mercury rose, forcing evacuees in plastic greenhouses to take measures in opposition to the warmth.
Due to the affect of sturdy heat air, temperatures in Ishikawa Prefecture climbed from Sunday morning. In Shika Town, which skilled a most seismic depth of seven through the Noto Peninsula earthquake, the best temperature reached a document 15.6°C for the 12 months, resembling mid-April heat.
Evacuees who’ve voluntarily taken shelter in plastic greenhouses felt the warmth from the morning and took steps to chill down, corresponding to absolutely opening the doorway and rolling up the sheets of the greenhouse.
An evacuee shared, “It’s warm, isn’t it? Unusually so for February. During the day, we turn off the stove and open both sides and the door.”
The climate in Ishikawa Prefecture is predicted to rise even greater within the coming days.
TOKYO, Feb 19 (News On Japan) –
In an effort to maneuver away from car-dependent society, Gunma Prefecture launched its model of MaaS (Mobility as a Service) final yr. This service permits customers to ebook and pay for varied public transportation choices, equivalent to trains and buses, utilizing only a smartphone.
We explored Gunma’s initiative to grasp its challenges and significance in sustaining public transportation infrastructure.
Gunma’s MaaS, referred to as “Gun-MaaS,” provides a one-stop resolution for public transportation, enabling customers to go looking, ebook, and pay for various modes of transport. Despite the truth that 77.1% of commuters in Gunma use personal automobiles, considerably larger than the nationwide common of 48.2%, the introduction of Gun-MaaS goals to make public transport extra accessible and handy.
One of the important thing options of Gun-MaaS is the flexibility to ebook demand-responsive buses, which modify their routes primarily based on person reservations. This service has been notably helpful for residents in areas with restricted public transport choices, decreasing journey time and enhancing mobility.
Additionally, Gun-MaaS provides reductions on demand bus fares for customers who hyperlink their My Number playing cards to the service. This not solely makes the service extra inexpensive but additionally permits the native authorities to collect information on service utilization, which can be utilized to additional enhance the system.
Interestingly, half of the registered customers of Gun-MaaS are vacationers from exterior the prefecture. The service has additionally been adopted by the Watarase Keikoku Railway, permitting passengers to take pleasure in cashless journey via QR code ticketing. This transfer in direction of cashless transactions is predicted to draw extra vacationers and improve the general journey expertise within the area.
Gunma’s MaaS initiative represents a big step in direction of making a extra sustainable and environment friendly public transportation system. By decreasing the reliance on personal automobiles and enhancing entry to public transport, Gunma is paving the way in which for a extra inclusive and environmentally pleasant mobility future.
TOKYO, Feb 19 (News On Japan) –
In the development trade, the place labor shortages have gotten more and more extreme, each the federal government and firms are specializing in buying feminine expertise. We investigated the efforts of a building firm the place girls are main the best way on the job website.
In July final yr, a brand new building undertaking started below the elevated tracks of the Keikyu Line. The website was stuffed with girls in work garments and helmets. The cause? At “Keikyu Construction,” a bunch referred to as “Keikyu Komachi-kai” was fashioned, consisting of feminine technical workers members who’re working to create a extra snug surroundings, together with revising work garments for girls. This time, they took on the problem of developing a constructing from scratch.
Takumi Takahashi, a member of Keikyu Komachi-kai and an 8-year veteran on the firm, is the positioning supervisor, whereas Chika Kurishima, with 6 years of expertise, is in command of design. Together with different members of Keikyu Komachi-kai, they’re dealing with the development of the constructing.
The building trade is dealing with a critical scarcity of labor, and though the variety of girls working in technical roles on-site has doubled since 2014, they’re nonetheless a minority.
Takahashi, the primary feminine technical workers member at Keikyu Construction, stated, “I hope to create a more comfortable working environment and be a pioneer in this effort.”
As a website supervisor, Takahashi manages the work course of and coordinates with the development ordering occasion, inserting particular emphasis on entrusting vital duties to newer staff.
One of the focuses of this undertaking is to document the development course of, which may even be used for constructing inspections.
Kairi Otsuka, a second-year worker, expressed her gratitude for being entrusted with vital duties, regardless of feeling the strain.
The constructing constructed by the ladies supervisors and designers will primarily function an workplace for evening building employees to take breaks. The design ensures separate areas for women and men to take care of privateness, with the ladies’s room that includes orange wallpaper for a vivid and spacious really feel when daylight enters, and a pink washbasin.
Kurishima hopes that the pink coloration will deliver a cheerful temper to these utilizing the services. The ordering occasion praised the development, noting the great communication and meticulous work.
According to Keikyu Construction, the period when building websites may very well be managed solely by male technical workers is coming to an finish, and this initiative represents a big step ahead.
