Oji Holdings traces its roots to the “Paper Manufacturing Company,” established in 1873 through the efforts of Eiichi Shibusawa—an industrialist often referred to as the “Father of Japanese Capitalism” who founded Japan’s first bank and laid the groundwork for a wide range of industries, including railways, insurance, and paper manufacturing—and boasts a history spanning 150 years. The company owns approximately 190,000 hectares of company-owned forests—among the largest in the private sector in Japan. For the past 100 years, it has been planting trees and nurturing forests in Kuriyama Town, Hokkaido, and continues to engage in forestry with a vision toward harvests 100 years from now.

A 150-year legacy of determination to see things through, inherited from Eiichi Shibusawa

Located in central Hokkaido, Kuriyama Town in Yubari District is a town where forests cover about half of its total area. It once flourished alongside the heyday of the Yubari Coal Mine, and is also famous for the fact that Hideki Kuriyama, former manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters, established a youth baseball field here named “Kurinoki Farm” after himself, and has been fostering community ties for over 20 years. In the mountainous region of this town, a vast forest stretches out amidst a snowy landscape as far as the eye can see. This is a company-owned forest held by Oji Holdings (hereinafter Oji HD). Tracing its history back, it leads to 1873, when Meiji-era industrialist Eiichi Shibusawa was deeply involved in establishing a paper manufacturing company. At that time in Japan, washi (traditional Japanese paper) was the mainstream, and Western-style paper—which could be mass-produced using Western techniques—did not yet exist. Producing it with their own hands was an indispensable challenge for supporting publishing and newspapers to widely disseminate information, and for advancing the nation’s modernization. Although the company faced a difficult start with continuous losses, Shibusawa did not give up. That “never-give-up” spirit has become the unshakable foundation of the company, which has continued for 150 years.

We grow our own ingredients

When the company was founded, rags were the raw material for paper. Later, as civilization advanced and demand for paper continued to grow, the company developed a manufacturing process to produce paper from wood in 1889. Since the 1930s, the company has been committed to forest cultivation to ensure a stable supply of raw materials for the future. Today, the company’s forests in Japan cover approximately 190,000 hectares—roughly the same as the total area of Osaka Prefecture—making it the largest such operation among private companies in the country. The company focuses on planting, cultivating, and harvesting trees that have traditionally grown wild in each region—such as Japanese white spruce and larch in Hokkaido, and Japanese cedar and cypress on Honshu. Tetsuhiko Ogasawara and Yu Sato of Oji Forest & Landscape are responsible for managing this forest in Kuriyama Town, Hokkaido.

Business enriches the forest

The reason the company continues to maintain its forests is simple: “Those who use wood have a duty to plant trees.” This single principle has given rise to an endeavor that nurtures forests, protects water sources, and benefits agriculture downstream. As the forests thrive, the water becomes clearer, and these benefits extend to agriculture and the sea (fishing) downstream. Although these effects cannot be proven with hard numbers, “I believe they do exist”—that is their genuine conviction. The fact that a rich natural environment awaits at the end of their business endeavors has been quietly proven by the passage of 150 years.

In a winter forest where temperatures drop to minus 20 degrees, the harvest is in full swing

In the company’s company-owned forests in Hokkaido, the harsh winter is actually the peak season for harvesting. It is precisely during Hokkaido’s winter—when temperatures drop below freezing and deep snow accumulates—that the conditions are ideal for harvesting high-quality timber. There is a practical reason for this, one unique to the northern climate.

Winter forests produce the finest timber

In winter, trees enter a dormant state and their internal moisture content decreases. While cutting a tree in summer causes sap to gush out, a winter tree retains a tight grain structure, dries quickly, and yields high-quality timber that lasts longer. Furthermore, sub-freezing temperatures freeze the ground, and accumulated snow acts as a cushion, allowing heavy machinery weighing dozens of tons to drive in without damaging the soil. Since frozen ground also makes it easier to slide and transport logs, winter is the ideal season for forestry. “Since trees store moisture, it’s better to harvest them in winter when they’re dormant and dry.” Mr. Sato and his colleagues speak naturally about this wisdom unique to the northern regions.

The expert’s eye—something machines can’t replicate

They are, so to speak, modern-day “lumberjacks.” Operating heavy machinery deep within snow-covered forests, they have a complete grasp of the area’s water flow and the balance of its vegetation. “You mustn’t cut here. If you cut here, the water will dry up.” As if speaking these words, they make decisions based on their senses—honed by years of experience—and determine which trees to harvest today while envisioning what the forest will look like a hundred years from now. Although the introduction of state-of-the-art machinery has dramatically improved safety and efficiency, in the end, it is their keen eye that determines the forest’s future.

From log to finished product in one minute: A “waste-free” cycle driven by industry

What were once sites where workers risked their lives walking up slopes with chainsaws in hand have now become highly mechanized. As safety has improved and it has become easier for younger generations to enter the field, signs of change are beginning to emerge in the previously severe labor shortage.

The Harvester’s Job: Turning Trees into Logs in Just One Minute

The harvester—a piece of heavy machinery that handles everything from felling to delimbing and log extraction—symbolizes this mechanization. Its onboard computer instantly assesses the tree’s curvature and diameter the moment it grips the trunk, calculating the optimal number of cuts to maximize value. With a sound of snow being kicked up, the tree is trimmed to the specified length in less than a minute. This is an essential innovation for working safely with a minimal crew, and even the tips of the remaining branches are utilized as biomass fuel, ensuring that forest resources are used to the fullest.

The demand for paper is growing worldwide

In this way, the timber harvested from the forest is used as building materials and furniture, while lower-quality wood unsuitable for lumber is turned into wood chips and transformed into various products, including paper, corrugated cardboard, and biomass fuel. With the advance of digitalization, it is certainly true that the role of paper is changing. However, while demand for information media such as newspapers is shrinking, this segment has never accounted for a significant portion of Oji Holdings’ sales to begin with. Rather, demand for everyday uses rooted in daily life—such as “wrapping” and “wiping”—continues to grow globally, and the two executives say, “Far from disappearing, demand for corrugated cardboard and hygiene paper is actually increasing.” The expansion of online shopping is further driving this demand. They produce paper, recycle it, and turn it back into corrugated cardboard. “There aren’t many companies that handle the entire process to that extent,” the two agree. Their system, which completes the entire cycle—from raw material cultivation and procurement to manufacturing and recycling—in-house, is a business model that is rare even on a global scale. Currently, they are also engaged in research to produce plastics and pharmaceuticals from wood, aiming to transform forest resources into future growth industries.

