Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report KOFU—The Self-Defense Forces and firefighters are trying to contain a mountain fire that started on Jan 18 and destroyed an estimated 35 hectares by the following day The fire was raging on both sides of a mountain ridge that separates the cities of Fuefuki and Kofu in Yamanashi Prefecture as of noon on Jan There have been no reports of damage to homes A local resident reported smoke rising from near the ridge around 1:10 p.m according to police and the fire department City officials in Fuefuki requested support from the SDF through the prefectural government on the morning of Jan Aircraft from the SDF and fire departments in Tokyo Gunma and Shizuoka prefectures are spraying water on the flames (This article was written by Shin Toyohira and Norikazu Miyake.) Fire that ruined Wajima market likely began with damaged wires Fire near MSDF training area for explosives still rages a day later Residents at loss for words over destruction of Wajima market 48 confirmed dead in Ishikawa after New Year’s Day earthquake ‘Triple whammy’ depleted water during Wajima market inferno Woman in her 80s rescued from rubble 3 days after Noto quake Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission Yamanashi — Peach blossoms are at their best in Fuefuki please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent The city is known as a major production area for peaches with approximately 250,000 peach trees planted on hills and elsewhere the peak blossoms came about a week later than last year partly due to the prolonged cool temperatures and snowfall in early spring The blossoms can be enjoyed until the end of this week Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Tokyo:  A wildfire that broke out on Saturday in the mountains spanning Japan’s Kofu City and Fuefuki City in Yamanashi prefecture remained uncontained local time on Saturday in the mountain area including the deployment of helicopters from neighbouring prefectures and the Self-Defense Forces the fire has not been brought under control and the fire did not pose an immediate threat to residential areas at the mountain’s base Authorities have continued to monitor the situation with plans to resume firefighting at dawn on Monday Yamanashi prefecture has seen multiple wildfires since last month including accidents in Ichikawamisato Town and Uenohara City In Japan the peak fire season typically begins in mid-January and lasts around 16 weeks There were 62 VIIRS fire alerts reported between 15th of January 2024 and 13th of January 2025 considering high confidence alerts only This is low compared to previous years going back to 2012 extending over 43 per cent of its land area Japan lost 12.5 kha of tree cover from fires and 903 kha from all other drivers of loss The year with the most tree cover loss due to fires during this period was 2012 with 1.22 kha lost to fires — 2.7 per cent of all tree cover loss for that year Please enter your username or email address to reset your password Yamanashi — Shakado Museum of Jomon Culture a specialist museum displaying artifacts from the Jomon period (around 10,000 B.C.- 300 B.C.) held an event in which high school students made parfaits modeled after Jomon doki earthenware in Fuefuki The event was aimed at showcasing the charms of the area where an abundance of ruins and relics from the period have been discovered The vice director of the museum spearheaded the parfait-making project hoping people would become familiar with the ancient wares through sweets prepared with local delicacies and fruits The event was held at Marusa Marche on July 3 a local cafe that sources ingredients from its own farm Students from the prefectural Fuefuki High School participated as part of their studies Over 15 third-year students tried making parfaits in the image of the Suienmon pottery piece excavated at the Shakado ruins which straddle the cities of Fuefuki and Koshu in the prefecture the students finished off the dessert with pudding made from peaches and tea from Nambu “It was difficult to follow the design blueprint but it was fun to learn about Jomon,” said student Ayane Miura Miura said she tried to reproduce the color of Jomon pottery using jelly The museum wants to sell Jomon pottery-inspired parfaits based on this trial and hold another parfait-making workshop at the cafe possibly in August Purpose Domains Drivers Profile Investors Newsroom Long-Term Management Vision Value Creation Model Corporate Governance CSV Management Health and Well-Being Community Engagement Respect for human rights Responsibility of Kirin Group which runs Alcoholic Beverage Businesses Food & Beverages domain Health Science domain Pharmaceuticals domain Core Technology that Assures Value Creation Diversity and Inclusion, Culture for Innovation Corporate Policy Corporate Overview Group Companies Company History Our Approaches in Quality Chart Generator Management Policy Financial Data Non-Financial Information Share-related Information IR Library Management Structure CSV Commitments as of 2025 Marketing Communication Policy(MCP) Sustainable supply chain Engagement Holistic Environmental Management Information Disclosure Based on the TCFD Framework, TNFD Framework Draft, etc. Dealing with alcohol-related problems General Meetings of Shareholders Integrated Report Sales Overview Kirin Group Environmental Report Kirin Group Human Rights Policy Activities to Promote Sustainable Procurement JICA-KIRIN Fellowship Program KIRIN CSV REPORT 2020 KIRIN CSV REPORT 2019 KIRIN REPORT 2018 KIRIN REPORT 2016 KIRIN REPORT 2015 Fellow Introduction Strengthening Our Non-Financial Assets Financial & Non-Financial Highlights To Our Stakeholders Kirin’s Foundation for Value Creation KEY POINTS ABOUT KIRIN A total of 12 "Château Mercian" wines were awarded Château Mercian　Fuefuki Koshu Gris de Gris 2019 from Mercian Corporation (President: Michio Nagabayashi) was the only Japanese wine to win Gold at the International Wine Challenge 2021 It was also the first time in the competition's history that a producing region other than world-renowned orange wine producer Georgia won a Gold medal in the