New Services Bring Overgrown Produce to Market

Hello, and welcome to "Learn Japanese from the News."

Thanks for joining us!

So, Autumn is upon us, but here in Japan we're still feeling that late summer heat.

Yes. Actually, we have a word for that.

It's "zansho," which literally means "lingering heat."

Our news story today has to do with the record temperatures we've been experiencing this summer.

New Services Bring Overgrown Produce to Market.

Before we go to the news clip, let's go over some words to listen for.

"Noorinsuisan-shoo."

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

"yasai."

vegetable.

"ookiku narisugita."

oversized or overgrown.

"yasai o tsukuru hito/seesansha."

vegetable grower or farmer.

OK, let's watch the news clip.

Japan's agriculture ministry says

hot weather has caused some vegetables
to grow larger than normal.

Although they can be eaten,
they are sometimes thrown away

because their size and shape
do not meet market standards.

In August, a company
in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward

launched a new service
collecting and selling such vegetables.

To date the company has sold
five kinds of items,

including overgrown pumpkins
and large, crooked cucumbers.

A company in the city of Hanamaki
in Iwate Prefecture

is selling nonstandard vegetables
and fruits on the internet.

More and more companies
hope to reduce food waste

by providing services
that are beneficial

to both vegetable growers
and consumers.

So the record heat this summer has been affecting people all across Japan,

and agricultural sector is no exception.

Yes. But it's so weird that these larger vegetables are considered a problem!

Like, I love it, you get more value for your money.

Plus, I hate to see food go to waste, so it's really great that these companies are stepping up.

Definitely.

Now let's review some sentences from the story.

Japan's agriculture ministry says hot weather has caused some vegetables to grow larger than normal.

Now read along with me.

"Noorinsuisan-shoo ni yoru to

atsukute

futsuu yori ookiku sodatsu

yasai ga arimasu."

So, maybe this is just me, but in the past I've embarrassed myself so many times

by pronouncing "yasai," vegetable, as "nosai."

- Oh,really?
- Yeah.

Now I think this is because there are quite a few words like "nohara,"

which means "open field, where it's pronounced as "no,"

and a lot of last names that use this "kanji" are pronounce it as "no."

Right. Actually, I feel your pain.

"Kanji" usually have more than one reading.

So that same "kanji" is read as "ya" depending on the word.

For example "yasei," which means "wild" or "feral."

Or "yagai," which means "outdoors."

OK, Let's learn more about "kanji" readings from Tokunaga-sensei.

Japanese people often misread
"kanji" characters too.

"Kanji" were originally borrowed
from the Chinese language.

Some entered the Japanese language

retaining an approximation of
the original Chinese pronunciation.

"Yasai" is one such example.

The Chinese-derived reading
is known as "on-yomi."

If a character already had
an equivalent word in Japanese,

the character was assigned
a native Japanese reading.

For example, open fields
were known as "nohara" in Japanese.

So they assigned that reading
to the equivalent "kanji" characters.

Native Japanese readings of "kanji"
are known as "kun-yomi."

So the first "kanji" in "yasai" has
multiple readings, including "ya" and "no."

Now, can you read these "kanji"?

"Negi."

"Nasu."

"Ninjin."

"Hakusai."

Rather than learn the readings
of individual characters

the trick to learning "kanji"
is to learn words.

Oh, that's good advice.

Personally, when learning "kanji," I tried to connect each one with two or three words I was likely to use often.

That way I got a feel for the "on-yomi" and "kun-yomi" for each one.

Wow, I mean, actually, learning "kanji" is difficult for Japanese people too, it's a challenging process.

OK, let's move on to our next sentence.

Although they can be eaten, they are sometimes thrown away because their size and shape do not meet market standards.

Now read along with me.

"taberu koto ga dekiru no ni

ookisa ya katachi ga

Ichiba no ruuru ni

awanai to iu riyuu de

sutete shimau koto ga arimasu."

It's really unfortunate that some vegetables can't be sold

just because they're a different size or shape from the others.

If you think about it, though, at Japanese supermarkets you often see perfectly-shaped vegetables all wrapped in plastic.

Yes.

Fruits and vegetables are classified and sold according to market standards.

For example, there are rules regarding size, weight, and color.

The ones that don't meet the grade can't be sold on the market.

Now, let's take a look at this chart.

These are the rules for cucumbers that are sold in Hiroshima Prefecture.

Each one is assigned a grade based on their overall condition and shape,

and they're divided into classes based on weight and length.

Oh my.

That's strict.

Japan's food system is designed to supply supermarkets with a steady flow of fresh produce.

Shapes and sizes are kept as uniform as possible.

That way, more vegetables can be packed into each box, making shipping more efficient.

And suppliers can offset seasonal and regional variations in production.

That gives consumers access to vegetables of consistent quality throughout the year.

So, what do farmers think of nonstandard vegetables?

We visited a cucumber farm in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo.

Most of their summer yield is vibrant and perfectly shaped.

But they also have some that don't make the grade.

About five out of 100 cucumbers
Turn out crooked or nonstandard.

Usually, it's because they didn't get
enough water or fertilizer.

But how does the taste compare to the other cucumbers?

Their appearance may be nonstandard
but the taste is the same.

Chiara, here are some vegetables that are considered nonstandard.

But they look fantastic!

It reminds me of the markets in Italy!

I can't believe that these are considered overgrown.

Yes, to me it's perfectly shaped, and they all look fresh.

In the past many of these would have been thrown away.

But now, a lot them are getting sold or being used to make other products.

Where are vegetables like this being sold?

Online marketplaces like this one are becoming popular.

Growers can post their imperfect produce and sell directly to consumers.

Farmers can explain to buyers why
the vegetables are nonstandard.

They can offer up
the fruits of their labor

Instead of having to discard them.

In addition to e-commerce sites and farmer's markets,

some restaurants have begun serving up dishes featuring nonstandard vegetables.

These efforts are part of a wider push to utilize imperfect ingredients

and reduce food loss and waste in Japan.

That's fantastic.

Now there are more and more vendors like this selling these types of vegetables online.

What do you think, Chiara?

Yes, as an amateur vegetable gardener myself,

I am so glad to see there are more efforts to reduce food loss and waste.

And of course, services like these are a win-win for both producers and consumers, and the environment.

Exactly.

Well, that's all for today.

We'll see you next time.

See you soon!