A Relay for the Next 100 Years. A Baton That Never Ends

Currently, many forests in Japan are left untended. The main reason is that efforts to keep forests healthy do not immediately translate into profits. The fact that companies like Oji Holdings continue to take a serious, business-oriented approach to forestry is helping to underpin the entire Japanese forestry industry.

Forests as a business protect Japan

Planting a single sapling won’t change society overnight. However, continuing to plant on a scale that allows for sustainable operations has the power to change the future. Nurturing trees, harvesting them responsibly, and keeping the economy moving will ultimately lead to leaving a healthy environment for the next generation. “We hope to pass these forests on to the next generation, so they can continue to build even better forests,” say the two, their words quiet yet powerful. A firm resolve lies behind their words. Behind this lies the reality facing Japan’s forests. Unmanaged forests eventually become overgrown, water sources are lost, and the risk of landslides increases. However, in reality, due to a shortage of workers and an aging population, many forests are left unmanaged and neglected. Trees are a renewable resource that humans can create through their own will. Furthermore, manufacturers around the world are accelerating efforts to shift from petroleum-based manufacturing to biomass, including wood. Oji Holdings’ continued commitment to forestry as a business is, in essence, a commitment to protecting Japan’s natural environment itself.

The trees we plant today will be there for our grandchildren

The trees planted today won’t be harvested until far in the future—in our grandchildren’s generation. For Japanese cedar and cypress, it takes 40 to 50 years; for Hokkaido fir and larch, 60 to 70 years. It will be our grandchildren’s generation that harvests the saplings we’ve planted. “We’re harvesting what our predecessors planted, and we want to entrust what we plant now to the next generation 100 years from now,” the two say. Their words convey a determination to persist single-mindedly in work that will not be completed within their own lifetimes. “Our mission is to nurture the forests, research the various materials they can provide, and deliver them to society.” As these words suggest, the vision that Eiichi Shibusawa envisioned 150 years ago is still alive today. They are carrying on this never-ending “100-year relay” as a business. Through this endeavor, they are passing on Japan’s prized abundance of water and greenery to the future, just as it is.

The post Working Toward a Forest for the Next 100 Years, Today and Every Day. “Oji Holdings” / Kuriyama Town, Yubari District, Hokkaido first appeared on NIHONMONO.

A town rich in food, enjoying the bounty of the sea and mountains

Located about 4 hours from Sapporo and about 1 hour from Hakodate, Morimachi is in an area rich in nature in southern Hokkaido, bordering Uchiura Bay andKomagatake Mountain on theWatashima Peninsula. The town was originally formed through the merger of two towns, Mori-machi and Sunahara-machi, and has been active in agriculture and fishing since ancient times. In the past, many fishermen from the surrounding areas came to the town to work in search of herring, one of the town’s fisheries resources. Today, oyster and scallop farming is also practiced, and along with the local delicacy “ika-meshi” (squid rice), is one of the town’s representative specialties.

Morimachi is also a treasure trove of delicious agricultural products. The town used to be known as a major producer of watermelons and melons, and has also produced rice, beans, and a variety of other agricultural products. The region is also known for its pumpkins, which are the best in the country, and Miyako Pumpkin (Miyako nankin) has earned the title of Japan’s best pumpkin production area. Miyayoi Farm grows “Kuririn,” a pumpkin with thick flesh as sweet as chestnuts. The farm’s acreage is as large as eight times the size of the Tokyo Dome.

Aiming for pesticide-free and organic cultivation from early on

The pumpkin grower at Miyoi Farm is the second generation, Mr. Seiji Akii. He inherited the farm from his father, who had grown watermelons and melons, when he was 20 years old. That was exactly 45 years ago. At that time, the term “organic farming” did not even exist, but he started growingvegetableswithout pesticides in order to “grow safe and secure vegetables that had never been grown before. That was also a history of battles against pests and diseases.

Using chemical fertilizers, which promote crop growth, makes growing vegetables easier, but it also makes them more susceptible to disease. Therefore, Mr. Akai took the plunge and began growing vegetables without chemical fertilizers. Although organic cultivation is now being used by many people due to growing interest in food, he says, “At the time, I could not find any farming methods that could be used as a reference, so I had no choice but to go forward by hand.

Continuing to focus on soil cultivation that makes the most of the ecosystem

So Mr. Akai flew out to any place where he heard of pesticide-free production. Everywhere he went, he heard the same thing: “Soil preparation” was important. He told me that the only way to produce pesticide-free vegetables was to use cattle manure or chicken manure. However, there was no one who could teach him how to make soil from scratch, and Mr. Akai’s doubts deepened. The town of Mori, where he lives, is rich in nature, even if it is not cultivated. Leaves scattered in the forest fall on the soil, are decomposed by microorganisms, become humus, are stored as nutrients, the trees absorb the nutrients again, and the dissolved minerals flow to the sea. I thought that since there is such a natural cycle in the ecosystem, we should be able to incorporate this cycle into the soil of our fields. Recalling his hometown, Uchiura Bay, also known as Eruption Bay, Mr. Akii thought that minerals were found in the sea, and he came up with the idea of using seaweed and barnacles that adhere to scallop shells when they are cultivated as minerals in the soil of his fields. Through further trial and error, he worked on composting the sea minerals.

Encounter with a new pumpkin “Kuririn

As mentioned earlier, Morimachi, a land of volcanic ash, was a popular area for growing watermelons and melons. However, there was competition from other production areas, and a new crop was needed to stand out from the crowd. The average annual temperature in Morimachi is 7-8℃, and even in February, the coldest month, it is -7℃. The temperature in Moricho is relatively mild, even for Hokkaido, where some places record -15°C in winter, but the temperature difference between day and night is large. The greater the temperature difference between day and night, thesweeter the pumpkins and potatoesbecome, as they quickly convert starch into sugar. Morimachi has always been a good place to grow sweet pumpkins.

Mr. Akii was just as particular about finding the right variety for his fields as he was about cultivating the soil. Miyako pumpkin,” a local specialty, is also a delicious variety, but it requires some ingenuity in cultivation, as the flower stalks change depending on weather conditions. While searching for a pumpkin with added value that could not be found elsewhere, they came across an experimental variety called “Kuririn. It had thick flesh, an appetizing dark yellow color, a hokuhokku taste, and surprising sweetness. Unlike any other variety he had ever seen, Mr. Akai thought, “I want to grow this pumpkin. Since then, in cooperation with a seed company, he has continued to experiment with “Kuririn,” and it now accounts for 100% of the pumpkins produced at his farm.