Orange Wine category Six other Château Mercian wines won Silver medals including the Icon Series Château Mercian Hokushin Left Bank Chardonnay Rivalis 2019 including the Terroir Series Château Mercian Mariko Chardonnay 2019 Château Mercian produces wines of exquisite quality They are committed to communicating this quality in Japan and globally in order to increase brand recognition and contribute to the development of the Japanese wine industry This wine has a sweet aroma like apple compote and lots of volume on the palate Its flavour expresses the essence of the skins of the Japanese indigenous grape variety Koshu Koshu comes from the Fuefuki District in Yamanashi Prefecture It is also becoming increasingly popular as "orange wine," which is made by fermenting white grapes with their skins True to our wine business slogan of “Creating a pleasant future with wine,” Mercian Corporation will continue to offer wines that bring people together to enjoy each other’s company and spend quality time ◆ Contest Name: International Wine Challenge 2021* Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses) Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses) and Health Science domain (Health Science business) Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885 Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907 the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s all of which continue to be global growth centers Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027) a long-term management plan launched in 2019 the Kirin Group aims to become “A global leader in CSV* creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals.” Going forward the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value * Creating Shared Value: combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large has tran­si­tioned into a suc­cess­ful olive oil pro­ducer with Maedaya Olive win­ning a Gold Award at the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition Despite fac­ing chal­lenges due to extreme tem­per­a­tures in Yamanashi Maeda con­tin­ues to expand his olive grove and pro­duce high-qual­ity olive oil with hopes of even­tu­ally export­ing his prod­uct world­wide The bass gui­tarist of a pop­u­lar Japanese rock band has also become one of the country’s pre­em­i­nent olive oil pro­duc­ers Founded in 2000, Remioromen has been among the best-sell­ing rock groups in Japan and won the Best Pop Video Award at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards Maeda started his sec­ond act as an olive farmer he cel­e­brated the fruits of his labor with a World Olive Oil Competition award for a medium-inten­sity Mission ​“We are thrilled by this win,” Maeda told Olive Oil Times He cul­ti­vates about 500 olive trees on his farm near Fuefuki in the chal­leng­ing cli­mate of the Yamanashi Prefecture in cen­tral Japan close to sev­eral national parks and Mount Fuji we wanted the best olive oil tasters in the world to eval­u­ate our prod­uct,” Maeda said ​“We needed them to assess the type of olive oil our farm pro­duces so we could under­stand the qual­ity we have reached.” In 2013, after exten­sive research and sev­eral trips to olive oil-pro­duc­ing regions in Italy and Greece, Maeda estab­lished his first grove, com­posed of about 100 olive trees. In 2016, he pro­duced his first batch of extra vir­gin olive oil the orig­i­nal grove has expanded to include many more trees I planted Mission and Koroneiki vari­eties to act as pol­li­nat­ing trees,” Maeda said ​“I selected them as they have a long story of cul­ti­va­tion in Japan and after con­sult­ing with Sorai Farm in Shodoshima.” Situated on Shodo island in south­ern Japan, Shodoshima fea­tures a Mediterranean-like cli­mate. The island and sur­round­ing coast on the Japanese main­land are home to most olive oil pro­duc­ers our pri­mary cul­ti­vars include Arbequina ​“It is amaz­ing that cul­ti­vars that grow beau­ti­fully in regions that are way warmer than Yamanashi also grow so well in our orchards.” extreme tem­per­a­tures have been Maeda’s main chal­lenge with the mer­cury falling to –10 ºC dur­ing the win­ter and sum­mer tem­per­a­tures soar­ing up to 40 ºC “The year the seedlings are planted demands utmost atten­tion,” he said we wrap them in straw to pro­tect them from cold and dry weather.” the effects of cold weather decrease,” Maeda added The sum­mer heat is not a prob­lem so far But like many other pro­duc­ers around the world we are keep­ing a close eye on the effects of global warm­ing.” The orchard’s expan­sion will prob­a­bly con­tinue ​“We are still work­ing to research and select cul­ti­vars,” he said ​“Yamanashi has a short his­tory of olive cul­ti­va­tion so I believe there is space to find more cul­ti­vars suit­able for our region.” Maeda also pointed out that he tends to the olive trees ​“This means I must con­sider the size of the grove,” he said ​“I am cau­tious about expand­ing too quickly as main­tain­ing the high qual­ity of our olive oil is my pri­or­ity.” friends and fam­ily help Maeda hand­pick his olives and trans­form them into mono­va­ri­etals and blends The sea­son that brought to the Gold Award-win­ning Mission mono­va­ri­etal was good for the Japanese pro­ducer the cam­paign was char­ac­ter­ized by good weather for olive cul­ti­va­tion in Yamanashi,” Maeda said ​“We had fewer typhoons and lit­tle rain­fall “That also means that good-qual­ity olive fruits were grown,” he added ​“The results of the eval­u­a­tions at the NYIOOC pro­vide impor­tant mes­sages and mean­ings such as under­stand­ing the posi­tion of the oil I pro­duce guid­ing prin­ci­ples for future olive cul­ti­va­tion and olive oil pro­duc­tion and a recon­fir­ma­tion of my work so far.” ​“She drew the leaf labels for our olive oil bot­tles,” he said I com­mis­sioned her to draw the ori­gin of all life for our web­site and plants gather around the skele­ton of an umbrella ​“Our olive oil is del­i­cate; it has a good bal­ance of bit­ter­ness and spici­ness and it bears the nat­ural sweet aroma of plants,” he said According to Maeda, cli­mate change will be the most rel­e­vant chal­lenge for high-qual­ity olive oil pro­duc­ers in Japan in