SustainableCommunity
Yuzu Ramen: A Healthy Japanese Citrus Fruit Flavor
Mar 16th, 2010
Posts Tagged ‘food’
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Tokyo locavores will definitely remember the colorful and delicious local farmers market in Yoyogi and the superb spreads at the the United Nations University farmer’s market in Tokyo. Well, after visiting the UNU farmer’s market last month, we decided to head over to Ebisu to find a little ramen shop – Afuri – that served an enticing flavor of ramen from one of our favourite Asian healthy citrus fruits: yuzu. Entranced by this recently discovered flavor of Japan and the chance to find another good restaurant, it was impossible to resist the opportunity the beautiful day seemed to offer.
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Color your plate with seasonal veges.
Photo: Sarah Krull.Last week I attended the first Green Leaders Forum@British Council, what came to my mind during the discussion was … organic – what does it really mean? Certainly more than just no chemicals.
Sustainability and lifestyle are concepts that come to mind when I think about organic. When I lived in Boston, I was always surprised when I saw the healthy, supposedly eco-friendly yoga moms shopping at Whole Foods and coming out of the store with 15 plastic bags. That seems counterproductive. (more…)
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I went to a really interesting workshop at the British Council in Tokyo sponsored by some people I know are thinking deeply about sustainability and environmental issues. The panel discussion was a bit unusual but allowed people to cue in ideas and pet topics. A good mix of unusual people joined and I had fun.
This was the first of a new series of monthly learning and networking events, The Green Leaders Forum: The Future of Food @ British Council. (more…)
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GreenBusiness
Tokyo Vegetable Adventures: A Visit to the Farmers Market at UN University
Feb 12th, 2010
All you locavores out there may remember last year we visited the colorful and delicious local farmers market in Yoyogi. Well, recently we discovered the white awnings of the farmer’s market at the United Nations University in Tokyo, another treasure trove of local seasonal food. Over forty stalls offered vegetables, fruits, rice, breads and pastries, flowers, and some of the prettiest rock salt I’ve ever seen from varied parts of Japan. Part of a burgeoning farmers market movement known locally as Marche Japon to connect people with their food and its producers, this market between trendy Harajuku and super-bustling Shibuya, bristled with energy and enthusiasm.
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How many meals are needed to feed Tokyo every day? Where does all this food come from? Not an easy thing to answer, yet it happens everyday as if by magic. This fabulous 15 minute Ted talk by Carolyn Steel looks at how food has shaped cities from ancient times through to today. -
Last week we talked about WWOOF organic farming holidays outside Tokyo, but you don’t have to leave Tokyo to find some green. We spotted this latest Tokyo garden yesterday in Tachikawa. Just outside the post office and at the intersection of two busy streets in a very industrial feeling area, this little garden just makes me smile every time.
The line-up of old motorbikes is eye-catching in itself, but then the added greenery are a perfect touch. In the warmer season, these bikes are full of leaves and blooms. In the lower photo the jade plants tucked in the corner by the door are almost discernable. It’s a perfect example of the little gardens found just about everywhere here. I’m happy all over again just thinking about it.
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The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has released an interesting and very informative look at some of the problems surrounding food and being an island that relies on 60% of food from abroad. Who would have thought that 80% of the ingredients in something as Japanese as Tempura Soba are not from Japan? (more…)
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We’ve talked a lot about food at greenz.jp and about reducing waste associated with food, including ideas such as the okaeri plate and the “WASARA” Good Plate For Good Food, but there hasn’t been much discussion about wasted food itself. And yet, 19 million tonnes of food goes in the trash every year and 9 million tonnes of this hasn’t even expired before it hits the bin, while more than 650,000 people in Japan lack food security. Sad, wasteful and shameful statistics that Second Harvest Japan (2HJ) is trying to do something about. (more…)
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As a recent vacation approached we found ourselves at a loss for what to do. Too short for a meaningful trip home but too long for milling about Tokyo, we searched for ideas. Even though we’ve been here almost a year, there is still so much of Japan that we want to explore and experience. How to choose? Finally, we found an answer – WWOOF!