Ripening Achieves Guinness-Level High Sugar Content

In addition to its vast fields, Miyoshi Plantation also has a ripening and processing plant. In the ripening room, which consists of three plastic greenhouses, the temperature inside the greenhouses is raised up to 50°C to speed up the sugaring process of pumpkins harvested in August and September, creating a cold temperature difference.

The method of storing “overwintering cabbage” and “overwintering potatoes” in Hokkaido is well known as a unique storage method that utilizes the effect of low temperatures to increase the sugar content of the vegetables themselves to protect themselves from freezing. However, since the pumpkins at Miyoshi Farm are not subject to natural temperature differences during the harvest season, the farm has developed a method of ripening pumpkins by creating artificial temperature differences.

Of course, if the starch content of the pumpkin is not high, it will not be sweet, no matter how much it is ripened, so it is up to the growers to produce pumpkins with a high starch content.

Even if the minimum nighttime temperature is 25°C, we can increase the temperature difference by storing the pumpkins in a 50°C ripening room,” says Akii. Two weeks of storage in the ripening room quickly converts starch into sugar and removes moisture, further condensing the sweetness of the kuririn. At the processing plant, pumpkin paste is made after harvest.

According to Mr. Akai, “Kuririn” is not only sweet, but also free of acetic acid, or nitric acid, which causes an astringent taste. Therefore, the sweetness of the pumpkin itself can be enjoyed without the need for flavoring such as cinnamon, which is commonly used in pumpkin sweets. It is understandable why famous confectionery stores across the country all use “Kuririn” from Miyoshi Plantation.

Connecting Pesticide-Free and Organic Cultivation to New Leaders

Food” and “energy” are essential for human life, says Mr. Akii. He also says that abnormal weather conditions such as global droughts are no longer limited to agriculture. In Japan, which relies on imports for most of its food and has a low self-sufficiency rate, even corn, which is used to feed livestock, is currently obtained from overseas. The raw materials for chemical fertilizers also come from overseas,” he said. If this situation continues, it will not just be a matter of raising prices; we will run out of supplies and ‘food’ to eat,” he says, expressing a sense of crisis.

In this sense, Mr. Akai believes that Hokkaido, his hometown, has an important role to play. He is thankful for the natural life that exists in Hokkaido and will continue to struggle to maintain this environment. He also believes that his role is to pass on to future generations sustainable, recycling-oriented farming techniques, such as microbe-assisted soil cultivation, while preserving the natural cycle of nature.

In fact, farmers from all walks of life flock to Mr. Akai for advice. Many of them are thinking about the future of not only pumpkins but also lettuce and asparagus, and many of them are of the younger generation. Young people with no farming experience are especially enthusiastic about research. For example, Hiroki Hasegawa, who runs a pesticide-free, organic asparagus farm in Hiyama County, is a representative of Jet Farm, a farm specializing in asparagus. He has an upright attitude toward learning and a flexible way of thinking, so he quickly absorbs what I teach him. The result is evident in the asparagus he produces. Very tasty asparagus.”

Delivering farm products to the whole country that anyone can eat with peace of mind

The days of simply continuing to grow specialty crops are coming to an end.

The time is coming to an end when it is no longer enough to just continue to grow specialty crops, but to ensure “food safety and security” through organic cultivation and “quality” that is sweeter and tastier than any other variety. Mr. Akai realized the importance of these two points at an early stage, and it can be said that he was truly a man of great foresight.

After more than 30 years of struggling since we started pesticide-free cultivation, we have finally reached the ideal quality of pumpkin,” he says. Once a year, we have Kuririn analyzed by a specialized institution, and our pumpkins have almost no nitrate ions left in them, and their antioxidant power is outstandingly high,” he said.

Nitrate ions exist everywhere in nature and are essential for the growth of vegetables, but when taken into the human body, they change into sulfurous acid, which can cause poisoning symptoms, and it is recommended that infants and the elderly in particular avoid excessive intake. Antioxidant power, as you know, is the ability to inhibit and remove the effects of active oxygen, which can cause fatigue and aging. The data supports that “Kuririn” is not only delicious but also good for the human body.

Consumers’ demands for food safety and security continue to grow,” says Akai.

Organic agriculture that takes into consideration the environment and health will be one of the pillars supporting the future of food in Japan. Mr. Akei, who generously shares his techniques with younger farmers in the hope of providing many people with farm products that not only he but also their loved ones can eat with peace of mind, makes me feel as if I could see a bright future for agriculture in Japan.

The post Kuririn,” Japan’s sweetest organic pumpkin from Miyoshi-no-en, born from the soil and ripening of hometown blessings/Hokkaido Mori-machi first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Hokkaido raw milk meets Italian cheese

Fattoria Bio is a farm in southern Italy with an old history in cheese production. The artisan who was making cheese there had the goal of making “the best cheese” and was looking for the right milk to go with it. He came across high-quality milk produced by dairy cows raised in the rich land of Hokkaido. Fattoria Bio Hokkaido was formed when people from different countries joined forces in pursuit of the common goal of such delicious taste. Here, they are using raw milk produced in Hokkaido to make the best cheese possible. The cheese selection includes fresh ricotta cheese, caciocavallo, and mozzarella cheese, all of which are rare in Japan. At the factory, Nakata is very interested in the process of making cheese by hand. He even got to try scooping ricotta cheese. Nakata was impressed by the “freshness” of the cheese, which he said he could not taste even in Italy. The fresh taste of the ingredients is clearly something that cannot be produced in mass production. The shelf life is only about a week.

The artisan who makes the best cheese

The best cheese is handmade by cheese master Giovanni Graziano using traditional Italian methods. Originally from Calabria in southwestern Italy, he learned the secrets of cheese making handed down in his family from generation to generation while helping his father, a cheese maker, from the age of 5. 20 years old, he worked as a core member of the cheese making team at Fattoria Bio, a farm in southern Italy with a long history and tradition. Since coming to Japan, he has been making cheese every day with the desire to “import the best Italian cheese and its production methods to Japan and spread the culture of Italian fresh cheese in the Japanese archipelago.

Elegant cheese made by Italian technology

Fresh Italian cheese is very popular in restaurants, since frozen cheese loses its juicy flavor. Ricotta cheese is especially popular with chefs and is used in appetizers and salads. Nakata also exclaims, “It would surely be interesting to use sakekasu to make a cheese that goes well with sake. The sticky burrata, made by wrapping torn mozzarella and cream in mozzarella base, has “an elegant taste. Nakata said, “It has an elegant flavor, and the amount of salt gives it a different look. Many people buy caciocavallo, which is also delicious baked, for home use. The combination of high-quality Japanese raw milk and traditional Italian techniques produces a cheese that, once tasted, is unforgettable.