the long term “Yamanashi is the largest pro­ducer of peaches and grapes in Japan and the birth­place of Japanese wine,” he said all fruit farm­ers in Yamanashi have begun efforts to find coun­ter­mea­sures against dam­age from high tem­per­a­tures and sus­tain­able agri­cul­tural pro­duc­tion but Maeda hopes to change this as he expands slowly but steadily as I would love peo­ple from all over the world to expe­ri­ence Maedaya’s olive oil fla­vored by the nuances of the unique Yamanashi ter­roir Maeda believes that the pop­u­lar­ity of olive oil in Japan is increas­ing more Japanese are health-con­scious and are dis­cov­er­ing that high-qual­ity extra vir­gin olive oil is not only healthy but also deli­cious,” he con­cluded More articles on:  , , Drought and Ill-Timed Rain Lead to Poor Harvest in Uruguay Officials estimate production will be 72 percent below the five-year average after an historic drought and a rainy harvest Renowned Olive Oil Sommelier Program Returns to New York The five-day program teaches quality assessment Portuguese Producers Highlight Quality as the Cornerstone of Promotional Efforts After achieving their second-biggest harvest ever Portuguese producers celebrated impressive results at the World Olive Oil Competition Concrete and Water Are Damaging Montenegro's Oldest Olive Tree In their efforts to turn the 2,247-year-old Stara Maslina into a tourist attraction local authorities have inadvertently damaged the iconic olive tree MedDiet Named World’s Best for Eighth Straight Year A panel of experts selected the Mediterranean diet as the world’s best due to its variety of nutrient-dense foods Croatian County Recognizes the Role of Award-Winning Producers in Promoting Tourism A ceremony in Zadar connected the efforts to develop local tourism with high-quality olive oils Olive Council Data Shows Latest Harvest Results, Emerging Trends Global olive oil production is expected to exceed the five-year average in the 2024/25 crop year as production decreases in Europe and rises in the Middle East and North Africa Olive Growing Starting to Take Root in Central Europe As climate change makes Central European winters milder and drier farmers in Austria and northeastern Croatia are beginning to plant olives Fuefuki City in Yamanashi Prefecture is one of Japan’s leading peach-producing regions the entire city is adorned with beautiful peachy pink blossoms No article or any part there of may be reproduced without the express permission of the Cabinet Office. Copyright inquiries should be made through this form Yamanashi Prefecture--For those who never tire of the chance of panoramic views of Mount Fuji a new observation deck is now operating in the scenic Shindo-toge pass in the city's Ashigawacho-Kamiashigawa district located at about 1,600 meters above sea level on the west face of 1,793-meter Mount Kurodake The pass is renowned among climbers and photographers as a viewing spot over Lake Kawaguchiko against the backdrop of Japan's tallest peak the city government spent about 165 million yen ($1.5 million) to construct and install an observation deck in two locations and a 250-meter walking trail "My hope is that it will serve as a new sightseeing spot connecting Lake Kawaguchiko and the Isawa onsen hot spring resort and attract hordes of tourists," said Mayor Masaki Yamashita The pass has remained closed to traffic this season although a free bus shuttle service operates at one-hour intervals on weekdays except Tuesday and at 30-minute intervals on weekends and holidays The buses make several stops until it reaches its destination For more information, visit the city's website at (https://www.city.fuefuki.yamanashi.jp/kanko/sangyo/spot/fujiyamatwinterrace.html) lighthouses still sign of home for those at sea Coca-Cola offers cheaper vending machine drinks to subscribers Families honor torrential rain disaster victims at memorials Izumo recruits flight attendants to help local tourism lift off Stunning vista at Fukutsu beaches recalls Bolivia’s Uyuni Salt Flats Shanghai Disney Resort says investigating travel platform over Uighur refusal Japan marks the old lunar calendar’s last day of winter on what is called Setsubun This day involves scattering beans to ward off evil and is the point where the Land of the Rising Sun begins its transition to spring the early flowers of the season are already rearing their beautiful blooms you may have heard of “hanami” blossom viewing This springtime pastime is usually associated with Sakura (cherry blossom) season around late March and early April there are plenty of early blooms like ume (plum) kawazusakura and momo (peach) which bloom in the early spring peach blossoms are in full bllom around mid-March to early April brilliant blossoms and give off a sweet aroma As the blossom is compared to women’s virtue in Japan a sprig of peach tree is included in the hina doll displays for Hina-Matsuri (Doll Festival) You’ll see and smell plenty of peach blossoms around the Kanto Plain but perhaps the most famous place to view peach blossoms is in Fuefuki City in Yamanashi Prefecture According to a spokesperson for the Fuefuki’s Tourism more than 300,000 peach trees blanket the city in the pink and reds for an unbelievable sight every year This spring jewel is only an hour and half away from Tokyo Another great spot to enjoy peach blossoms is at the Shakado Parking Area near the Ichinomiya-Misaka Interchange of Chuo Expressway walk up to the Shakado Museum of Jomon Culture for a panoramic view of the blossoms against a backdrop of the snowcapped southern Japan Alps These beautiful blooms will help warm your winter blues and get you ready for the season are the first of the three blossoms to bloom following the New Year holiday While cherry blossoms bloom and fall to the ground almost instantaneously plum trees bloom gradually and keep their blossoms for nearly a month The wide range of varieties mean you can enjoy the blossoms throughout spring until mid-April well past the cherry blossom season “We enjoy seeing plum trees blossoms in January when there are no other flowers,” said Hiroaki Tomita of Kanagawa’s Ofuna Flower Center “The blossoms and their