More than 240 killed in Air India crash

Indian authorities are trying to determine the cause of the crash of a passenger plane carrying hundreds of people. NHK's New Delhi bureau chief Mitamura Taro provided more details on the plane crash from Ahmedabad.

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Japan Times

a day ago

• Japan Times

How to bring back the mojo in ‘old old old rice'

You'd have noticed in your local supermarket or heard from the news that rice prices have nearly doubled year-on-year. To combat this, the government is releasing bichikumai or stockpiled rice to select retail outlets across the country . By law, rice that is produced between Nov. 1 of the previous year and Oct. 31 of the current year is known as shinmai (new rice), while rice that was produced the year before is komai — the kanji character for "ko" means 'old' while "mai" means 'rice'; bichikumai is also generally known as komai. Each older batch of rice is simply tagged with an additional 'ko' to its name, for example, kokomai (old old rice). Kokokomai (old old old rice) or the 2021 crop, along with older rice, is now available on the market, a rare offering that has prompted concerns over its quality from some locals. When cooked, Japanese rice is prized for its moistness, slight stickiness and a subtle sweetness — qualities that shinmai has in abundance. But the older the rice gets, the drier it becomes, losing a little of its sweetness and umami. Stay updated on Japan's rice crisis. Quality journalism is more crucial than ever. Help us get the story right. For a limited time, we're offering a discounted subscription plan. Unlimited access US$30 US$18 /mo FOREVER subscribe NOW Is kokokomai bad? Whether you'll discern a difference or not depends on your palate — and how the rice is cooked. You'll notice it as plain rice, but, just to give two examples, if it is served as takikomi gohan (rice mixed and cooked with other ingredients), or sprinkled with furikake (Japanese seasoning of sesame seeds, seaweed and dried fish), chances are you won't find much of a difference. You can also offset the loss of moisture by adding more water or other liquids when you cook the rice. Adding a little sake to it may also improve its taste, while a little oil will make the grains shiny like shinmai. Some dishes like fried rice require rice that's drier than shinmai, in which case kokokomai may actually be more suitable. For my takikomi gohan recipe below, I give it a boost of umami by adding shirodashi (concentrated dashi base) and cooking it in a pot to produce delicious okoge (burnt or browned bits). Adding more water to "kokokomai" (old old old rice) will help offset some of its lost moisture. | GETTY IMAGES Serves 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes (does not include rice-soaking time) Ingredients: 400 grams kokokomai 6 thin asparagus shoots 150 grams boneless skinless chicken thigh 600 milliliters water 2 tablespoons shirodashi 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 2 tablespoons sake Salted butter to taste Coarsely ground black pepper to taste Directions: 1. Measure the rice and rinse it in four to five rounds of water. Then soak the grains in water for 30 minutes to an hour. 2. While the rice is soaking, cut the asparagus into 2-centimeter-long pieces, and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. 3. Transfer the drained and soaked rice to a heavy cooking pot and add 600 milliliters of water, shirodashi, soy sauce, sake, asparagus and chicken. Start cooking the rice over high heat until the liquid comes to a boil. Put on a tight-fitting lid, turn the heat down to low and cook for another 13 minutes. 4. Raise the heat to high and cook until you hear crackling sounds from the pot. Turn off the heat and let the rice steam for 15 to 20 minutes. 5. Fluff up the rice to distribute the asparagus and chicken evenly. Serve the rice topped with coarsely ground black pepper and a pat of butter.

NHK

2 days ago

• NHK

Japan's Emperor, Empress wrap up trip to Hiroshima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have wrapped up a visit to Hiroshima. They met with survivors of the atomic bomb and paid their respects to people who died in World War Two. The Imperial couple's visit took place on Thursday and Friday. It was their first time in Hiroshima since the Emperor ascended the throne in 2019. On Friday they visited a nursing home for atomic bomb survivors, also known as hibakusha. The facility houses 94 people aged between 81 and 103. The Emperor and Empress asked some of them about where they lived at the time of the blast and their time at the nursing home. They also wished the hibakusha good health. This year marks 80 years since the end of World War Two. The Emperor and Empress believe it is important to pass on people's memories of the war to younger generations. On Thursday the Imperial couple paid their respects to the war dead at Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park. They also talked with people who have been trained to convey the stories of the hibakusha, who are advancing in age.

NHK

2 days ago

• NHK

Japan govt. panel drafts first change to 'romaji' rules in about 70 years

A Japanese government panel has made a draft recommendation to change the method for expressing Japanese words in the Roman alphabet, which has not been updated in about 70 years. The country has two romanization, or "romaji," systems -- the Kunrei and Hepburn. The Cabinet designated Kunrei as standard in 1954. For example, Kunrei uses "ti" for the Japanese syllable while Hepburn expresses it as "chi," which is closer to the English pronunciation. Kunrei has been adopted in school education and other fields, but many people are actually more familiar with Hepburn. The government has been pushing for discussions on the matter at a Cultural Affairs Agency panel after sensing it was time to consider better use of the romaji styles in line with changing times. The draft said that the Kunrei method has not clearly taken hold with the general public. It recommended switching to one which is based on the more widely used Hepburn system. The panel plans to complete its recommendation by around this autumn. The change is expected to be expressed as a Cabinet promulgation during the current fiscal year.