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Yomiuri Shimbun
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Skyrocketing Rice Prices to Cause Sake Rice Prices to Rise as Increasing Growers Shift to Table Rice Production
The Yomiuri Shimbun Keiki Hane, president of Fumigiku Sake Brewery, discusses the serious situation in front of washed sake rice at the brewery in Toyama on May 7. TOYAMA — The skyrocketing prices of rice as a staple food is also impacting sake production. While rice for sake production has long been traded at a higher price than table rice, the price of table rice is now higher than that of sake rice, causing an increasing number of growers to shift to table rice production. Since this will cause a sake rice shortage, the price of sake rice harvested this year is expected to increase. The registration of traditional sake brewing techniques as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage last December was a tailwind for the sake industry, however, the industry has been shaken by this unexpected turn of events. 'The purchase price of sake rice harvested in 2025 will be more than 30% higher than rice harvested in 2024, which is an unprecedented increase,' said Keiki Hane, president of Toyama-based Fumigiku Sake Brewery. Toyama Prefecture is said to be where riots caused by the high price of rice that erupted across Japan in the Taisho era (1912-1926) began, and the brewery was established in 1916. The brewery uses about 250 tons of brown rice a year for sake brewing. The purchase price per 60 kilograms of Gohyakumangoku rice grown in the prefecture was ¥16,000 in 2023 and ¥18,000 in 2024, but the brewery has been informed by producers that the price of the rice harvested in 2025 is expected to be ¥24,000. A simple calculation shows that the brewery's expenses will increase by ¥25 million. 'Sake rice accounts for nearly 60% of raw material costs. Our efforts can't do much to overcome the situation,' Hane said. The company plans to raise the prices of its products by at least 3-5% around this autumn. In general, the grains of sake rice are larger than those of staple rice, and the stalks are taller. Since sake rice plants are more susceptible to the effects of wind and rain and require labor to cultivate, it has been traded at a higher price than staple rice. According to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry and others, staple rice produced from 2013 to 2023 was traded between sellers and buyers at prices ranging between ¥11,000 to below ¥15,000 per 60 kilograms, excluding tax. Over the same period, the price of Yamadanishiki, a popular sake rice variety grown in Hyogo Prefecture, ranges between ¥23,000 to ¥24,000 while the price of Gohyakumangoku rice from Niigata Prefecture was in the ¥16,000 range. However, the price of staple rice has soared in 2024, and in March, the average price was ¥24,500 including tax. This has prompted many rice growers, who are in the midst of rice planting for the 2025 harvest, to switch from sake rice production to staple rice production. An official of the Hyogo prefecture's sake rice promotion association comprised of sake rice producers, said, 'That farmers switch to staple rice is inevitable.' The price of sake rice is likely to surge due to the expected decrease in the production of sake rice. According to the Tokyo-based Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, the impact is already apparent. The price of sake rice purchased by sake breweries is often determined through negotiations between prefectural sake brewers' associations and sake rice producers. 'Sake brewers' associations across the country are facing tough price negotiations,' said Takeshi Nagata, director of the association. 'I am very concerned about the situation because the results of price negotiations could directly lead to a business crisis, especially for small and medium sake breweries.' Prof. Yasuyuki Kishi, vice director of Niigata University's Sakeology Center said: 'As far as agricultural products are concerned, there are always unstable factors such as prices. It is important for sake brewers to cooperate with farmers and create a business strategy that enables competitive sake production.'