sweet aroma subtly pervade the air during this coldest time of year to signal that spring is coming.” Tomita said the peak viewing should occur between late February and mid-March this year expect to see about 300 different kinds of Japanese plum blossoms ranging in color from white to crimson Many people may be surprised to learn that plum blossoms were actually the most prized in ancient Japan until the late of Heian period (794-1185) they are cited in old Japanese “tanka” poems more often than cherry blossoms the aesthetic quality of plum trees is not just the blossoms The shape of the trees and their branches also enhance their beauty according to Yukiko Nakane of Kairakuen Garden “Plum trees start twisting when they are about 80 years old,” Nakane said “The unique shapes of these old trees help make them even more beautiful when they bloom.” Plums were originally used as medicine and as emergency food during famine you’ll find pickled plums and plum liquor in Japanese grocery and convenience stores a 171-year-old traditional Japanese garden in Mito City The stunning garden is home to a whopping 3,000 plum trees and over 100 different varieties making it a popular spot for visitors in the springtime Kawazusakura - early cherry blossom variety Kawazusakura is a variety of Sakura blossoms that bloom in early February the most popular variety of cherry blossoms which bloom between late March and early April outlasting the more delicate late-blooming someiyoshino The discovery of this variety of cherry blossom happened in 1955 by accident A local found the blooming wonder in a Kawazu Town the Kawazusakura tree would be the designated tree of the town more than 850 Kawazusakura trees line the river for more than four miles around Kawazu Station (within a 2-hour drive from most of U.S Another popular spot for viewing the early cherry blossoms is around Miurakaigan Station a 40-minute drive from Yokosuka Naval Base Here 1,000 Kawazusakura trees line the railroad between Miurakaigan Station and Komatsugaike Pond Visit in mid-February for peak blossom viewing Sign up for our weekly newsletter of articles from Japan with about 12,000 parlours nation-wide and one in thirteen people playing the game But that figure is declining as the population shrinks and younger people prefer games on their mobile phones some pachinko operators have built spacious airy parlours designed to attract more women and younger players Some pachinko businesses are adopting a softer touch to lure a new generation of players to a pastime often associated in the public mind with older men given to chain smoking Catering to different tastes to boost an industry that still sees some $185 billion wagered annually machines in pachinko parlours now feature anime characters ranging from all-girl group AKB48 to Resident Evil a video game blockbuster by Capcom Co that was made into a Hollywood film employees of one of the industry’s largest operators are given training ahead of the grand opening of a pachinko parlour in Fukaya Dynam has 371 parlours around Japan and is building new game centers with higher ceilings with dividers between machines for privacy "We're trying to change the image of pachinko as loud smoke-ridden and male-dominated," said Tomoko Murouchi More than half of Dynam's customers are older than 50 although the number of youthful players has almost doubled from 5 percent in 2006 Pachinko revenues are falling as Japan’s population ages Gross revenue has shrunk to 19 trillion yen ($185.75 billion) from 31 trillion over the past two decades and the number of players halved between 2002 and 2012 research by investment bank Morgan Stanley shows fewer and fewer people are playing pachinko," said Tohru Okazaki who has published five books on the industry the pachinko industry faces another potential threat: casinos Japan's moves to legalise casino resorts could force pachinko out of the grey zone where it has thrived for decades Pachinko began as a children’s toy in the 1920s which gained popularity among adults after World War Two Machines spew out winnings in the form of small metal balls - like those pictured held by a worker in the image above Most players opt to swap winnings for cash with 87 percent of players at Dynam going this route Workers check electrical cables for security cameras ahead of the opening of a pachinko parlour in Fukaya A worker builds a rack for pachinko machines Dynam employees are given customer care training ahead of the grand opening of the pachinko parlour in Fukaya Dynam employees check if their hairstyles meet regulations Employees practice a greeting message as they receive customer care training People wait outside a pachinko parlour as someone dressed as Dynam's official mascot A sign showing prohibited behaviour is displayed at Dynam's pachinko parlour in Fuefuki Customers queue up to collect prizes at a counter Visitors play at the pachinko parlour at dusk different designs adorn pachinko machines in Fuefuki Pink flowers paint the basin-shaped valley The atmosphere of “Togenkyo (peach paradise)” envelopes you when the approximately 300,000 peach blossom trees bloom one after another Yamanashi Prefecture is famous for being a fruit kingdom in a region that boasts the largest quantity of peach and grape production in Japan.  I walked along a peach farm that spreads across the area’s alluvial fan When I climbed up a hill with an elevation difference of 200 meters and looked through to the many flowers below a landscape of peach fields spread before my eyes.    it is during this season that farmers hoping for an abundant crop have their hands full with various tasks.  the peaches bloomed a week to 10 days early but spring season for us is the busiest,” says Noboru Kono who was picking the flowers and buds with his wife.  Kono grows 14 different varieties of peaches he also does artificial pollination as well as disinfection Because some farmers were only able to ship 20% of their normal crop due to the “shot hole disease” (also known as Coryneum blight) which was rampant two years ago they have been especially thorough with the disinfection process the fruits will be ready to be picked and bagged.  