“Farmers deserve holidays, too!” This simple yet bold slogan is championed by the company that makes “Zero Agri”, an automated irrigation system in which AI digitizes and analyzes cultivation tasks previously done by hand, then packages the data before presenting it. Smart agriculture like this which utilizes AI has been gaining attention as one way to attract newcomers to farming. Eiji Kaneko, the CEO of Universal Agriculture Support, LLC, has been actively implementing AI on his farm. His motto is “Connecting agriculture with welfare”, and he manages a socially-conscious farm where people with special needs work while receiving the support…
Author: Seasider
The Noge neighborhood is Yokohama’s best-known nightlife area, with hundreds of drinking places. Some have been around for decades, while others are new. You might have the impression that Noge only has cheap-and-cheerful izakaya bars. But there are also one-of-a-kind bars that offer great music and a sophisticated drinking experience. One of these is “rotary” in Miyagawa-chō, specializing in vinyl records and mezcal. What’s mezcal? It’s a Mexican distilled beverage made from agave, a kind of cactus. While tequila is made out of only one variety of agave, any type can be used to make Mezcal. That’s why it’s called…
Yokohama is a city rich with beer history and culture. Japan’s first beer brewery, Spring Valley, was founded in Yamate in the 19th century. Its assets changed hands over the decades, eventually becoming Kirin, which is still based in the city (and which revived Spring Valley in the 21st century). Yokohama is also home to quite a few craft breweries and two American craft beer importers. One of the oldest Belgian beer bars in Japan (quite possibly the oldest) is located in Noge. Called Le Temps Perdu, it’s where owner Mitsuhashi Ikuo launched Noge Daidougei (the Noge Street Performance Festival).…
This year, I’ve been teaching elementary Japanese at the University of California, Berkeley. I’ve been both surprised and encouraged by the large enrollment and the enthusiasm of the students for language learning. I thought of Yokohama native and veteran educator Ms. Izumi at our long-time sponsor YIEA, and decided to seek her thoughts about language learning today. In this age of machine learning and machine/AI translation, why do you think it is still important to learn a language? Though machine/AI translations have become much more natural now, there are still some nuances that they cannot translate fully. For example, I…
After several busy months since the new year, you might feel tired. Why not treat yourself to some natural wine and delicious food? Wine Bar Moo is located in a back alley off Dōbutsuen-dori street in Noge, and is the perfect place for you to recharge. Signs placed both inside and outside the bar say, “More than 2 but less than 10 glasses”. Owner Jun Kusayanagi cheerfully welcomes you to his bar. He opened Moo in 2016. Born and raised in Yokohama, he had been working as a waiter from his days as a student until opening his own place.…
This issue marks the 15-year anniversary of the Yokohama Seasider! We’d like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors, our readers, and the many places that distribute our magazine. This has been a remarkable community effort. If you’re a business or organization that would like to support or advertise with us, please contact us via the email address below. If you’re an individual, please note that we welcome small donations at: www.yokohamaseasider.com/supportus Thank you again!
If only the education of all young children could be this rich and varied! At least Bharti Chandiramani (aka “Ms. Bharti”), the Principal and Head Teacher of Yokohama Sai International School, is striving to make it available to more children in the city. She has exciting plans for her affordable preschool (and afterschool program) and a really good track record of success so far. Ms. Bharti came to Yokohama 14 years ago with her husband who was previously a Saint Maur student and who later returned here for work. Eager to do something, she discovered there were opportunities in teaching.…
According to a Japanese government national survey, one in every 50 people in the working-age population has difficulty living and is isolated from social life. The major causes of this problem aren’t only rooted in their school or social life. The pandemic was a factor, and people in many age groups have had to leave employment to care for their family members, due to the low birth rate and aging society. K2 International Japan, located in Negishi, has been helping young people with these problems become independent since it was established 35 years ago. Katsuo Kanamori, the company’s leader, used…
If you have been to Gōra (or its vicinity), you will have noticed, high on a hillside across the valley, a forest clearing in the shape of the Chinese character “大”, read “dai”. The hillside is a flank of Myōjōgatake, one of the two summits explored in this article. Take a bus from Hakone Yumoto Station to Miyagino-bashi. Signs to Myōjōgatake are clear except at the first cross-roads, where the ambiguously placed sign should actually be directing you to the right. After about ten minutes’ walk, the paved road changes to gravel, and a couple of minutes after that, the…
For many people the end of the year is a time of reflection (perhaps regrets), while the new year always seems like an opportunity for goal-setting and renewed hope. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? What do you hope to accomplish? Share your goals and dreams with others! Positivity has a way of multiplying. We at the Seasider hope we can bring you more pages and richer content this year. Through your support and the support of our sponsors, we will!