News On Japan

"Plump and Delicious": Peak Season for Oyster Harvesting at Aioi Port in Hyogo

KOBE - The harvesting of oysters, a winter delicacy, is now in full swing at Aioi Port in Hyogo Prefecture.

Oysters clinging in clusters to ropes are being detached as they hit the deck. Off the coast of Aioi Port, there are 185 rafts for oyster farming, with harvesting activities starting from early morning. Using cranes, the ropes, pulled up to a height of about 6 meters, each have between 400 to 500 oysters attached. This season's harvest is described as "plump and excellent."

The harvested oysters are transported to a processing area where workers, known as "muki-ko-san," skillfully shuck the meat from the shells using knives. This year, there is an expectation to harvest

About 700 tons of oysters are expected to be harvested this season, which will be shipped mainly to the Keihan (Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe) region and throughout the country.

Source: MBS NEWS

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

GMO has announced a reward totaling approximately 150 million yen for information leading to the identification of hackers responsible for a cyberattack on its systems, while also pledging compensation to customers whose personal information has been exposed, as Japan faces a growing wave of cyberattacks targeting major companies.

Powerful Typhoon 31, known internationally as In-fa, is forecast to approach Japan's Ogasawara Islands over the weekend, potentially bringing destructive winds, heavy rain and dangerous seas, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency's latest advisory verified at 3:50 a.m. on October 28, with the storm expected to remain near the islands into early November.

Typhoon No. 31 is raising concerns about flight cancellations and ferry disruptions across the western Pacific later this week, with the Japan Meteorological Agency's 12:45 a.m. advisory on October 28 showing the very strong storm moving west toward the Mariana Islands before approaching Japan's Ogasawara Islands over the weekend.

A controversial penalty shootout decision during the Tokyo qualifiers for Japan's National High School Soccer Championship on October 24 has sparked debate after a team that believed it had secured victory was forced to continue playing and eventually lost, raising questions about whether a hole in the goal net contributed to an incorrect ruling.

The underground platform of the planned Kanagawa Prefecture Station on Japan's Chuo Shinkansen maglev line was opened to the public for the first time on October 24, offering visitors a rare glimpse of the high-speed railway project under construction in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, with demand for the tour exceeding available places by approximately 12 times.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Food NEWS

Egg prices in Japan have reached a new record high of 312 yen per pack, while imported beef and chicken thigh prices have also matched their previous peaks, adding to the growing burden on household food budgets.

Students at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed a 100% plant-based creamy shrimp miso ramen that recreates the rich flavor of seafood without using shrimp or meat, offering a glimpse of a future in which people with different dietary restrictions can enjoy the same meals.

Japan's new rice harvest is reaching stores at significantly lower prices, with initial trading prices for the 2026 crop falling 42% from a year earlier and some supermarkets selling freshly harvested rice for around 2,000 yen per 5 kilograms, creating an unusual situation in which new rice is cheaper than older stocks.

Foreign business owners in Japan are facing growing financial pressure following a sharp increase in the capital required to obtain a business management visa, with an Indian curry restaurant in Shizuoka warning that it may be forced to close unless its sales quadruple.

A vibrant purple ingredient from the Philippines is gaining popularity around the world, with ube, a type of yam known for its mild sweetness and striking color, emerging as a potential successor to matcha in the global dessert market.

Highly poisonous mushrooms capable of causing severe skin damage through contact and even death if eaten are appearing in large numbers on Mount Takao in western Tokyo, raising concerns for hikers and families as unusually hot summer weather and prolonged autumn rainfall have created ideal conditions for fungal growth.

A long-established noodle shop in Nagoya has become known for extraordinarily large servings, including its signature "Pitcher Koro," a 1.5-kilogram dish combining kishimen, soba and udon in a giant pitcher.

The Hida Taste Festival, a long-running event that began in 1986, is held twice a year in spring and autumn and has become a popular attraction in Takayama. This autumn's festival features 22 vendors offering a wide variety of regional dishes, including grilled Hida beef skewers, mitarashi dango rice dumplings coated in a savory soy-based sauce, and salt-grilled ayu sweetfish.