Society

COVID-hit Japan travel agency looks for growth in agriculture

May 05 (Japan Today) - Major Japanese travel agency H.I.S. Co has decided to move into agriculture to diversify its revenue sources after a tough period in which the coronavirus pandemic dealt a heavy blow to the tourism sector.

H.I.S. Farmers Co, a wholly owned subsidiary of the travel firm, was set up in April to produce and sell fresh fruits and vegetables.

The company is not ignoring its core business, though, as it plans to incorporate tours at the farms to allow people to have a hands-on agricultural experience.

The company has started growing cherry tomatoes at a farm north of Tokyo in Hasuda, Saitama Prefecture, with the produce available for purchase via its website. The company plans on expanding its sales channels from May onward.

H.I.S. has also obtained a 5,000-square-meter property, including abandoned farmland, in Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture, to produce grapefruits. It plans to ship the products from the southwestern Japan area in 2025 after expanding the cultivation area.

It plans to work with local farmers to make processed goods using fruit juices it produces, the company said.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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