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Forest Milk: Winner Good Design Award 2009
Have you checked out the 2009 Good Design Award recipients yet?
Amongst eco-friendly products such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, and Ene-farm Fuel Cell systems, greenz.jp noticed a bottle of ‘forest milk’ by Amita Corporation. Forest milk is produced through forest farming, a technique developed to add extra value to plantation forests. The milk from cows living in these forests has been chosen for the best package design award. (more…)
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SustainableCommunity
Green Drinks Tokyo Report. Agriculture 2.0: The Green Finger Revolution
Nov 13th, 2009
greenz.jp hosts the monthly gathering Green Drinks Tokyo.
The October edition was moved from the usual Gotanda to EAT TOKYO in Ebisu, and went off with a bang.
Despite the 18th typhoon of the season having just swept through Tokyo, the venue was filled to capacity, making for yet another enjoyable night.The theme for October was ‘Agriculture 2.0’
With the various guest speakers enthusing about the future of agriculture in Japan, their unique projects got the attention they deserve.#Guest speakers
Masaru Saito (PRECOOK, EAT TOKYO)Yusuke Tanaka (Farmer’s Market)
Kohei Ishida (Noryoku-mura) + Tom Kawada from AR3（AR3）
Yoshihisa Haruyama (Trace, Inc)
Haruyama, who uses IT to resolve social issues surrounding food and agriculture, introduced a new endeavor during the event.
The audience was all ears listening to the innovative idea to ‘increase vegetable consumption’.
Ishida introduces individual farmers through the website ‘Noryoku-mura’, and also leases rice paddies in 10mX10m units called ‘are’.
This new service should bridge the gap between producer and consumer, and has the backing of the AR3 Brothers.
Tanaka has been facilitating communication between the city and agriculture through Farmer’s Markets held regularly in Omotesando, Aoyama in the central city. The project started after ‘realizing the danger of city life where money can buy anything’. This steadily growing movement is one to watch in the future!
#Green Drinkers
Did you know that Green Drinks is held in over 400 cities across the globe?
greenz.jp is the official organizer for Green Drinks Tokyo.
This time we met a couple that had come all the way from San Francisco. They had been to Green Drinks in San Francisco, but said ‘Green Drinks Tokyo is more fun’! It seems as though they enjoyed the unique ‘Tokyo’ style, with a set theme and guest speakers.
‘It’s great to be able to learn something new’ she said merrily, as people gathered around her to talk. Here is their blog. Green Drinks is a connection to the world, with a surprising amount of participants speaking good English. What a great atmosphere. Let’s hope more international participants come in the future!#The Food
Green Drinks Tokyo chef Masaru Saito has a way with organic food, tantalizing taste buds and satisfying stomachs. One participant lamented that ‘the food smelled so good, I couldn’t concentrate on the talk’, and I must say, I have to agree. The theme for the food was ‘Autumn flavors 2.0’, in keeping with the theme Agriculture 2.0. Fresh food of the season crammed the tables.
Platter of chestnut, tomato, and fresh soybeans
Sanma in oil
Chili and tomato stew with chicken and vegetablesJust looking at the pictures makes your mouth water…
Check out the following slideshow for photos of the event.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.The next Green Drinks Tokyo is scheduled for November 12.
Beautiful Canadian environmental activist Melanie Mullen will be present to speak on ‘Art & Redevelopment Downtown’.Don’t miss it!
This article is translated from the original Japanese post
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Did you ever have something in your everyday life that using it was totally ordinary, but then suddenly you felt like it was wasteful, like disposable chopsticks? Way back when we all used to use them an never gave it a though, but then when “my” chopsticks started getting popular I bet you started feeling a little guilty, didn’t you? It is funny how our values change, isn’t it?
Coffee Maker Bottle GamagaSo, for all you eco-conscious people who got caught up in the “my” chopsticks-boom here is our next proposal! So, now, how about changing your coffee filter?
Everyday when we make our cup of coffee, there is always that one-use, destined-for-the-trash-can coffee filter. If you think about it, it is really wasteful. There is a colorful product that easily solves this problem, and it stylish too.