With the well-drained topography and soil of the Kofu Basin and its climate with a big temperature difference between day and night which is unique to a basin Fuefuki City is considered to be a region well-suited for growing fruits.  the city is not immune to the effects of the new coronavirus pandemic.   During last year’s peach and grape picking season the number of visitors to one tourist farm in the city dropped by more than 80% Bus tours were canceled and tour groups completely disappeared the situation remains just as unpredictable this year.   “Yamanashi peaches are delicious because they are firm and sweet,” explains Mr I hope to visit once again during the summer season and bask in the “flavor of peach paradise” as I bite into a peach.   (Read The Sankei Shimbun photojournalism column in Japanese at this link.) Sankei Shimbun Photojournalism  Department)  You must be logged in to post a comment ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " THE gaudy pachinko parlours that disfigure many a Japanese high street are an acquired taste The country's 12,000 parlours keep players sealed off from the outside world behind a thick wall of noise smoke and gambler's tension. The pinball-with-prizes machines with their flashing lights and ceaseless din yet its revenues last year were put at 19 trillion yen ($175 billion) that was almost twice the Japanese motor industry's export revenues About one in seven Japanese adults play it regularly For decades it has thrived in a legal grey zone just about dodging an official ban on gambling Now it faces two challenges: a government plan to allow the building of big legal casinos; and finding a way to reinvent itself for the video-game generation something your fusty old uncle wastes his time with The number of regular players has halved since 2002 and the existing customer base is ageing Its survival is at risk unless it can attract younger men flush with more than $200m from a 2012 flotation on the Hong Kong stockmarket Dynam plans to open 1,000 new parlours (it currently operates 380) Its new ones are luxurious and air-conditioned with restaurants and uniformed staff akin to casino attendants all Dynam's parlours will be non-smoking--a radical move in an industry so reliant on chain-smoking geezers Other big operators are also investing in more modern premises opened what it claims is the country's largest parlour will not just bring new competition for the pachinko parlours The aim is to drag casino gambling away from the seedy company it keeps in illegal backstreet dives and put it in big So it is inevitable that pachinko will come under similar scrutiny a lawmaker with the ruling Liberal Democrats Pachinko bosses insist the game is played for fun and for trivial prizes the metal balls that players "win" on the machines can also be swapped for tokens and then for cash This contrivance used to be dominated by yakuza criminal gangs which extorted cash from the parlours' owners some of whom used to send money to the hostile regime in Pyongyang The authorities have stopped the flow of cash to North Korea and the police have squeezed out the mobsters--but with unexpected consequences The industry is now regulated by the Security Electronics and Communications Technology Association (SECTA) a state agency stuffed with retired policemen such as the makers of the pachinko machines (which are certified and inspected by SECTA) employ ex-cops as consultants If the government's gambling liberalisation formally legalises pachinko The finance ministry could look forward to billions of dollars a year And perhaps a dozen or so big parlour operators could list on the Tokyo stockmarket insists his firm is ready to take on the legalised casinos: he thinks the government is likely to allow no more than ten; and that they will mainly draw rich foreign tourists His working-class customers will stick with their pachinko Click here to subscribe to The Economist is most often associated with cherry trees but there are other notable blossoms in Japan such as peach trees hundreds of thousands of peach trees come into full bloom around the Kanto Plain There is perhaps no better – or famous – place to view peach blossoms The city boasts its annual Peach Blossom Festival “It is really marvelous to see the city fully carpeted with the pink and reddish blossoms of 300,000 peach trees,” said a spokesman of Fuefuki’s Tourism He added that Fuefuki is only an hour and half drive from Tokyo “The city is mountainous and has a vertical drop,” said Yuri Kanai “As peach blossoms gradually bloom from the bottom up you can always see blossoms in full bloom somewhere throughout the season That makes Yamanashi a good place for viewing peach blossoms.” That’s one reason why Fuefuki City has hosted the annual Peach Blossom Festival to share its unique spring foliage with tourists for the past eight years More than 200,000 people participate annually in the festival traditional tea ceremonies and nighttime hanami parties The highlight of the festival is when a reenactment of historical battle of “Kawanakaji-no-Kassen” is offered on April 16 Participants in arms and armors portray the famous battle of two strongest feudal lords Shingen Takeda and Kenshin Uesugi faithful to the historical evidence Peach blossoms can also be enjoyed at the Shakado Parking Area which is located near Ichinomiya-Misaka Interchange of Chuo Expressway Exit your car from the parking area and walk up to the Shakado Museum of Jomon Culture for a panoramic view of the blossoms against a backdrop of the snowcapped southern Japan Alps Japanese never forget to arrange a sprig from a peach tree on a set of “hina” dolls to celebrate traditional Hina-Matsuri (Doll Festival) on March 3 every year “The aroma of peach blossoms is much stronger and more impressive than that of cherry blossoms and sweeter than that of plum,” Kanai said “Since the trees are shorter than cherry blossom trees you can see and enjoy the blossoms more closely so we can really enjoy the blossoms in full bloom at the festival.” Yamanashi Prefecture—A tourist base opened here on April 25 to lure foreign visitors to a little-known