The post Elegant cheese made by Italy and Hokkaido joining forces Fattoria Bio Hokkaido/Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Murakami Farm, located in Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido, grows vegetables that are kind to the body and delicious.

In addition to careful field preparation and their particular low-chemical-fertilizer cultivation methods, they also add a little extra care to their potatoes by letting them “mature”.

The result is a wide variety of potatoes that are rarely seen on the market, and

in particular, the “snow-matured” potatoes that are only available in winter are well worth a look.

The “aged potatoes” are potatoes grown in the magnificent nature of Hokkaido and then carefully aged at Murakami Farm. They are stored and aged so as not to miss the most delicious moment, and they are a superb product. We will unravel the reasons for their “deliciousness” that attract famous chefs from all over the country.

“Matured potatoes” with a taste like no other

Kamishihoro Town is located in the northern part of the Tokachi Plain, almost in the center of Hokkaido. It is a land of abundant nature, with more than 70% of the area covered in forest, and is situated at the foot of Daisetsuzan National Park, the largest national park in Japan.

In contrast to the northern part of the park, where mountains of around 2000m in height are lined up, the southern part, where Murakami Farm is located, is a gentle hilly area. The inland climate has a large temperature difference between summer and winter, day and night, and the relatively low amount of rainfall makes the topography and climate suitable for the growth of agricultural products. The area has long hours of sunshine throughout the year, and in winter it is blessed with clear skies known as “Tokachi clear skies”, making it ideal for growing a wide variety of crops, including potatoes, beans, yams, burdock and cabbage.

Murakami Farm’s “aged potatoes” are made with the aim of making the potatoes grown in this rich natural environment and cool climate even tastier. The sweetness and texture of the potatoes is so good that they are almost unrecognizable as potatoes, and they have a growing number of repeat customers and inquiries from all over the country. Popular restaurants all over the country, including the popular Italian restaurant TACUBO in Daikanyama, PELLEGRINO in Ebisu, the wild game restaurant TSURUKIKYO in Shiga, and the French restaurant LE POTIRON in Miyazaki, all seek out these exquisite potatoes.

The “season” of each variety is adjusted through aging and storage.

The reason why so many people are attracted to the taste of Murakami Farm’s potatoes is because the farm creates the taste itself. This is what the farm manager, Tomoyuki Murakami, tells us. But what exactly does it mean to “create the taste”?

Murakami Farm grows around 30 different varieties of potato. When we think of potatoes, we tend to think of new potatoes as being the tastiest, but Mr. Murakami tells us that there are varieties that reach their peak in terms of taste at times when new potatoes are not in season

“So at our farm, we decided to store and mature each variety so that we can ship them when they are at their tastiest. We store the harvested potatoes in a warehouse and let them mature over the winter. There are varieties that can only be shipped after they have matured over the winter.”

When you think about the cost and the effort involved, it would be better to ship the potatoes straight after harvesting in autumn. However, because the best time for each potato variety to reach its peak flavor is different, they are committed to shipping at the best possible time. Murakami Farm describes the peak potatoes as “blooming with flavor”.

“The decision of whether to ship early or let them mature depends on how the flavor ‘rises’. The easiest way to tell is by checking the sugar content, as you can tell whether they’ve become sweet or not. Basically, it all depends on the flavor. We actually taste the potatoes about a week after harvesting to decide whether they’re good or not. The earlier varieties are shipped after a week, while the later varieties are left to mature for about six months before shipping.”

It was about 15 years ago that Murakami Farm began to shift the timing of its shipments and to focus on storage and ripening that matched the variety. In order to determine the timing of shipment based on taste as they do now, they have continued to research the optimal timing by comparing and eating over 50 different varieties. They have continued to analyze based on a comprehensive set of indicators, including sweetness, stickiness, flour quality, moisture content, and amino acids, and not just focusing on sweetness. In addition, they take into account various factors such as the climate during cultivation and the condition of the potatoes after harvesting when deciding when to ship the potatoes. They have made every effort to bring out the unique characteristics of the potatoes, and this is also true of the soil they cultivate them in.

“The soil in Kamishihoro Town is made up of volcanic ash, and it is well-drained and light, making it ideal for growing potatoes. In addition to potatoes, it is also suitable for growing beans, pumpkins, corn, carrots, garlic, etc. However, speaking specifically of potatoes, if the soil is alkaline, a condition called “sour rot” is more likely to occur, so we take care not to spread lime, which contains a lot of alkali, on potato fields.”

Basically, they use cow dung, chicken dung and pig dung to improve the soil, and they have achieved a 70% reduction in the use of agricultural chemicals and an 80% reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers, which is even lower than the standards for special cultivation, which require the use of agricultural chemicals and chemical fertilizers to be reduced by more than half.

Direct sales with a visible face to expand sales channels nationwide from Hokkaido

The sales stance of Murakami Farm has also contributed to the nationwide appeal of their potatoes. The method of cultivating sales channels by the producers themselves and communicating directly with consumers without going through shipping cooperatives or wholesalers has now spread throughout Japan, but Murakami Farm has been following this style for 20 years.

“The reason we started was that we were growing a potato variety called Kita Akari, which wasn’t being grown much in the area at the time. The first year’s crop was really good, so we tried selling Kita Akari to restaurants, and it was well received. That made us think that maybe we could convey the appeal of our produce more effectively by selling it directly to consumers. And so, gradually, the scale of our direct sales grew.”

However, it was not easy for a single producer to expand their sales channels on their own. So Mr. Murakami actively participated in study groups related to food. He learned about a wide range of things, including vegetables, seasonings and alcohol.

Many chefs and other cooks also participated in the study groups, and this was the starting point for spreading the appeal of Murakami Farm’s produce, leading to the expansion of sales channels nationwide.

A sense of mission in manufacturing is the pride of being a farmer

It has been 35 years since Murakami Farm was first established. Through their efforts to produce safe and delicious produce that people can eat with peace of mind, they have grown to become a farm that grows a large variety of vegetables on a huge farm of 45 hectares, which is about 9.6 times the size of the Tokyo Dome. The catalyst for their growth was when they noticed a change in the soil quality.

“Even when I step on the soil in the fields, I can feel that it is becoming much softer. Even when I’m working with the tractor, I can tell that the soil quality has clearly changed. It feels like good quality soil that is crumbly and doesn’t clump together. What I’m growing is something that people will eat. I want to grow something that is as safe and high quality as possible. To do that, I’ve started to think about how I can maintain the fields for a long time and make them sustainable.”