This product with a unique shape is Gamaga, a coffee maker bottle that you can easily make delicious coffee without using paper filters. The top round part is a coffee maker. Put in ground coffee and hot water you can instantly have delicious coffee. Then, drink the coffee from the bottom part’s integrated coffee cup. Since you can control the flavor and the strength with the way you pour and steam the coffee, you could say it is probably the best thing you could have for making coffee.
After you finish enjoying your coffee, you can separate the two parts, and clean it easily. You can just rinse the top part with water and use it again. The only thing your throw out is the coffee grounds. But even coffee grounds, when dried, can actually be used as a type of deodorizer.
There are other types of filters, like fabric filters, but the cool thing about Gamaga is that since the two parts are made of stainless steel, if you just put on the lid it keeps your coffee warm for a while. Another good thing about Gamaga is its sturdy rubber grip, so you won’t loose your coffee on the floor. Since Gamaga is so stylish, you can use it in the office as well as camping, and if you like coffee, I imagine you will have trouble not taking it with you where ever you go.
So, why is it called Gamaga? Mr.Takaiwa from FineSky, the company that makes Gamaga, tells us why:
It comes from the Japanese word wagamama which mean “selfish.”
Since it is your own personal coffee maker bottle, you can enjoy your own coffee made to your own personal liking anywhere you want.
That is where it comes from.It sounds like some foreign stylish brand name, but it comes from that!
You can tell they were having fun when they made it.It is good to have a coffee break where you can just relax on a busy day.
With Gamaga you can protect the environment and be selfish at the same time.
Sounds perfect. Won’t you give it a try?
This article has been translated from the original Japanese post -
SustainableCommunity
Easy steps to grow your own food. “Tagayashi” is the new resource guide for novice gardeners.
Oct 19th, 2009
Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by yoheiyamashitaThere’s something different about fresh vegetables grown in the great outdoors. Once you try them, you won’t want to go back to greenhouse farmed supermarket veges. Here I’ll introduce an easy way to grow your own vegetables, in your own garden. And you can start right now by searching for a site near you on the internet.
Tagayashi’ (‘cultivate’) is an internet service that started in December last year that allows you to search farms and gardens all over the country. If you want to grow your own vegetables, but like most of us don’t have the space, then this could be the answer to your problems.
‘Tagayashi’, the national garden search siteThe service started as a way of utilizing disused farmland that is abundant in many areas, and is a great way to search for the perfect garden for you, to the conditions you desire. For example, if you put ‘Kyoto’ into the search engine, you will be rewarded with a google map showing all available gardens with prices, area available, and conditions of use. From there you can find somewhere with easy access from the train station, or maybe even somewhere surprisingly close to your home!
Searching for gardens in KyotoYou can also enter conditions to refine your search. If you want to start right away, choose ‘open gardens’, or if you want to spend more time considering, choose ‘planned gardens’. If you’re a novice gardener, you might want to choose ‘instructors available’ to help get you started. The easiest way to get started is with the help of an instructor. ‘My Farm’ operates gardens in the Kansai region with support for both farming methods and garden maintenance – ideal for the novice.
‘My Farm’ homepage, offering instruction and maintenance supportIf you don’t have the faintest idea about where to start, a ‘garden instructor’ can point you in the right direction. If you can’t tend to your garden regularly, don’t worry! The caretaker can look after your plot, so you can come when you can, be it weekly, or even just once a month, if that is all you can manage. This great system makes it easy for even the most novice gardener to get started without hassle, and the monthly fees, and wide range of options mean there is something for everyone.
Gardening has become a lot more accessible thanks to increased media coverage, and websites such as ‘Tagayashi’. Along with FOOD ACTION NIPPON, this service may provide the key to increasing food security in Japan. Realizing the joy of eating vegetables you’ve grown with your own hands may be a big step to improving the food situation in Japan.
So, what can you do? Get searching on ‘Tagayashi’, and see what comes up!This article is translated from the original Japanese post.
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Photo by Gourmet NavigatorWhen you are trying to impress a guest, picking a restaurant to bring them is very important. Gourmet Navigator, or Guru Nabi in Japanese, is a pioneer in restaurant guide websites. Have you ever tried it? And now, Guru Nabi has a new eco site, appropriately called “Guru Nabi Eco Site.”