Japan Forward
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Forward
Reclaim Your Right to Vote in this Centennial Year
このページを 日本語 で読む May 2025 marks 100 years since the promulgation of the Universal Manhood Suffrage Act. That law abolished tax payment requirements for voting. It gave all males over the age of 25 the right to vote in elections for the House of Representatives. Elections are the bedrock of democracy. Voters entrust the creation of laws, administration, and other public duties to Diet members, prefectural assembly members, and heads of local governments that they have elected. We should take this centenary as an opportunity to remind ourselves of the importance of voting. The National Diet of Japan. The first election for the House of Representatives of the Diet took place in 1890. Its main role at that time was to decide the government's budget. Also, voting rights were initially limited to men aged 25 and over who paid at least ￥15 yen annually in direct national taxes. Eligible voters accounted for only 1% of Japan's total population at the time. However, after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 and the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, the idea became widespread that it was wrong for men who risked their lives to protect their country not to have a say in politics. Then, in the Taisho era (1912-26), a national movement calling for universal suffrage arose. The result was that on May 5, 1925, the Universal Manhood Suffrage Act was promulgated, abolishing the tax payment requirement. After World War II ended, in December 1945, the Act was revised to give men and women over the age of 20 the right to vote. The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of that momentous event. Over the last century, the ratio of eligible voters to the total population has also risen steadily. Initially merely 1%, the ratio rose to about 20% with the promulgation of the Universal Manhood Suffrage Law in 1925. It expanded further to about 50% in 1945 with the postwar changes. Then, in 2016, the minimum voting age was lowered to 18 years old. As a result, the proportion of voters in the total population of Japanese citizens now stands at over 80%. Voters at a polling station in Setagaya Ward inTokyo. (©Sankei by Kenji Suzuki） What is unfortunate is that even though the right to vote has been expanded, voter turnout has been plummeting. The turnout rate for the 1946 House of Representatives election was 72.08%. However, it was only 53.85% for the 2024 House of Representatives election. This means that nearly one out of every two eligible voters has abandoned their right to vote. That is a problem for an avowedly democratic nation. There are many countries, such as Belgium and Australia, where voting is compulsory, and those who do not vote are penalized. Voter turnout in these countries is close to 90%. Ideally, however, people should be motivated to vote and become involved in politics on their own. For better or worse, politics acts as a mirror for a nation. If people are unhappy with political parties and politicians, they should use their votes to make that clear. Complaints by people who did not exercise their right to vote lack persuasiveness. The late Konosuke Matsushita, founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial (now Panasonic), once wrote the following warning about the public becoming bystanders in politics. He published it in the magazine PHP , which he also founded. He said: As long as the public ridicules politics, they will get only politics worthy of ridicule. Upper House elections are coming up in this summer of 2025. Not exercising your right to vote should not be an option. Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun このページを 日本語 で読む
Yomiuri Shimbun
12-05-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Aqueduct Helped Electrify Tokyo in Meiji Era; Historic Brick Structure Still Carries Water
The Yomiuri Shimbun The Ochiai Aqueduct OTSUKI, Yamanashi — After getting off a train at Otsuki Station in Yamanashi Prefecture, I traveled south along the river on National Route 139 for about five kilometers, into the neighboring city of Tsuru, when a large brick structure came into view on my left. The Yomiuri Shimbun The Komabashi hydropower station It was the Ochiai Aqueduct, built in 1906, part of a 6.7-kilometer waterway that takes water from the Katsura River and carries it to be used at the Komabashi hydropower station, which today belongs to TEPCO Renewable Power, Inc. The aqueduct is 56 meters long and 8.5 meters wide. I left the road and entered a small path. When I beheld the aqueduct, which still carries water, I was overwhelmed by its majestic appearance, reminiscent of a huge red wall. You can even walk under its supporting arches. The Yomiuri Shimbun Water falls about 100 meters through these two hydraulic pipes and turns the turbine. Tokyo Dento Kabushiki Kaisha, the predecessor of today's Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, began operating the hydropower station on Dec. 20, 1907. On that day, it turned a current of water flowing from Mt. Fuji into a current of electricity flowing toward Tokyo. Via the Waseda substation, about 76 kilometers away, the electricity reached the Azabu and Kojimachi areas at 4 p.m. on the day. This was the beginning of Japan's first long-distance power transmission system. In the following year, the plant started to send electricity to other parts of Tokyo: Kanda, Nihonbashi, Asakusa, Fukagawa, Kyobashi, Shitaya and Honjo. As people's lifestyles changed in the Taisho (1912-1926) and Showa (1926-1989) eras, the power station played a pioneering role in supplying electricity from rural areas where it was produced, to urban areas where it was consumed. The power station is still in use nearly 120 years later, but currently undergoing reconstruction. The Yomiuri Shimbun A turbine is on display at the power station. Two thick hydraulic pipes run down the slope to a turbine in the basement of the power plant. The exterior of the facility shows few traces of its original form. The building with a brown peaked roof still has its original brick walls, but they have been painted and the brickwork is not visible from a distance. A small portion of the earth-colored brick foundation remains behind the building, near the water outlet. Local schoolchildren sometimes visit the site, and many express surprise at learning that such a facility exists. 'I hope local residents learn more about the power station's history,' said the general group manager of the power station. Komabashi hydropower station The Yomiuri Shimbun Address: The power station: 3-5-8, Komahashi, Otsuki, Yamanashi Prefecture; The aqueduct: 233, Igura, Tsuru, Yamanashi Prefecture. Access: The nearest train station to the hydropower plant is Saruhashi Station on the JR Chuo Line. The power station is not open to the public. To reach the aqueduct, walk about 15 minutes on National Route 139 from Kasei Station on the Fujikyu Railway toward Otsuki, cross the Ochiai Bridge and turn right and walk for about five more minutes.