Farming, which involves a lot of physical labor, becomes more demanding as you get older. As people get older, farming becomes harder, and if there are no successors, many people quit farming. In this way, the surrounding farmers gradually quit. The reason there are so many large fields in this area now is simply that the remaining farmers bought up the land.

Mr. Murakami himself, to be honest, feels that there are still some difficulties with farming as a business. It’s expensive, and there are a lot of issues to deal with. However, because he is passionate about pursuing the taste of his produce, he puts a lot of effort into developing cultivation and ripening methods.

Of course, making a profit is important, but if you only focus on that, you will end up staying within the existing framework. That is why Mr. Murakami says that the things he needs to do and a sense of mission can be the driving force that moves him.

“In the end, I enjoy making things. The most motivating thing for me now is delivering the things I’ve made and receiving feedback on how they taste.”

Murakami Farm’s potatoes were able to discover the method of aging because they wanted people to eat them at the most delicious time. This desire will continue to drive Murakami to pursue the ultimate taste.

We grow our vegetables with great care, using soil from fields that have been carefully tended and cultivated with about 70% less pesticides and 80% less chemical fertilizers. We grow our vegetables with the idea of “helping the crops to grow healthily”. After harvesting, we mature the vegetables in a harsh environment to further develop their flavor, and then deliver them to you. Please try Murakami Farm’s famous mature potatoes.

The post The appeal of the superbly aged potatoes from Murakami Farm, which attracts famous chefs / Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido first appeared on NIHONMONO.

The Niseko Distillery was established in Niseko Town, which is blessed with rich nature and beautiful water. The distillery, which produces whiskey and gin, is a group company of Hakkaizo, a Niigata-based company famous for its famous sake “Hakkaisan. What is the reason for embarking on the production of Western-style sake in a place so far away from Niigata?

Whiskey distillery in the resort town of Niseko

Niseko Town is surrounded by Mt. Located on the west side of central Hokkaido, Niseko is a year-round tourist resort where canoeing and trekking can be enjoyed in summer, and skiing and snowboarding can be enjoyed in the excellent powder snow in winter. Niseko is also known for its agriculture, which takes advantage of its hilly terrain and produces high-quality potatoes, melons, asparagus, and other produce. In a quiet forest in a corner of Niseko, there is a distillery that started production of whiskey in March 2021. It is the Niseko Distillery.

The group company is Hakkaisan Brewery, a sake brewery founded in 1922 in Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture. The company’s Hakkaisan sake is famous for its light, delicious flavor and for sparking the local sake boom. In addition, Hakkaizyozo is also focusing on developing products other than sake, such as beer and shochu. The brewery also aims to diversify its sales channels by operating restaurants and cafes.

Both Uonuma and Niseko have beautiful nature. Whenever Nagumo, the group’s representative, visited Niseko, he found the environment surrounded by natural forests in the Niseko area to be a very nice place. He also learned that the town of Niseko had its own policy of limiting the height of buildings in order not to spoil the natural landscape, and this was one of the main reasons he felt empathy for the town’s attitude of coexistence with nature.

Mr. Hayashi, the manager of the Niseko distillery, says, “The water used to make the distillery is of good quality.

The distillery uses high-quality water from the Niseko Annupuri River. The Shiribetsu River that flows through Niseko has been repeatedly recognized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism as the clearest river in Japan, which is a testament to the quality of the water. The basin’s cool summer climate is also suitable for whiskey making, and these conditions were decisive in selecting the land.

Although we don’t sell it, we have actually already started making whiskey with rice in Niigata in 2016. We were also involved in shochu making and barrel shochu, and had gradually accumulated techniques and data on distillation. Meanwhile, our president, Jiro Nagumo, had visited Niseko to learn more about the town’s thriving ski resort. It was through this connection that we were approached by Niseko to brew sake.

The relationship with Niseko, with its well-developed sake brewing environment, and Hakkai Brewery’s spirit of pursuing the possibilities of sake brewing beyond sake led to the start of whiskey production using barley malt.

Showing” the story of sake brewing

When constructing the distillery, the distiller was conscious of “showing” the sake brewing process.

The first thing that catches the eye in the distillery, which is made of larch from the Shiribeshi region, is the presence of the distillers. The two pot stills for whiskey and the distiller for gin are a sight to behold. At the bar counter, visitors can enjoy gin and cocktails made at the distillery, as well as Hakkai Brewing’s products, with the whiskey and gin distillers as accompaniments.

In a facility like a distillery, the production process is open to the public, but the tour space is generally separated from the distillery by a wall or glass. However, we wanted to create a distillery that people could see, hear, smell, taste, and touch… and feel with all five senses, so we purposely did not create any partitions that would block them from seeing the distillery.

The distillation vessels, which are often placed low, are placed at eye level so that they can be easily seen. In addition, the distillery’s store and bar are open to visitors during business hours. The distillery also offers tours that guide visitors through the production process (by reservation only for a small number of people) and includes time for tastings, providing a mechanism for many people to learn the story of “whiskey and gin making.

Hayashi also emphasizes that he wants to focus on the delicate taste that is unique to Japanese whiskey.

Whiskey is made from a variety of ingredients. Many factors affect it, such as the brewing water, the ingredients used, and the natural environment where the distillery is located. It is difficult to put into words, but we are trying various things to make a well-balanced and harmonious whiskey.

For example, the type of wood used for the casks in which the whisky is stored greatly affects the aroma and flavor of the whisky. We currently use oak barrels, but eventually we would like to mix and match different types of wood, including oak barrels that have a unique aroma. If we use barrels that were originally used for bourbon or wine, we can mix the essence of those liquors. Of course, we are also talking about eventually using barrels made in Japan. says Hayashi.

Distilled spirits and whiskey are created through distillation, which is the process of further evaporating the fermented alcohol made from not only barley but also rice and other ingredients. We believe that we can make the most of the intuition for making sake, which uses yeast for alcoholic fermentation that the Group has cultivated.

In the fermentation process, it is said that stainless steel fermentation tanks are easier to maintain. On the other hand, the flavor of whiskey is deepened only when it is fermented slowly in wooden fermentation tanks.

The reason is that lactic acid bacteria, which have a positive effect on fermentation, live in wood. However, because things other than lactobacilli also live in the wood, it is very difficult to manage the black tanks.

Even though it is time-consuming to manage the tanks, they want to take the time to ferment and improve the quality. As for the storage environment, Niseko Distillery takes advantage of Niseko’s cool climate to promote slow and gentle maturation.

Collaboration with local students on gin

Basically, Japanese whiskey must be aged for at least three years. Niseko Distillery’s whiskey is still in the barrels. So Niseko Distillery has launched a gin called “ohoro,” which is a distilled spirit that does not require long aging. Unlike whiskey, gin can be made by adding botanicals, mainly juniper berries, to the distillate. As a result, gin’s popularity has been slowly increasing in recent years as a highly flexible drink.