There are a lot of restaurant guide sites out there, like Guru Nabi, Gurume Gyao, Gurume Pia, and Hot Pepper. Guru Nabi was incorporated as a public corporation in 1989 and later expanded into other food related ventures, like Guru Nabi Foods Market and Guru Nabi Delivery Service. In the end of 2008, it grew rapidly with its listing of its stock in the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Guru Nabi announced its “Guru Nabi Environmental Declaration” on November, 12th of last year. The company aims to support restaurants and bars that, in the current climate of customer awareness about food safety, environmental preservation, and food sustainability, realize that they might need to do more regarding environment.
On December, 1st, Guru Nabi put out its “Restaurant Eco Pages,” which are web pages for restaurants that are striving for food sustainability and safety that list their accomplishments. On the same day, Guru Nabi Eco Site opened, which has all kinds of information about food and the earth and introduces various restaurants and their eco actions.
One of the restaurants now participating has a vegetable sommelier, which is the equivalent of a wine taster but for vegetables. Some of the restaurant’s eco highlights are that it uses ingredients such as organic wine, organic virgin olive oil, and organic tofu, and as they say, “you can see and know the faces of the people who grow our vegetables.” The restaurant has also implemented plans to reduce waste and conserve water. The owner-chef updates a blog on goings on at the restaurant. The restaurant aims to give guests a friendly atmosphere to be in and make them feel at home.
If you are looking for restaurants that give consideration to the environment, Guru Nabi Eco Site as well as MNS Gourmet, and the environmental guide site Kinomama all have sections devoted to eco dining. Until these sites came out there wasn’t an easy way to find environmentally-friendly restaurants. If these kinds of sites grow in popularity, and restaurants that you can easily search for with just the word “eco” become more common, then it will be come a lot easier to dine out in earth-friendly, people-friendly style. It has only just started and not many has been listed yet but it’s good to see restaurants becoming aware of environmental impacts and taking responsible actions
This article has been translated from the original Japanese post -
“That time has arrived…”
Blog Action Day 2009 in Japan: here at Greenz.jp we did several stories. Here is a quick review.
Ecogroove wrote about Renewable Hydrogen, an exciting concept for those of you who are interested in energy issues, as society must be moving away from fossile fuels. The Renewable Hydrogen Network is a non-profit group that wants to explore the possibilities of hydrogen in a sustainable way:
RH2 means hydrogen generated using clean methods such as electrolysis of water by means of renewable energy. If we create a society where its energy source is based on RH2, energy (electricity, fuel, heat) can be produced, supplied, and consumed in any part of the world as long as there is water. Then, there will be fewer conflicts over limited resources, distortions created by the centralized social structure, and environmental destructions. Once the discord in our society is removed, we would be able to redefine our connection with others and restore our sense of community.
Kumagaya-san wrote about Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, where the city has introduced a congestion charge system to reduce CO2 emission. Clearly, Japan could do the same, and get great results. Instead, the new government seems to be more interested in promoting a toll-free highway policy. Hmm?
Ishimura-san wrote about Youtube and Google’s efforts to raise awareness, with the video of how Earth might look in 2100, if we don’t get our act together and agree on a post-Kyoto deal to decrease emissions… You can add your own video to the Youtube COP15 website!
At Greenz.jp we like new media, and every effort to get more people involved.
Pero (a.k.a Yamamoto-san) took the opportunity to introduce the TED talk by Carolyn Steel to our Japanese readers, with a focus on food security and agriculture. Climate change may cause irreparable damage to ecosystems, including rice farming in Japan, and as Pero highlights, food production is a major source of GHG emissions (especially if you eat beef from cattle, but also due to transportation).
Every day, in a city the size of London, 30 million meals are served. But where does all the food come from? Architect Carolyn Steel discusses the daily miracle of feeding a city, and shows how ancient food routes shaped the modern world. Understanding the flow of food will help us reconnect with what we eat.
