By Kosuke KujiForeign nations led by the U.S. declared an early end to the coronavirus pandemic and returned to normal. In May, Japan will downgrade t...

By Kosuke KujiWe made the decision to continue producing rubbing alcohol indefinitely for the most vulnerable - disabled children needing constant medical care. However, as stable supplies of commercial rubbing alcohol are now available in the market, rubbing alcohol produced by sake breweries have ...

By Kosuke Kuji"Due to the impact from the coronavirus, the production volume for Japanese sake had to be reduced." However, the sake ingredient – sake rice – was contracted before the coronavirus pandemic and cannot be diverted elsewhere. Sake breweries cannot back out on their contract farmers. The...

By Kosuke KujiThe novel coronavirus destroyed Japan’s economy from the bottom up.In Japan, where the lockdown cannot be enforced, citizens voluntarily stay at home to comply with the “self-restraint request” made by the government to the public to overcome the pandemic. However, the fourth wave hit ...

感染者数増加で再び宣言。食事処の営業は８時まで？ １時間短縮で何の効果があるのでしょうか？その根拠は？ 日本のやっていることは、具体的対策ではなく、精神論的な対応にしか見えません。台湾はスマホGPSで海外からの入国者は、検疫隔離中から厳しくチェックされています。マレーシアは上記写真のスマホアプリで、行く先々でQRコードを読み取り、体温検査し、手を消毒して初めて入店可能。ショッピングモールの出入口もそうですが、一方、日本は体温検査のみで素通り。マレーシアでは、GPS追跡はしないけど、QRコード読取りでその人がいつ、どこに行ったかは特定できるということになります。感染者、発症者となった場合には、そ...

By Kosuke KujiA video of Japanese breweries pouring sake and toasting each other throughout Japan was uploaded and widely covered by the media across 47 prefectures. *Iwate Nippo Daily Newspaper (https://www.iwate-np.co.jp/article/2020/6/15/79765) Of course, Japanese sake breweries were praised for ...

By Kosuke KujiSince Japan’s nationwide state of emergency declaration ended, gradual efforts started to recover the economy while stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Along with Japan as the Japanese continue to fight the novel coronavirus; the world is also experiencing shutdown fatigue. In Japa...

By Kosuke KujiIn the midst of such discussions, singer Gen Hoshino launched “Come Dance at Our place,” a YouTube channel uploading copyright free parodies and dance videos from various viewers. Sake breweries such as President Mitobe of the Yamagata Masamune Brewery, Yamagata Prefecture, started thi...

By Kosuke KujiThe novel COVID-19 coronavirus is sweeping across Japan and worldwide. In the midst of the pandemic, one Japanese sake brewery started a business to revive Japan. Since March when the coronavirus infection started to spread, many sake breweries started to stay home nationwide. Usually,...

OBON SOCIETY had an interview and featured the radio and online versions of NPR news. Here is a link to the story:https://www.nwnewsnetwork.org/post/tidying-past-pandemic-house-cleanings-produce-offers-return-world-war-ii-souvenirsYou can watch OBON SOCIETY - Intimate Stories (Episode 2) below link-...