Kurishima believes that being a girl allowed her to concentrate on particular particulars, and Takahashi thinks that by creating jobs that may solely be finished by those that have labored on-site, and prioritizing the opinions of ladies who wish to work till the final minute earlier than marriage or childbirth, the variety of girls within the building trade will improve.
LOS ANGELES, Feb 19 (News On Japan) –
Director Takashi Yamazaki, whose movie “Godzilla Minus One” has been nominated for an Academy Award in Visual Effects, has shared insights into the manufacturing course of in Los Angeles. This marks the primary time a Japanese movie has been nominated on this class.
Over 100 movie business professionals and visible creators had been invited to the speak present the place Yamazaki mentioned the making of Godzilla-1.0. The movie is competing for the Visual Effects Oscar, a class traditionally dominated by groundbreaking works like Star Wars and Avatar, recognized for increasing the boundaries of expression via CG expertise.
Yamazaki revealed that the manufacturing group utilized particular results methods and checked the creators’ visuals on the spot to streamline the method, together with value effectivity.
“Normally, in a VFX studio, everyone would watch the tests together, but we didn’t do that. Instead, if someone spotted an issue, we would immediately discuss how to improve it. There was a lot of interaction among us,” Yamazaki defined.
When requested about using generative AI in filmmaking, Yamazaki expressed skepticism, stating, “Instinctively, I reject it because it produces something that feels like it’s been seen before.”
Regarding the nomination, Yamazaki mentioned, “It’s an honor to be nominated among such incredible works. I’ll be thrilled if we win, but even if we don’t, I’m happy to have come this far. I’d say our chances are 50% if I’m being greedy.”
The Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for March tenth.
YAMAGUCHI, Feb 19 (News On Japan) –
In Akiyoshidai, the most important karst plateau in Japan situated in Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the arrival of spring was heralded by the normal observe of mountain burning.
At 9:30 AM on Sunday, roughly 1,000 native residents and metropolis officers set fireplace to the plateau, steadily enveloping the 1,140-hectare karst panorama in flames.
The mountain burning occasion at Akiyoshidai is a practice that has continued for over 600 years. It is performed yearly round this time to advertise the expansion of latest shoots on the karst plateau and stop afforestation.
Many vacationers visited the location to witness this early spring spectacle set in opposition to the backdrop of majestic nature.
A customer commented, “It was burning more than I expected, it was amazing. I came all the way from Osaka to see this.”
With the conclusion of the mountain burning, Akiyoshidai turns the web page to spring.
Karst is a kind of panorama the place the dissolving of the bedrock has created sinkholes, sinking streams, caves, springs, and different attribute options.
BANGKOK, Feb 19 (News On Japan) –
In tropical Thailand, a culinary phenomenon is going down: the Japanese “yakiimo” or roasted candy potato. This humble snack has undergone a exceptional evolution in Thailand, charming the nation with its sweetness and texture.
Global Spotlight on Japan’s Sweet Yakiimo
In Tokyo’s Asakusa, lengthy queues kind for a style of this candy delight. Visitors from all over the world rave about its taste:
Visitor from Australia: “It’s incredibly delicious!”
Visitor from America: “It’s really sweet and tasty!”
Japan’s candy yakiimo is gaining worldwide consideration, with occasions in Hong Kong witnessing a rush for Japanese candy potatoes. Tasting occasions are additionally being held in London and Dubai.
But how are these candy potatoes exported? Our workforce headed to Miyazaki Prefecture, a significant manufacturing space, to search out out.
At Kushima Aoi Farm, President Yosuke Narasako exhibits us the storage facility, housing a staggering 1,000 tons of candy potatoes, equal to about 4 million items. The “Beni Haruka” selection, harvested final 12 months, is exported to Europe and Asia all year long, sustaining its high quality.
Thailand’s Yakiimo Boom: The Role of Don Quijote
Thailand is experiencing a candy potato fever, with exports from Japan growing sixfold in 5 years. In Bangkok’s supermarkets, Japanese candy potatoes, labeled “AMAIMO,” are discovered proper behind the king of fruits, durian. Despite being priced at round 500 yen every, these roasted candy potatoes promote out rapidly, with as much as 300 offered every day.
An everyday Thai buyer expresses their love for the creamy texture and sweetness, noting that such candy potatoes should not present in Thailand.
The catalyst for this growth was the favored Japanese retailer, Don Quijote. Five years in the past, it launched Japanese yakiimo to Thailand, and it turned an prompt hit.
Regular Thai clients have been initially skeptical in regards to the sweetness, suspecting added sugar, however now they cannot get sufficient of it.