While unique craft gins are being created in various regions, “OHORO aimed to create a classical, royal road gin,” according to the company. I hope that the gin created in Niseko will be enjoyed by many people for a long time to come, just like London’s Dry Gin, which is widely loved around the world as a base for cocktails,” he said. That’s why we named it ‘ohoro,’ which means ‘to continue’ in the Ainu language,” says Hayashi. While focusing on whiskey production, Hayashi would also like to explore the creation of various types of gin.

The gin “ohoro GIN Limited Edition LAVENDER,” which uses lavender, the town flower of Niseko, and “ohoro GIN Limited Edition JAPANESE PEPPERMINT,” which uses Niseko’s Hakka as the key botanical, were both released as seasonal and limited-quantity gins. The lavender gin was first released as a seasonal and limited-quantity gin.

The lavender gin was first released in collaboration with students at the local Niseko High School. We bought the lavender grown by the high school students and used it fresh to give it a rich aroma. Now we are producing more and using lavender grown by designated farmers in the town in addition to the lavender from Niseko High School, and selling it as “town-grown lavender gin” only during the summer season.

Unique taste with fermentation technology cultivated in a sake brewery

Hayashi and his team believe that “the real work begins after the 10-year product is made. In other words, you could say that the Niseko distillery has just started its journey. However, the distillery also emphasizes that it is not only the final “storage” stage that tends to attract attention in whiskey making, but also the process before that that makes the difference between distilleries in terms of taste.

For example, before distilling, there is a fermentation process where the yeast creates the various components that determine the flavor. We have confidence in our yeast, koji, and fermentation techniques because we are a sake brewery that has been involved in the production of sake and shochu. We would like to incorporate this into our whiskey making process to create a new unique flavor.

Hayashi says his goal is to spread the taste of Niseko Distillery’s whiskey not only in Japan, but also overseas.

At the same time, we want to be a distillery that is rooted in the town of Niseko and the region, but there are still some areas that are not well known even among the local people. First of all, we would like to increase our efforts in cooperation with the local people, like the collaboration at OHORO.

But that doesn’t mean he wants to compromise on the maturation period, saying, “When we have a whiskey of a quality that we are happy to release five or ten years from now, that’s the time for us to make it. The journey of the Niseko Distillery has only just begun.

The post Niseko Distillery, an ideal whisky distillery blessed with magnificent nature and fine water first appeared on NIHONMONO.

While also being a chef, Shota Sasaki is the founder of ELEZO, a company that handles everything from hunting to production, maturing, processing, and sales as a hunter. What is the future of food as seen by a company that has a consistent stance toward game meat, nature, and life?

Aiming to be a “food pioneer” in the birthplace of Tokachi

The pioneering of the Tokachi region is said to have begun in earnest during the Meiji period (1868-1912). The first farmers settled in the Otsu area, located at the mouth of the Tokachi River, and the area has a history of development that began at the mouth of the river and continued upstream. Toyokoro, located at the mouth of the Tokachi River, which originates from Mt.

Toyokoro is a town of sea, mountains, and vast fields in the Tokachi Plain, where agriculture and fishing are flourishing. Many tourists come to Toyokoro for the spectacular view of “jewelry ice,” which is made of ice from the Tokachi River washed up on Otsu Beach at the mouth of the river and glistening in the sunlight. Rare wild birds and animals such as red-crowned cranes and white-tailed eagles live in this pristine natural environment.

ELEZO is a company established in Toyokoro, Japan, in 2005, and is engaged in the integrated production and management of game meat and other meat products, including pigs. ELEZO is a one-stop shop for hunting, raising, curing, processing, and product development, as well as sales and provision at restaurants.

Shota Sasaki first established the company in 2005 in Obihiro City, where he lives. After that, he built a laboratory in Otsu, Toyokoro, where his father’s family lived, and moved the company to a new location.

When I was a child, I used to visit Toyokoro as my father’s family home. When the town was pioneered, there was a movie theater and a racetrack. I used to feel the bustle of people in the midst of nature, but it has become completely desolate…. It was the birthplace of Tokachi development, and I wanted to “pioneer” it again.

There is another reason why Mr. Sasaki chose Toyokoro and especially Otsu, which is close to the sea. Nutrient-rich grass with minerals from the sea grows along the coast. Animals that graze on grass full of nutrients are more fertile than those raised in other areas. Whether it’s pigs or chickens, it brings out the potential of the animals.

A new encounter that overturns preconceived notions of “game meat”

Until high school, Sasaki had aspirations of becoming a professional ice hockey player, but since his family was in the restaurant business, he helped out at the restaurant while still in high school and gradually developed an interest in cooking while experiencing the difficulties of the business firsthand.

Thanks to my grandmother and mother’s restaurant, ‘Ele,’ it is loved by everyone in Obihiro. That is why I felt the need to keep it going, even if I or my siblings had to follow in their footsteps.”

So, after graduating from high school, he decided to become a chef and entered a culinary school in Gunma Prefecture. After graduation, he worked at the Hoshino Resort, and on his days off, he visited the French restaurant “Bistrot Passion (now called Provence)” in Karuizawa to learn from the chef. After two years of further honing his culinary skills, he asked the chef to introduce him to the French restaurant “Bistrot de La CITÉ” in Shibuya, Tokyo, which was established in 1973 and offers authentic and warm dishes with a bistro-like atmosphere, unlike restaurants.

After training at the famous restaurant, Sasaki returned to his family home to help his mother, who had taken over the restaurant from his grandmother, as a chef. I want to do something that can only be done here in Tokachi Obihiro,” he thought, ”rather than just taking over the family business.

He was still searching for the answer to this question, when the topic of “game meat” came up with one of his regular customers.

When I told him that I had handled a variety of wild meat, including deer, during my training in Tokyo, he said, ‘You don’t have a whole deer intact,’ and ‘You’ve probably never removed the bones or skin, so I’ll bring it to you next time. The next day, he brought me a deer he had just killed, and I learned that the customer was actually a hunter.

While studying as a chef at a famous restaurant, Sasaki also ate a variety of delicious foods as part of his studies. Of course, he had also eaten gibier, but he said he had never found it tasty. The shock he felt when he experienced the process of skinning, boning, and butchering a deer that was placed in front of him was a big one. He was even more surprised by the taste of the deer meat he tasted a few days after disassembly. The taste overturned his previous concept of “game meat”.

