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On Site: World Food and Beverage Great Expo

In this "On-Site" segment, we visit this year's edition of the "World Food and Beverage Great Expo". Join us as Brian Hughes gives us a taste of the latest in food and culinary trends in Japan, including everything from retro snacks to food waste disposal technology.

Schedule: Apr. 3 - 5, 2013
Location: Tokyo Big Sight

This event is the largest food industry event in Japan. The hall was packed with almost 75,000 visitors. Many food and beverage products were featured, such as green tea powder that can be shipped overseas while preserving its flavor and color, healthy rice blends, fruit juice that combines the traditional medicine of the East and the cafe culture of the West, old fashioned snacks that come in a variety of over 30,000 kinds, pre-prepared frozen vegetables that are cut small for seniors, and Japanese wines that earned an excellent reputation internationally. Besides food, the event introduced many other products, including disposable containers that are perfect for the Japanese bento style, a high quality traditional serving dish handcrafted using natural bamboo, a food-waste disposal machine that can break down food-wastes into water and carbon dioxide gas and can prevent unpleasant odors, and even a commercial microwave oven that can heat the contents of a jar even with a metal lid. It was the perfect occasion to get a glimpse of the current state of an industry that is facing significant change.

Gadgets: Eggs with Character

On our "Gadgets" segment, we take a look at a nifty little product that turns boiled eggs into cute characters. It is a perfect tool for adding a little fun into your kids' lunch boxes.

This gadget called "Boiled Egg Mold" was developed by Kokubo, a company that develops many creative household products. In creating this product, the developers had a goal in mind, which was to promote communication between parents and children. They wanted to support the love that parents have for their children and their desire for their sons and daughters to enjoy eating healthy foods. The key of how the boiled eggs are shaped is to place the eggs into the shapers while they are still warm. Once the eggs are placed into the shapers, put them in ice water and let them cool completely. The "Boiled Egg Molds" have gained great popularity around the world and many people are posting about them on video sharing sites. Many positive comments are being posted online from countries like France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Canada.

+Style: Making the Shoe Fit

For our "+Style" segment, we visit a workshop in Tokyo dedicated to preserving and repairing old shoes. They can also make custom modifications such as giving a new style to shoes or adding wear for a more "vintage" look.

Located at about a 20-minute train ride from downtown Tokyo is this shoe repair shop named "Brass". Although it was opened up in 2007, it already has the atmosphere of a specialized workshop with a long history. What's special about the shop is that, whether it is for work boots, dress shoes or ladies' shoes, they make sure to fully understand the characteristics of each of the shoes they repair, as well as the policies of the various manufacturers that make them. As a result, they can make repairs that other shops normally refuse to do, and people from all over Japan, and even abroad, bring their shoes here. They also customize new shoes, and moreover, they have recently opened their own factory, complete with a showroom on the second floor, where they produce their own original brand of shoes. According to the shop's founder, recently many people have started to take great care for their boots and casual shoes just as they would for dress shoes, and so "Brass" has been quite popular among people for whom shoes are an important part of their fashion style.

Further Info:

Please note that some of the products or services featured in this program may be prototypes and not be sold at stores. NHK is not responsible for any damages, losses or injuries caused by the usage of these products or services.

On Site : The World Food and Beverage Great Expo
- FABEX
http://www.fabex.jp/ (Japanese only)
Organizer Office +81-3-3523-2755

- Takagi Industrial Co., Ltd.
http://www.mc-takagi.co.jp/ (Japanese only)
Sales Division +81-3-3824-5091

- Asahi Green Co.,Ltd.
http://www.kago-ichiba.com/ (Japanese only)
Sales Department +81-52-389-0100

- Syoukakuen Co., Ltd.
http://www.syoukakuen.com/ (Japanese only)
Sales Division +81-563-54-3300

- I-ZEN Inc.
http://www.i-zen.co.jp/ (Japanese only)
Public Relations +81-439-50-0701

- Kurohime medical herb tea Co.,Ltd.
http://www.kwk-kurohime.com/english/index.html
Public Relations +81-26-255-3125

- UNIFOODS CORPORATION
http://www.unifoods.co.jp/ (Japanese only)
Sales Division +81-3-3798-3450

- MASAKIYA CONFENTIONERY CO.,LTD
http://www.masaki-ya.co.jp/ (Japanese only)
Sales Division +81-6-6622-6551

- HUGGY WINE Co.,Ltd.
http://www.yamatowine.com/ (Japanese only)
Sales Group +81-553-44-0433

- Sinkpia Japan Inc.
http://www.sinkpia-j.co.jp/ (Japanese only)
Marketing Department +81-45-590-3626

- Japan High Comm Co,. Ltd.
http://www.highcomm.co.jp/product/microwave_food.html (Japanese only)
Sales Division +81-27-253-8156


Gadgets : Eggs with Character
- Kokubo & Co., Ltd.
http://kokubo-global.com/
Sales Division +81-73-487-1811


+Style : Making the Shoe Fit
- BRASS co.,ltd.
http://www.brass-tokyo.com/ (Japanese only)
Sales Division +81-3-6413-12