spot high in the mountains that is touted to offer the most spectacular view of nearby Mount Fuji serves as the gateway to Fujiyama Twin Terrace which sits on the 1,600-meter-high Shindo Pass The ridge straddles the city of Fuefuki and the town of Fuji-Kawaguchiko “Mount Fuji seen from Twin Terrace is the best in Japan,” said Masakatsu Okawa the travel agency that operates Lily Bell Hutte “But the spot is not yet widely known among foreign tourists.” It was a hidden spot known only to hikers and photographers but the Fuefuki city government spent 178 million yen ($1.1 million) on constructing viewing decks and walking trails in 2021 The Twin Terrace observation decks are not accessible by private vehicles because the roads are narrow Visitors take a 10-minute bus ride from the Suzuran Gunseichi parking lot which is located in front of Lily Bell Hutte at an altitude of 1,300 meters Fuefuki Mayor Masaki Yamashita said he hopes that the new facility will help attract foreign tourists from Lake Kawaguchiko to the city and further onto other travel destinations in Yamanashi Prefecture “We need to create a place where (foreign visitors) want to come if we want to bring them over to Fuefuki from Kawaguchiko,” Yamashita said at the opening ceremony for Lily Bell Hutte on April 23 “We will be happy if we can establish a new route to travel around Yamanashi Prefecture via Fuefuki.” The city government spent about 89 million yen on constructing Lily Belle Hutte Yamashita said he hopes to attract 100,000 visitors to Twin Terrace over the long term About 20,000 people visited the facility during the eight months through November said the company wants to increase visitor numbers to 50,000 this year with the opening of Lily Belle Hutte and other measures JTB on April 25 started a bus tour from Kawaguchiko Station on the Fujikyuko Line to Twin Terrace and back three times daily The company expects 13,000 participants this year JTB is also considering offering guided tours along hiking trails around Twin Terrace as well as travel plans combining other attractions in Yamanashi Prefecture such as dips at the Isawa Onsen hot spring resort and fruit picking at orchards The shuttle bus between the Suzuran Gunseichi parking lot and Twin Terrace will run until November The round-trip ticket costs 1,800 yen for an adult There is a free bus service to the Suzuran Gunseichi parking lot from a location in Fuefuki where vehicles can be parked For more information, visit the city government’s website at (https://www.city.fuefuki.yamanashi.jp/kanko/sports/spot/fujiyamatwinterrace.html) or Lily Belle Hutte’s website at (https://fujiyama-twinterrace.com/en/) ‘bullet climbing’ raise concerns on Mount Fuji By Kumiko Okamoto / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer New grape varieties with large berries and thin skins have become commonplace in fruit shops and supermarkets during their mainly summer to autumn growing season Their rising popularity is on par with other mainstay fruit because they are easy to eat and viewed as healthy sweets grapes with a deep purple hue hung from trellises in a greenhouse owned by Nikotto this seedless variety was developed by the Shimura Grape Research Institute in the city This grape has dimpled berries and its skin can be easily eaten “Grapes have gone through significant change after the Shine Muscat variety hit the scene,” said Tomio Shimura The hugely popular Shine Muscat is seedless with thin skin and was registered as a new variety in 2006 by the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in Tsukuba Shimura crossbred Shine Muscat with other varieties to develop about 15 new ones with distinct characteristics with berries roughly the size of a chicken egg while another variety is dubbed My Heart for its heart-shaped appearance when sliced vertically While all of these new varieties have easily edible skins “They’re easy to eat and there are many varieties so I look forward to them every year,” said a corporate executive from Kawaguchi Domestically produced large grapes typically have black Kyoho is black with skin that is fairly thick and few people tend to eat it without peeling green grapes are refreshingly aromatic with less astringency and red grapes are less acidic The average sugar content of grapes is around 17 degree Brix although there are very sweet grapes with a sugar content of more than 20 Brix These sweeter varieties have grown exceptionally popular lately Shinku is one such sweeter grape that can be eaten as is developed by the Shimane prefectural government The selected ones with over 20 Brix are being shipped this month to Tokyo department stores and high-end supermarkets in Osaka Nagano Prefecture has trademarked the Queen Rouge variety a red grape with 22-23 Brix that will be in season in late September The prefecture also developed another variety dubbed Nagano Purple that it plans to sell together with Queen Rouge and Shine Muscat in a tricolor set Japan’s annual expenditure on grapes per household of two or more members increased from ¥2,560 in 2015 to ¥3,107 in 2020 according to the National Survey of Family Income and Expenditure Spending on apples over the same period declined while strawberries saw a slight increase the manager in charge of public relations at the Shinjuku Takano fruit parlor in Tokyo the rapid pace of selective breeding of strawberries and citrus fruits has led to diverse flavors and grapes had long lost ground to these fruits new grape varieties have been appearing in recent years “Grapes are increasingly popular as gifts and in fruit parlors,” Kubo said “More people are choosing to eat fruit when they want to eat something sweet,” Kubo added “Grape skins are nutritious and have a pleasant fragrance so eating the grapes whole is also appealing.” the chief manager of the product management department at fruit tart specialty shop Qu’il fait bon said: “Grapes’ green or purple colors make confections look wonderful Since ones with edible skins have become popular we’re now able to make beautiful tarts fully covered in grapes.” seedless varieties has been a key to grapes’ growing popularity “It’s easy to just pop a grape