I sent the local deer to the owner and chef of the restaurant where I was training and to everyone who had helped me,” he said. They were surprised at how much better than they had imagined it would taste. The chefs asked me if I could help them to obtain game meat of stable quality, because it is not raised like cattle or pigs, and the taste and aroma vary depending on the growing environment, season, feed, sex, age, and method of capture.

However, the goal was not to become a “company specializing in game meat.

Game meat is a very deep and difficult subject. I really want to understand the essence of gibier. It is not that I want to become a gibier expert, but rather that I want to clarify the essence of gibier. I am a chef by nature, but I don’t think the answer lies in the kitchen, the restaurant, or the customer. You can never get the answer just by confronting the meat in the kitchen. The answer is in nature. You have to start using the senses that you can only enjoy in nature.”

Sasaki has long been concerned about the negative impression that has been spread about the meat business. Everyone eats meat and enjoys its bounty, but there is a lack of understanding and appreciation for the industry. He came to realize that the people working in the meat industry are not being rewarded, and he thought that if he could take a total role in the “food” business, from hunting, to rearing, aging, distribution, processing, and cooking, he could change people’s awareness of the industry. A kind of sense of mission was born in me.

Became a hunter himself and obtained a license to operate a slaughterhouse.

When serving deer or other wild game, the meat must be purchased from a facility licensed as a slaughterhouse. The meat must be dismantled and processed at a slaughterhouse in accordance with prefectural regulations. In order to deliver legal and safe wild game to Bistrot de La CITÉ, Le Manoir D’HASTINGS, Shiratori, The Georgian Club, and four other restaurants run by the same chef, Mr. Sasaki himself quickly obtained a hunting license. He obtained approval from the public health department and set up the necessary structure, including a converted tenant as a processing facility. He also hired a dedicated hunter and has been working hard to build an innovative system for gibier meat distribution.

In addition, ELEZO has set a clear rule that the deer it hunts must be young, no older than three years old.

The life span of a deer is around 10 years. Most large deer are between 5 and 10 years old. The meat in Japan is usually sold by the kilo. The amount of time and effort required to process a deer does not vary depending on the size or age of the deer. Large deer that can yield a large amount of meat are more efficient. This has created a vicious cycle in which large deer meat is distributed to Tokyo and other areas, regardless of the quality of the meat. The deer I enjoyed eating was a two-year-old deer with tender meat. Now I understand why the deer I ate before did not taste good.”

He has also decided not to aim the gun at anything other than the neck or head to avoid damaging organs and noses. Shooting at the stomach area will damage the internal organs and harden the meat, leading to deterioration in quality. After hunting, the animals are not processed in the field, but rather are delivered to the laboratory within one hour.

Creation of Integrated Meat Laboratory

ELEZO’s Ezo venison has gained a good reputation, and the company’s popularity is concentrated on young, high-quality doe that are “clear and clean,” as Mr. Sasaki calls them. However, it is not always possible to get a young doe, and sometimes a male deer is brought in. Another issue was how to handle the less popular cuts of meat other than those in high demand, such as the loin and fillet.

We can’t just say, ‘I only want the loin,’ or ‘I only want this part,’ like in a regular restaurant,” he said, ”for better or for worse. That’s why our policy is to take responsibility for every piece of meat.

ELEZO has created a laboratory that “sublimates all of life”. The meat is then processed into fresh salami, terrine, ham, etc., and sold in the company’s charcuterie department. The most popular parts, which are in high demand, are cured and sold to restaurants. The quality of ELEZO’s meat has spread from mouth to mouth, and the company now has 400 restaurants nationwide and ships about 600-800 head of Ezo alone each year.

In addition, ELEZO is also focusing on raising birds and pigs in a natural style similar to game meat, based on the company’s desire since its establishment to “unveil game meat and then produce livestock and poultry that contain gibier.

For example, we raise pigs slowly for a year and a half instead of the usual six months, and graze them on a sloping hill from early on. We also practice stress-free flat-raising where chickens are released on the ground. We want to move away from an ecology that is adapted to the convenience of humans as table meat, to an environment where we can feel the background, emotions, and functions of animals that have lived in the wild, or animals that should live in the wild.

Passing on the aesthetics of meat, life and nature to the future

In October 2022, the auberge “ELEZO ESPRIT” will open. It will be a facility where visitors can enjoy ELEZO’s unique cuisine and space that focuses on the essence of life and nature, including the aesthetics of meat.

Mr. Sasaki says, “It is inefficient to handle the A to Z of food starting with the chef, from hunting and production to curing, processing, and sales. However, if we, who know the behaviors of a living creature from its ecosystem and the essentials of how to make a living creature, can further penetrate into the essence of the food, we can create the value we wish for the food itself, and this will lead to a great advantage.

We are preparing to realize the AtoZ model that we have developed over the past 19 years in other countries as well. The model itself, but ultimately we would like to create an academy to increase the value of the artisans.

In the future, Mr. Sasaki would like to raise cattle here, as well as Japanese and French ducks and pheasants. His passion for food culture and inquisitiveness will continue to accelerate in the future.

The post “ELEZO Corporation” spirits the appeal of game meat as a food pioneer. first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Kutchan Town in Hokkaido is home to the Niseko area, which attracts many tourists in winter in search of high-quality powder snow. In summer, the underground springs flowing beneath Mount Yotei create a stunning landscape of potato flower fields stretching as far as the eye can see. In this potato-farming town, Honma Matsuzo Shouten’s premium potato “540” is gaining a reputation. We spoke with Honma Hiroki, the fourth-generation owner who works closely with the farmers.

The climate of Kutchan, where potatoes grow well in Hokkaido

The town of Kutchan, located in Abuta District, Hokkaido, is surrounded by the Niseko Mountains, which are famous for the stratovolcano Yotei-zan, nicknamed “Ezo Fuji” for its beautiful conical shape, and the volcano Niseko Annupuri within the Otaru Coast National Park. Kutchan, with its inland climate characterized by large daily temperature fluctuations, is also one of Hokkaido’s heaviest snowfall areas. While spring and summer are characterized by mild, sunny weather, winter brings dry air from the northwest Japan Sea, which absorbs moisture and forms snow clouds.

Snow clouds formed on the Japan Sea side cross the Niseko mountain range and collide with Mount Yōtei, transforming into powder snow that drifts down onto Kuchan. This bountiful gift from the sky, rich in minerals, continues to fall, accumulating to a total of 8 to 9 meters annually. The snow melts into clear streams flowing from the foot of Mount Yotei, not only nourishing the land but also serving as insulation. Thanks to the accumulated snow, the soil remains unfrozen, and in spring, the minerals from the snow seep into the soil, further enriching the land. Indeed, Kutchan boasts an ideal environment for growing root vegetables and potatoes.