Since then, yakiimo has developed uniquely in Thailand, with specialty shops popping up. One standard variation includes sprinkling sugar on the yakiimo and torching it with a gasoline burner earlier than including gold leaf.
Some shops supply a singular Thai twist: frozen yakiimo, eaten like sherbet ice. Other standard gadgets embrace yakiimo ice latte, yakiimo Mont Blanc ice cream, and chilled yakiimo, showcasing the flexibility of this deal with in a tropical local weather.
The Secret to Japanese Yakiimo’s Sweetness: 3–6 Months of Maturation
The key to the recognition of Japanese yakiimo lies in its sweetness. But what makes it so candy?
We visited an organization in Miyazaki Prefecture that exports yakiimo to Thailand. According to President Kenji Sugou of SAZANKA, the maturation course of is essential. The candy potatoes are matured for 3 to six months, present process a metamorphosis that enhances their sweetness.
In the storage facility, the candy potatoes are matured in soil at a strict humidity of 95% and a temperature of 14°C. Over a number of months, the starch contained in the candy potatoes is damaged down into sugar, considerably growing their sweetness. Unfortunately, the ultimate stage of maturation is a intently guarded secret.
When these matured candy potatoes are roasted, they turn into extremely candy, with syrup oozing out.
Yakiimo’s Popularity Extends to Alcoholic Pairings
While Thailand has its personal candy potatoes, the normal method of consuming them is as “fukashi-imo,” offered at avenue stalls. The sweetness stage of those is round 7 levels Brix, whereas the Japanese yakiimo we tasted earlier has a sweetness stage of 60 levels Brix, similar to strawberry jam.
Now, the yakiimo craze in Thailand is extending past sweets. There’s a preferred yakiimo dish that pairs nicely with alcohol, constituted of the identical 60 levels Brix candy potatoes.
Shinji Hara, Executive Chef at 1923, feedback on the shocking sweetness of the dish.
The dish in query? Yakiimo tempura. Slicing the candy potatoes, coating them in flour, and frying them enhances their sweetness, making them successful with the youthful technology in Thailand.
Regular Thai clients reward its sweetness and compatibility with alcohol.
Another standard dish amongst Thai ladies is yakiimo with cheese. The
mixture of the candy potato’s sweetness and the cheese’s saltiness has created a surge of repeat clients.
Behind the Yakiimo Boom: The Japanese Innovators
Behind the increasing yakiimo growth in Thailand are Japanese innovators. Hibiki Omori, 28, left college at 21 with the ambition of spreading Japan’s superior meals elements worldwide. He joined a consulting firm in Thailand and has since developed yakiimo-based menus for 60 eating places in Bangkok.
Omori finds nice satisfaction in introducing one thing new to Thais and seeing their delighted reactions.
On today, a tasting session for a brand new product was held. Omori and his Thai workers have been experimenting with “yakiimo French fries.” They examined varied powders, similar to barbecue and cheese flavors, to see which might swimsuit Thai tastes.
The workers discovered that the mixture of barbecue taste and the sweetness of yakiimo labored nicely. Based on the tasting outcomes, they determined so as to add barbecue and cheese-flavored yakiimo fries to the menu.
Yakiimo Meets Thai Cuisine: A Match Made in Culinary Heaven
Meanwhile, Thai innovators are additionally exploring the fusion of yakiimo and Thai delicacies. Chef On of Café Rabbits believes that the mixture of Japanese yakiimo and Thai delicacies is ideal.
One standard dish is a salad made with fried yakiimo, tossed in a spicy and bitter Thai dressing. The primary parts of Thai delicacies—spiciness, sourness, and sweetness—harmonize splendidly with the sweetness of Japanese yakiimo.
On sees “infinite possibilities” within the mixture of yakiimo and Thai delicacies.
The café additionally presents a inexperienced curry with yakiimo, which has turn into a signature dish.
Regular Thai clients are pleasantly shocked by how nicely Japanese yakiimo enhances Thai delicacies.
At one other Thai restaurant, The Rabbit’s Grove Café & Restaurant, proprietor Nok selected Japanese candy potatoes for his or her sweetness, which he believed would enchantment to Thais.
One of the restaurant’s signature dishes is “Satsumaimo Massaman Curry.” While the normal Massaman curry makes use of potatoes, the usage of Japanese candy potatoes, that are a comparatively new ingredient in Thailand, has made this dish a standout on the menu.
Regular Thai clients rave in regards to the good steadiness of the curry’s spiciness and the candy potato’s sweetness, describing it as “delicious” and “blissful.”
The encounter between Thai delicacies and Japanese yakiimo has opened up new potentialities for this beloved snack.
Regular Thai clients hope that individuals in Japan may also get an opportunity to savor these modern dishes, showcasing the cross-cultural culinary change between Japan and Thailand.