Kyodo News
04-05-2025
- Kyodo News
FEATURE: 'Spirited Away' hot spot limits crowds to protect retro charm
By Kai Shimada, KYODO NEWS - 13 hours ago - 11:36 | Feature, All, Japan, Travel/Tourism People seeking to melt away their stress at one of Japan's famous hot springs are instead finding themselves immersed in throngs of tourists and cars jamming the streets. Ginzan Onsen has become such a hotspot that it has begun restricting visitors amid concerns about overtourism. Once a busy silver mine, and later acclaimed for its Western-style wooden inns, Ginzan Onsen in northeastern Japan's Yamagata Prefecture is now struggling with being too popular. The influx of selfie-seeking tourists has led to serious overcrowding. The community wants to protect its cultural heritage and architecture from the Taisho period (1912-1926), when nostalgia for Japanese tradition grew amid rapid societal change and Westernization. Fans liken the quaint, snow-covered townscape to the hidden "swordsmith village" in the popular manga "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba," which debuted in 2016. It's also known as a filming location for the 1980s NHK television drama series "Oshin," and it may have inspired scenes in the 2001 hit animated fantasy film "Spirited Away." Ginzan Onsen, which literally means "silver mine hot spring," grew due to the mining and production of silver, primarily in the Edo Period (1603-1868). After mining declined in the Meiji era (1868-1912), the town transitioned to hot spring tourism by building several resorts and ryokan along the river in the early 20th century. According to the city of Obanazawa, some 334,000 tourists visited the 13 ryokan and restaurants in Ginzan Onsen in fiscal 2023 -- about 25 times its population of approximately 13,000. Foreign tourists accounted for some 20,000 of these visitors, and the number is expected to increase. Challenges such as congestion, in particular, have caused headaches for locals. On the one road leading into the resort, cars are often caught in traffic jams, sometimes blocking the passage of emergency vehicles. Visitors flood the narrow alleyways, and crowds gather at photo spots. Locals complain of having to clean up after foreign tourists who leave a mess. For the first time ever, the city and the hot springs association collaborated to implement admission restrictions for day-trippers from December 2024 to February of this year. Visitors were required to leave their vehicles at the tourist information center, about 1 kilometer from the resort, and ride a paid shuttle bus the rest of the way. Tickets to the onsen district had to be purchased in advance, and the number of visitors at the resort was limited to about 100 per hour from early evening to night. On one day in February, tourists were soaking in footbaths and munching on Ginzan's famous curry buns. As the sun set, gaslights lit up the boulevard, creating a magical atmosphere. "I have come here many times to see the snowy scenery," said a 53-year-old man visiting from Taiwan. Many welcome the limits on tourism. Mitsutoshi Terauchi, 75, from the central Japan city of Hamamatsu, said he was glad he and his wife could take their time sightseeing without massive crowds. With a record number of foreign tourists visiting Japan last year and overtourism countermeasures under consideration at popular tourist spots nationwide, Ginzan's conservationists are watching closely to see whether the new measures will preserve the serenity of the cherished hot spring resort. They have improved congestion, officials say. Based on a survey of visitors for about two weeks through January, road congestion dropped compared to previous years. Only 43 percent of day-trippers felt that the hot spring resort was crowded. Moreover, 95 percent of respondents supported the admission restrictions, saying they were "acceptable" or "unavoidable." However, there was an unexpected loophole. Just before early evening, when paid admissions to the hot spring area began, many tourists gathered in advance to slip in before being charged, in effect causing the area to become even more crowded. "We have found some new issues to deal with," said Eiji Wakimoto, 46, head of the hot spring association. "We will continue to make corrections and aim for an improved format." Officials are considering implementing the visitor limits throughout the year. "The main purpose is to control congestion and prevent accidents and trouble," said Kentaro Koseki, 41, who runs a long-established ryokan. He also believes it is important to preserve the town's atmosphere. "I want people to spend a quiet time in Ginzan Onsen, where you can even hear the snow falling," he said. Related coverage: Japanese-style inn operator eyes U.S. expansion after N.Y. listing Hoshino Resorts to open Japanese-style hot spring inn in New York state FEATURE: Condemned manor house gets reprieve as important cultural property