in your mouth and nothing is wasted,” besides the stems a senior researcher at the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization’s Institute of Fruit Tree and Tea Science so I think more new varieties will appear.” Grapes from overseas are also gaining popularity more than three times the figure from 10 years ago The United States is the largest exporter to Japan Table grapes with thin skins and a firm texture are favored in Western countries according to an official of the Tokyo-based Funasho Shoji Co. These grapes are almost never peeled and seedless varieties are popular “Imported grapes are less expensive than domestic ones and with a greater number of large retail stores carrying them their reach is spreading,” the official said “The popularity of domestic grapes looks to be pushing up sales of imported ones.” grappling with a graying customer base and the threat of new competition from casinos is adopting a softer touch and smoke-free zones to lure a new generation of players with about 12,000 parlors nationwide and one in 13 people playing the game that figure is declining as the population shrinks and younger people prefer games on their mobile phones airy parlors designed to attract more women and younger players to a pastime tarred by its association in the public mind with older and idle men given to chain smoking Catering to different tastes to boost an industry that still sees about US$185 billion wagered annually machines in pachinko parlors now feature anime characters a videogame blockbuster by Capcom Co that was made into a Hollywood film “We’re trying to change the image of pachinko as loud smoke-ridden and male-dominated,” said Tomoko Murouchi a spokeswoman for one of the largest operators which has 371 pachinko parlors around Japan is building new game centers with higher ceilings Japan’s largest pachinko chain by money wagered has tried opening buffets at parlors and promoting a new kind of pachinko but has recently shifted focus back to existing players More than half of Dynam’s customers are older than 50 the number of youthful players has almost doubled from 5 percent in 2006 About 200 people queued at the recent grand opening of a Dynam parlor in Fuefuki City Although women make up just 27 percent of players at Dynam’s parlors said she played pachinko three times a week sometimes for the entire day when she was off work “I still remember the day I hit a jackpot and saw a very rare — the best — scene from the anime Basilisk who looks for machines that feature her favorite anime Gross revenue has shrunk to ￥19 trillion (US$185.75 billion) from ￥31 trillion over the past two decades Part of the problem has been a 15-year economic slump just ending Spending on all kinds of leisure has dropped by almost a third over the past 20 years but the number of players per machine has roughly halved since 2000 to stand at just over two in 2012 Japan’s moves to legalize casino resorts could force pachinko out of the gray zone where it has thrived for decades which gained popularity among adults after World War II Machines spew out winnings in the form of small metal balls Maruhan and Dynam have fared better than the rest of the industry Maruhan’s annual revenue after payouts was about ￥80 billion for the fiscal year that ended in March fewer and fewer people are playing pachinko,” said Tohru Okazaki Young people stopped because payouts are smaller and they find it harder to borrow money whose family runs a chain of parlors in the Fukushima Prefecture that was hit by the 2011 earthquake and the nuclear crisis that followed pachinko parlors were full of young people but now it’s mostly all middle-aged and old people that come and play,” Suzuki said The world’s fastest train – a maglev vehicle operated by the Central Japan Railway Company capable of speeds in excess of 500km/h (~311mph) – is currently undergoing eight days of public testing with 100 passengers making the 42.8 km trip from Uenehora to Fuefuki in about five minutes Check out a short clip of the test run below the best thing about this footage is how calm things look aboard the experimental train (as they should The passengers are thrilled to be riding it (according to the BBC around a quarter of a million people applied to participate in this week’s test runs with about 1 in 100 odds of landing a ticket) but part of what makes it all so futuristic and fun and weird is the fact that zipping along in a magnet-levitated tube of metal at over 300 miles per hour can still appear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7UIJp0FKZQ carrying passengers between the two cities in about 40 minutes Currently the journey takes an hour longer than that by bullet train When these amazing high speed trains officially debut in 2027, they’ll already be passé. Progress! [BBC] Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version there will be a special event near Fuefuki in the heart of Yamanashi Prefecture (the one you travel through to get to Nagano from Tokyo) For decades there has been an annual recreation of the Battle of Kawanakajima one of the most compelling and dramatic battles during the Sengoku period in Japan Around 900 volunteers decked out in full medieval gear recreate the movements of that iconic battle and it’s quite the sight for everyone watching because it will be the 40th anniversary of this tradition (Note: This article was originally published in the Dee Dee Zine in November 2022 – keep that in mind when referencing the above dates) If you happen to be in Japan next November be sure to add that to your list of things to do You can even volunteer to participate yourself though you will need to nominate yourself well in advance You can learn more by visiting peach-city.com (Fuefuki being “The Peach City” and the event occurring near Fuefuki city proper) Related reading: Another worthwhile historical battleground to visit while in Japan is Sekigahara. Read my report. The actual battle itself took place in Nagano and the battleground there has been preserved as a part of an open-air museum for people that have an interest in Japanese history along with Sekigahara battleground in Sekigahara