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“Food Self Sufficiency Under 40%”
“Food Crisis Waiting to Happen”
There is no lack of coverage of the shamefully low food self-sufficiency rate in Japan. However, with an abundance of food surrounding us every day, the severity of the issue can easily be forgotten. Read on to find out how you can help secure the future of food in Japan.
“Eating Locally Increases Food Security”
It’s that simple, if you choose to do it. There are plenty of other ways that we as individuals can contribute to raising the food self-sufficiency rate, and thereby security.
This advert was made by ‘FOOD ACTION NIPPON’ (FAN), which was set up in October and forms the basis of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries initiative to promote a national movement to increase food security.
“ Security. Movement to increase food self-sufficiency by 1%
This slogan unites consumers, companies, organizations and local public bodies as one national movement to promote concrete ways of increasing consumption of domestic agricultural produce.
While this may sound like some rigid organization, there are actually many entertainers, athletes, and chefs who support this national movement. Here’s one person you may know who is a supporter of FAN.Many other messages from celebrities can be seen on the FOOD ACTION NIPPON YouTube channel.
So, what happens when food self-sufficiency is low? Click on the following video to find out.Just like the video itself, this is a serious problem that seems to lack seriousness. FAN is giving out this video for free, in order to promote awareness of the issue, in the hope that individuals like you and I will take action to save the future of food in Japan.
The homepage also has a ‘Food Self-Sufficiency Check Sheet’, and other fun content to help you learn more about increasing self-sufficiency. One especially great website is ‘Kokusan’ – getting the best out of Japanese food.
In the ‘Seasonal Delicacies’ file, you can learn more about which foods are in season, recipes, and self-sufficiency rates. Leeks and kingfish are two December delicacies. The recipes and photos are enough to make you want to run off to the supermarket and pick up some local produce!
FAN breaks down the issues of food security and portrays them in an accessible manner, in order to have the public “first understand the current food situation and government policies”. Their homepage, adverts, and events are all aimed at pushing forward this national movement.“For our children
and their children’s children
to be able to eat.
The future of food
is the future of Japan.What will you do for the future of our children?
This article is translated from the original Japanese post
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GreenBusiness
Reducing Waste By “Okaeri Plate” . New Alternatives to Disposable Packaging
Sep 21st, 2009
RF1 ‘French Potato Gratin’Mmmm, that looks delicious! How often I have heard this at the delicatessens, ubiquitous in the basement of Japanese department stores. These delis have just become a little greener with the introduction of ‘Okaeri Plate’ (‘welcome home plate’).
In the basement of the Takashimaya department store, there is limited offer until March 10, where you can get a gift for each plate returned. The aim: to change peoples attitude towards disposable packaging.
On the menu is ‘French Potato Gratin’, and ‘Mushroom Hamburg Doria’. Served in porcelain dishes, the meals can be taken home and conveniently heated in the microwave or oven and served as is, eliminating the need for disposable containers or transferring the meal to another dish to serve.
After eating, the dishes are then washed and returned to the store, where an RF1 quiche, or other gift will be received as a ‘return present’. Served in a paper bag, these also save another plastic tray from the garbage.
This is a join initiative with Takashimaya, Rock Field (who run the RF1 western deli food brand), and Kyoto Eco Container and Packaging / product promotion group as part of the Environment Ministry ‘2008 regional container packaging garbage 3R promotion project’. The initiative will run until March 10 at the RF1 deli in the Takashimaya Kyoto, Takashimaya Tokyo, and Takashimaya Tamagawa stores. Plates must be returned by March 31.
According to Takehara, marketing manger of Rock Field, who operate RF1, only around 10% of the dishes were returned in the first two weeks. This may sound low, but the original idea was to use porcelain instead of paper dishes to improve the taste of the meals, so it doesn’t matter if people keep the dishes and use them at home. Even if they aren’t returned, as long as they are being used, this will reduce garbage in the end. By moving away from plastic packaging that is easy to throw away, this is an experiment to see how these dishes will end up getting reused.
Rock Field has a history of environmental initiatives, selling lunch boxes in paper trays called P Eco Box, and using organic ingredients. By surveying users this time, they hope to expand their environmental reach.The Japanese lifestyle produces huge amounts of waste. However as environmental awareness increases, slowly but surely this amount is decreasing. According to the 2006 Environment Ministry ‘Survey of Businesses Dealing With Regular Waste’, the amount of waste produced per capita in Japan has dropped 6% from its peak in 2000.
