28-05-2025
Easy Japanese news in translation: Edamame shipping in full swing in Niigata Pref. village
Shipments of "Yahiko Musume" edamame, a specialty of the village of Yahiko, Niigata Prefecture, are now in full swing. Niigata has the largest cultivated area of edamame in Japan, and Yahiko Musume is an early-harvest variety. Farmers remove unnecessary leaves and other parts of the soybean plant. Yahiko Musume has been cultivated for more than 50 years. It was apparently named after local farmers who take good care of the soybeans like a daughter ("musume" in Japanese).
Easy Japanese news is taken from the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun, a newspaper for children. This is perfect material for anyone studying Japanese who has learned hiragana and katakana. We encourage beginners to read the article in English followed by Japanese, or vice versa, to test their comprehension.
A fresh set will be published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 p.m., Japan time. Click/tap here for past installments.
Intermediate learners who do not need English assistance can directly access the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun site here. Furigana (hiragana) is added to all kanji in the text.