one of the better-preserved parts of Sengoku military history and is today one of the most popular tourism sites in Nagano prefecture “The Battle of Kawanakajima” is a bit of a misnomer Kawanakajima is actually a large plain within inland Japan and held strategic importance to the various warlords that vied for the territory Two of the most powerful were Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen and they actually fought five battles of the territory it was the fourth that has become the subject of everything from levels in Samurai Warriors to films and epic literature and was a truly massive affair with both sides losing well over half of their forces It was also one of the relatively few battles of the Sengoku era where military tactics and strategic brilliance played a major role battles involved two sides squaring off in relatively open fields and was determined to acquire Kawanakajima once and for all he had reached one of the outlying fortresses in the area controlled by Takeda While the general of that fortress only had 150 men of his own Takeda was able to field 20,000 soldiers in total Neither side was willing to actually attack The way both forces were arrayed was such that the defender had the advantage sending around 8,000 of his troops under the cover of darkness up the mountain where Uesugi was entrenched A disruptive night attack would cause the Uesugi forces to flee and directly into the waiting main body of the Takeda forces This tactic was devised by one of Takeda’s leading generals in that the woodpecker would tap on the tree which would cause scared insects to flee it for the woodpecker to eat The problem was that Uesugi learned of the strategy There are many stories for how this happened – good quality scouts in the mountains or the “woodpecker” forces lit fires that the Uesugi forces noticed – and any of these might be true By the time the “woodpecker” forces reached the camp by using rags to deaden the noise of horse feet descended the mountain in complete secrecy Takeda woke up the next morning to face an organised surprise attack hours earlier than they should have been turning up a number of incredibly dramatic things happened Kakizaki Kageie clashed with the unit commanded by Takeda’s younger brother which resulted in the death of the younger Takeda Realising that the surprise attack had been countered and that the main Takeda force was in dire straits almost immediately Yamamoto (who had remained with the main force and chosen not to lead the woodpecker unit) led a suicide charge at the main Uesugi force but also helped the rest of the main force keep their ranks together and this led to the most dramatic moment of all; Uesugi Takeda was able to ward off multiple strikes before one of his soldiers was able to wound Uesugi’s horse informed the design of both Uesugi and Takeda in Samurai Warriors for many years Takeda’s character has taken a war fan into combat while Uesugi’s character wields a blade with several prongs – one prong for each attack Takeda was able to fend off despite suffering a direct attack on the command unit the Takeda forces were able to hold it together just long enough for the woodpecker unit to arrive on the battlefield Having reached an empty Uesugi camp in the mountain and realised that the enemy had stolen the march this unit was able to attack the rear of the Uesugi forces and after making rapid progress themselves Uesugi and his generals decided to call it a day While battlefield casualties are always hard to properly assess from records of these things the general consensus is that the Uesugi army lost about 60 per cent of its numbers Those numbers would explain why Takeda was unable to pursue his hated enemy during their long retreat This was the last great battle for Kawanakajima The fifth and final battle was a much smaller series of skirmishes over a period of weeks with both sides apparently unwilling to test themselves as in that fourth battle again public park that people love to visit for picnics and to let their kids run around In addition to wandering the grounds where the battle took place and visit a small open-air museum dedicated to retelling the story you can also travel up the mountain where the Kenshin forces were stationed and look out over what they would have seen of the Takeda positions Related reading: Why Koei Tecmo’s Samurai Warriors series deserves more respect for historical authenticity than it gets. and you can take in both major locations in a couple of hours As one TripAdvisor review notes: “My partner absolutely loves Japanese history and specifically certain people and this battlefield is where major battles took place so we went to see these historical areas it was very interesting and the signs had English so one is able to understand,” but as another notes: “Be sure to read up some of the facts before visiting this place It would be more meaningful if you have an aerial map of the place to compare where each army was stationed at during the actual battle.” and the park being much more accessible for the typical traveller than Sekigahara (which is buried deep in the relatively remote Gifu prefecture) Kawanakajima represents one of your best opportunities to see a largely untouched and intact battlefield from the Sengoku era Note: This feature was originally published in the November 2022 issue of the Dee Dee Zine As we are no longer publishing that magazine is the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of DDNet He's been writing about games for over 20 years but is perhaps best-known for being the high priest of the Church of Hatsune Miku I wrote this article for an arts publication – unfortunately,… If you’re on a certain social media platform owned by… One of my first observations about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 The original release of The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion is still very playable on a lot of… Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s weekly catch-up news feature Memory becomes gameplay in adventure game Fomography © 2022 All rights reserved. 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