However, by reassessing our lifestyle, there is still room to reduce so much more waste.Around 60% (by volume) of household waste is said to be packaging. Take a look in your own garbage bin and you’ll realize the impact of reducing this waste.
Here are three ways to reduce waste from packaging.
1: Reduce the amount of packaging (on the production side, or by refusing extra packaging, etc)
2: Use your own goods instead of disposable ones (cups, shopping bags, etc)
3: Reuse containers (as with cups and plates at some events)
With the recession keeping more people at home, the amount of waste is sure to grow along with the increase in take out and take home meals. The second idea seems to be the logical method to reduce waste from delis, but this time the third idea, reusing, may be the key to success.
A dish to suite each meal! Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by Patrick QAs with the gratin introduced above, each meal requires an appropriate dish. Providing dishes for the customer eliminates the problems of size and spillage that would accompany people bringing their own dishes. It’s almost like shopping at a restaurant rather than a deli. Taking delicious food home in its own dish, and returning the dish after use is reminiscent of the old style delivery service in Japan.
If you often find yourself buying food at department store delis, why not give ‘Okaeri Plate’ a try. By coming up with new ways that fit our evolving lifestyles, we can make progress on the garbage issue in Japan.
What will your first step be?This article is translated from the original Japanese post
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EarthNews
Tuna extinction?! The Strange Falling Price of Tuna in the face of extinction
Sep 18th, 2009
Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by merec0.Tuna are vanishing from the Mediterranean Sea?!
On April 14th of this year, the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) announced a shocking projection. The projection was that, if fishing of the northern bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea continues at its current pace, by 2012, the amount of eggs needed for reproduction to maintain the species will not be sufficient.
Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by merec0.Some years back, the media in Japan was in a frenzy because “maguro (northern bluefin tuna) will disappear from the Japanese dinner table.” The reason for that, according to the media, was because of the growing popularity of eating fish in China, Europe, and the U.S., that international buyers are out buying Japanese buyers.
However, recently the main point of controversy surrounding maguro and the dinner table has changed to the reason behind the dwindling number of tuna. All signs point to the world wide fish eating boom has born overfishing and that is connected to the drop in tuna population. There is no doubt that the point of view that overfishing is the reason for the current problem is the backdrop for this report.
Follow this line of thought, the tuna fishing industry’s international management organizations are laying down successive fishing regulations. In November of 2008, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) set a 20% reduction on the limit on fishing northern bluefin tuna in the Atlantic and Mediterranean from 2009 to 2011. In June 2009, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) set a phased reduction of fishing of bigeye tuna until 2011.
Excerpt from the Japanese Fisheries Agency. Original materials here.Incidentally, in Japan the one word “maguro” includes the well known kuro maguro (northern bluefin tuna) or mebachi maguro (bigeye tuna), as well as the other various species like minami maguro (southern bluefin tuna) and kihada maguro (yellow fin tuna).
By the way, for those of you who are in Japan, many of you probably remember the sudden rise in the price of maguro last year from summer to fall. The reason, it is said, was the combined effect of high oil prices, the resultant suspension of business of fishing ships because of the increased oil prices, in addition to increased demand from the global fish eating boom. With the declining population of tuna, strictly enforced fishing limits, and supply crunch, you would think that the price of tuna would sharply increase, but surprisingly the price since September of last year has had a downward trend. The average price of tuna peaked in September of last year at 1,600 yen (U.S. $16.74) a kilo. As of April of this year the price was 1,314 yen (U.S. $13.76) a kilo (Source: the Japanese Fisheries Agency website. Corresponding materials here).
The reason for the recent fall in tuna prices is indicated as excessive supply, as well as consumers’ reluctancy in difficult economic times to buy tuna because of its image as luxury item. More specifically, Japanese trading companies and fisheries, feeling the effects of the second half of the last year’s high maguro prices, quickly bought up a lot of maguro. Demand shrank because of the subprime mortgage, and the frozen tuna “stock” began to pile up. The companies, then, in an attempt to get rid of the frozen “inferior stock” lowered the prices, giving us the present situation.