Kyodo News
04-05-2025
- Kyodo News
FEATURE: 'Spirited Away' hot spot limits crowds to protect retro charm
By Kai Shimada, KYODO NEWS - 10 minutes ago - 11:36 | Feature, All, Japan, Travel/Tourism People seeking to melt away their stress at one of Japan's famous hot springs are instead finding themselves immersed in throngs of tourists and cars jamming the streets. Ginzan Onsen has become such a hotspot that it has begun restricting visitors amid concerns about overtourism. Once a busy silver mine, and later acclaimed for its Western-style wooden inns, Ginzan Onsen in northeastern Japan's Yamagata Prefecture is now struggling with being too popular. The influx of selfie-seeking tourists has led to serious overcrowding. The community wants to protect its cultural heritage and architecture from the Taisho period (1912-1926), when nostalgia for Japanese tradition grew amid rapid societal change and Westernization. Fans liken the quaint, snow-covered townscape to the hidden "swordsmith village" in the popular manga "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba," which debuted in 2016. It's also known as a filming location for the 1980s NHK television drama series "Oshin," and it may have inspired scenes in the 2001 hit animated fantasy film "Spirited Away." Ginzan Onsen, which literally means "silver mine hot spring," grew due to the mining and production of silver, primarily in the Edo Period (1603-1868). After mining declined in the Meiji era (1868-1912), the town transitioned to hot spring tourism by building several resorts and ryokan along the river in the early 20th century. According to the city of Obanazawa, some 334,000 tourists visited the 13 ryokan and restaurants in Ginzan Onsen in fiscal 2023 -- about 25 times its population of approximately 13,000. Foreign tourists accounted for some 20,000 of these visitors, and the number is expected to increase. Challenges such as congestion, in particular, have caused headaches for locals. On the one road leading into the resort, cars are often caught in traffic jams, sometimes blocking the passage of emergency vehicles. Visitors flood the narrow alleyways, and crowds gather at photo spots. Locals complain of having to clean up after foreign tourists who leave a mess. For the first time ever, the city and the hot springs association collaborated to implement admission restrictions for day-trippers from December 2024 to February of this year. Visitors were required to leave their vehicles at the tourist information center, about 1 kilometer from the resort, and ride a paid shuttle bus the rest of the way. Tickets to the onsen district had to be purchased in advance, and the number of visitors at the resort was limited to about 100 per hour from early evening to night. On one day in February, tourists were soaking in footbaths and munching on Ginzan's famous curry buns. As the sun set, gaslights lit up the boulevard, creating a magical atmosphere. "I have come here many times to see the snowy scenery," said a 53-year-old man visiting from Taiwan. Many welcome the limits on tourism. Mitsutoshi Terauchi, 75, from the central Japan city of Hamamatsu, said he was glad he and his wife could take their time sightseeing without massive crowds. With a record number of foreign tourists visiting Japan last year and overtourism countermeasures under consideration at popular tourist spots nationwide, Ginzan's conservationists are watching closely to see whether the new measures will preserve the serenity of the cherished hot spring resort. They have improved congestion, officials say. Based on a survey of visitors for about two weeks through January, road congestion dropped compared to previous years. Only 43 percent of day-trippers felt that the hot spring resort was crowded. Moreover, 95 percent of respondents supported the admission restrictions, saying they were "acceptable" or "unavoidable." However, there was an unexpected loophole. Just before early evening, when paid admissions to the hot spring area began, many tourists gathered in advance to slip in before being charged, in effect causing the area to become even more crowded. "We have found some new issues to deal with," said Eiji Wakimoto, 46, head of the hot spring association. "We will continue to make corrections and aim for an improved format." Officials are considering implementing the visitor limits throughout the year. "The main purpose is to control congestion and prevent accidents and trouble," said Kentaro Koseki, 41, who runs a long-established ryokan. He also believes it is important to preserve the town's atmosphere. "I want people to spend a quiet time in Ginzan Onsen, where you can even hear the snow falling," he said. Related coverage: Japanese-style inn operator eyes U.S. expansion after N.Y. listing Hoshino Resorts to open Japanese-style hot spring inn in New York state FEATURE: Condemned manor house gets reprieve as important cultural property