This kind of tuna price drop is thought to be a temporary situation. Due to a lack of new workers in the field, because of suspension of fishing, and fishing limits, at some point it is expected the supply and demand will once again become stringent and the price will rise.
If we eat maguro, we want to pay a good price, but if we think about how eating too much is causing over fishing, it might be necessary to set maguro at a high fixed price, so maguro does not disappear from Japan’s dinner tables. We are hope that there is some way that consumers, maguro, and fisherman can find a sustained, balanced coexistence.This article has been translated from the original Japanese post
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Food and Farming Information Site VeGieeWe all want to eat good food.
And all farmers and restaurateurs want us to eat good food.
A new web community ‘VeGiee’ aims to bring these two ‘wants’ together. If you like eating, or are interested in food, then this is one site you’ve got to check out. So what exactly is it all about?
VeGiee is a web-based community bringing together people with an interest in food and farming. Anyone can become part of the community by signing up to be a member. The three types of membership are ‘regular’, ‘farmer’, and ‘food professional’ (those in the food and beverage industry, sales, research, or otherwise working or qualified to work in the food industry). These three groups share their unique views and information, creating an interactive community.
So what goes on at VeGiee?
If you want to find out what kind of people are taking part, check out the ‘farmer & food pro’ corner. You can access their profiles and blogs, which are all unique and interesting and give an insight into the love and passion they all pour into their farming and food.
Let’s take a look at the page of Terauchi Noen, a melon farmer from Furano in Hokkaido.
Below a simple profile and a few photos, you can find a blog that is updated regularly. Apart from feeling the love he pours into growing his melons, you get to meet his children and family, and get a peek into life on the farm. It’s exciting imagining the scenery in Hokkaido, and wondering how the melons are doing.
By getting to know the farmers, one also develops a fondness for their produce. I’m sure you’ll find a farmer that takes your fancy too.
If you’re more interested in eating than farming, you’d better visit the ‘fruit & vegetable dictionary’. Here you can find information on the history, nutrition, cooking and storing methods, along with a whole array of other useful information on all sorts of fruit and vegetables.
Being an avocado lover, I was surprised to find the following piece of information:
‘Avocados contain a toxic substance called persin, which is poisonous to some animals. Do not feed avocado to your pet.’
Phew! Lucky I don’t have a pet, otherwise I would likely have given it leftover avocado without a second thought. There is also other fun and interesting information that you wouldn’t find in an ordinary dictionary, for example ‘abogado’ (which sounds much like ‘avocado’) means ‘lawyer’ in Spanish…
However, most importantly there is information on the seasons for each vegetable, and the largest producing prefectures for fruit. Here one can gain important information to keep in mind when shopping.
I was under the impression that avocados weren’t grown in Japan, so it was to my surprise that I found an avocado farmer in Wakayama prefecture. While I always prefer to buy domestic produce where possible, I’d always bought Mexican avocados. Now I know that there are domestically grown ones, I’m going to try to track them down. Maybe there is some new information there for you too! Either way, it’s a great source of information on farming in Japan.
While VeGiee provides fun and useful information for the food novice like you and I, it is also an effective method of information exchange for farmers and food pros. I caught up with Takuya Kudo from Trace, inc. which manages VeGiee. He told me the idea for the website originally came from the desire to support farmers who were passionate about their work. Providing an opportunity for people from various backgrounds to come together and share information is a sure way to help farmers expand their sales. Realizing the potential for food professionals to find good ingredients, and for food lovers to get information, the community was set up in May this year.
So where to now for the fledgling VeGiee?
‘We plan to add a farmer supporter system where the public can support farmers, and receive their produce in return. Hopefully this will bring consumers and farmers together, and help the farmers.’
How wonderful to receive lovingly grown produce as payback! This is more than just a ‘virtual’ connection via the internet. I can’t wait to see this website really take off!This article is translated from the original Japanese post.
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SustainableCommunity
Green Collar Job? Cruising the streets of Tokyo on a cycle vegetable stand with Tokyo Design Flow
Sep 14th, 2009
Hey, this is Pero Yamamoto here! Each week I write a casual-style post about eco recommendations for the weekend. This week, I will report to you on my experience with an exciting vegetable stand!With a focus in Tokyo, we cover the situation surrounding design, and dispatch information of a free intellectual curiosity and with spirit of inquiry that tackles the questions of our day and age.
With those words begins, the awesome monthly free paper Tokyo Design Flow. It is published full of articles on art, culture, sustainability, and design related to its capital home, Tokyo. Not to mention, on the day it is published, the last Thursday of a month, the release is celebrated with a club event called Last Thursday. On the same night, they hold a mass-bike riding event in the city, so things get pretty heated up it seems. Also, twice a month, they are involved with a farmers’ market selling local farmers’ food and vegetables at Omotesando city’s stylish building GYRE.
Farmers’ Market @ GYRE (Photo by Yusuke Tanaka)Yusuke Tanaka, who manages the “Farmers’ Market @ GYRE,” one day said to me “We started selling vegetables by bicycle.” And with a “What!? That is awesome!” I immediately set of Omotesando and paid a visit to the bike.
When I arrived at the place, there was a really cool and strange bicycle waiting. It was made by the R Bicycle Group. It has 2 wheels in front with a large wooden box in the middle and one wheel in the back: a sort of backwards tricycle. The group is planning on selling the bicycles and is lending one to Tokyo Design Flow it seems. Right now, the bike sells tomatoes, egg plants, green peppers, and carrots. All the summer’s vegetables on parade. All the vegetables are organic and from the local Kanto region.
Right away, I bought some of Tanaka san’s tomatoes and bit in. Amazing! I ate up the tomatoes with the juice overflowing and dripping all over the concrete sidewalk. I didn’t imagine at all I would be eating tomatoes right on the street in the city. When I asked about it Tanaka san told me that farmers’ markets are also have street food kind of feeling and that there were often internationals who would buy veggies and fruit and eat them right there on the spot.
For a while, I stood there with Tanaka san and I san, the editor of the farming magazine Z, who came to interview Tanaka san about the bike, while Tanaka san yelled out “Need Fresh Vegetables?! Get ‘em here!” Then we moved down the street toward Omotesando station stopping here and there.
“How about some delicious organic vegetables?! We sell ‘em by bike!”
Young people passing giggle at at Tanaka san’s call and there are a few cold glances from some others, but you can feel the freshness of this new idea and curiosity for why Tanaka san is riding on a bike and selling vegetables.
En route, we pick up M san who collaborates on a bicycle magazine. The four of us continue selling vegetables, taking turns to ride the bike (thrusting the bike through hedges), juggling tomatoes, and deliciously eating them in front of the cart as a form of “selling through demonstration of actual eating” (although this was mostly just me). Leisurely, we continued forward to the next impromptu selling points.
With a “Yes, I am gonna use them in my shop. I need a bunch!” we sell more than 10 tomatoes at once. That is the kind of creative local flavor that Tokyo has.
After about 10 minutes, we took our leave and head for the front of the United Nations University. Here also, the tricycle guerrilla veggie stand is a big success with the older ladies. Within a short while, we were sold out.
When I think about it, although it was my first time selling vegetables, selling things can be a beautiful type of communication. I wonder how happy the people must be to know they are buying vegetables from a place where the people who are selling the vegetables know where and who they come from.
Also, this bike too, if it had a canopy attachment, could be use to do many more things than just selling vegetables. I think many people would be excited to see this and think of the new kind of working we can do.
I know if I was selling vegetables regularly, I would probably have to learn a lot of “manners” regarding street selling to do so, but this one experience was really exciting for me.
Photo by Yusuke TanakaAn article about this vegetable-selling bike also appears in the current issue of Tokyo Design Flow. With the theme of “Bikes making a new street level in Tokyo,” it is full of articles about interesting bikes. Of course, we are going to share those articles with you at greenz.jp too: next Thursday, July, 30th. There will be a lot of shops from Omotesando in so please check it out!
This article has been translated from the original Japanese post