Kutchan’s potatoes, primarily for fresh consumption

“Potatoes are categorized into fresh and processed varieties, and nearly all of those grown in Kutchan are for fresh consumption. The main varieties are those you commonly hear about, such as Baron and Makein, which are widely available in supermarkets. As a production area, Kutchan is among the top in the country,” says Hiroki Honma, the fourth-generation owner of Honma Matsuzo Shouten, a vegetable wholesaler that has been in the town for over 100 years. “The cultivation area is approximately 1,200 hectares (about 256 Tokyo Domes), the largest in Hokkaido. Our ancestors went through many trials and errors to reach this point. I’ve heard that it was a very difficult process.”

Honma Matsuzo Shouten, walking alongside the community

Potato cultivation in Kutchan began in 1892 (Meiji 25) during the pioneer era. One of the pioneers, Manabe Hamazaburo, started cultivating potatoes, and later, Yanagihara Torazo focused on selecting potatoes with better shapes. They conducted extensive research to preserve high-quality potato seeds for future generations. The first generation of Honma Matsuzo Shouten, Honma Matsuzo, moved from Niigata to Kutchan around the beginning of the Taisho era, when the reputation for “tasty potatoes” grew and shipments to Honshu began. Since then, rather than owning farmland, the company has purchased crops grown by local farmers and stored them in warehouses, serving as a “producer wholesaler” under government guidance, shipping to designated locations. Currently, the company sells harvested crops under the “Kutchan-produced” brand.

“During the early days of Hokkaido’s settlement, when securing one’s own food was a top priority, potatoes became an important crop because they could grow well even in the cold climate where rice could not thrive. This background of cultivating and consuming potatoes as a staple food is one of the reasons why so many potatoes are grown for consumption in Kutchan,” he explains.

Additionally, the Hakodate Main Line, which runs along the Sea of Japan coast from Sapporo to Hakodate, had a freight station, and there was a shipping route from Hakodate to Aomori via freight trains, which led to Kutchan, located at the foot of the Sapporo Mountains, becoming a hub for the distribution of heavy goods.

“As a result, Kutchan came to play a significant role as Japan’s kitchen, delivering potatoes to households across the country, including Tokyo,” says Honma. Nearly 80% of Japan’s potatoes are produced in Hokkaido, and Kutchan has become a major production area.

As a major potato-producing region, Kutchan and Hokkaido have been required to use large machinery to efficiently produce large quantities of agricultural products in order to fulfill their role as Japan’s food base, and they have responded to this demand as a production area.

“However, given the historical background in which large-scale agriculture similar to that in Europe and the United States has been promoted as a major production area, we believe that the era of simply producing large quantities is coming to an end. What is needed in this new era is to deliver high-quality potatoes that can only be enjoyed in this region to everyone.”

As a vegetable wholesaler, the company recognized that enhancing product value and brand development were key to supporting farmers and regional development.

The birth of “540,” a potato aged for an extended period in snow cellars.

The potatoes sold by Honma Matsuzo Shouten are certified as “specialty cultivated agricultural products” by a third-party organization, with strict limits on the use of fertilizers and pesticides, regardless of variety. They are marked with a distinctive red brand logo and are known as “Kutchan Potatoes.”

The ‘Baron’ variety features the distinctive aroma and fluffy texture of potatoes, while the ‘Touya’ variety is larger with a yellow flesh. The “Sayaka” variety has a refreshing and mild flavor, while the “Kitakamui” variety has a delicate texture and strong sweetness. The “Kitaakari” variety, also known as “Kuri Potato,” has a fluffy texture. These five varieties are sold under the “Kutchan Brand.”

Additionally, six years ago, the company began selling a premium potato called ‘540,’ which is made by aging Kutchan potatoes in a snow cellar for an extended period. Harvested potatoes are cooled using snow for 540 days (approximately one and a half years), stored in a warehouse with constant temperature and humidity, and left to rest. Through this prolonged aging process, some of the potato’s starch breaks down, and sugarization progresses, explains Mr. Honma.

“Potatoes stored under controlled temperature and humidity conditions begin to lose their mineral content after about two years, but not quite reaching three years. Potatoes naturally convert starch into sugar, which then becomes acidic, but through rigorous temperature control, they are preserved in a state where the sugar remains, maintaining their sweetness. They do not sprout or rot.”

Facing the reality of Japanese consumption

“The birth of ‘540’ was truly a series of coincidences,” says Mr. Honma. Born and raised in Kutchan, Mr. Honma actually worked in a Tokyo market until 14 years ago. ”Having a perspective close to producers, including my family, I gained insight into how the crops I had cultivated were consumed while working in the Tokyo market. In a way, it was a glimpse into the reality of consumption.”

The demand for Hokkaido-produced potatoes peaks from August to September during the harvest season and continues until around Golden Week in May. However, once May passes, Hokkaido-produced potatoes are no longer in demand. This is because potatoes from Nagasaki, the birthplace of potatoes in Japan, which were introduced along with firearms, enter the market as they reach their peak season.

Potatoes from Nagasaki and other regions like Chiba, where the season is in full swing, flood the market, creating a frenzy of demand. Honma understands that, given Japan’s north-south geography, it’s inevitable that the peak season varies by region. However, he has always questioned why seasonal produce, regardless of taste, takes precedence and dominates the market.

“I understand that seasonal vegetables are delicious. However, root vegetables in particular develop a different kind of flavor when they are allowed to rest. I felt a dilemma because this was not understood,” he explains.

Upon returning to his hometown, Mr. Honma asked his father, Hideo, who was the president at the time, if he could sell potatoes even during the summer. While there was already a technique for storing potatoes using snow, the snow would melt. So, he had a refrigerator suitable for storage built and stored only the necessary amount. New potatoes have thin skins, contain a lot of moisture, and are very soft. Due to these characteristics, many chefs find them difficult to handle. While he had experimented with selling them to chefs who did not prefer the characteristics of new potatoes, he had not considered commercializing them.

An indispensable ingredient in chefs’ potato recipes

One day, when Mr. Honma brought some potatoes stored in his warehouse to the long-established Japanese restaurant “Naniwa-tei” in Sapporo, the owner exclaimed, “What is this? I’ve never tasted potatoes like this before!” When he tasted them, the potatoes, which had been stored in the warehouse for about two years, were sweet like sweet potatoes and had a distinctly different flavor from conventional potatoes.

Honma had simply brought the potatoes, which had been stored in the corner of a refrigerator, out of curiosity. Captivated by the accidental sweetness that developed without any conscious effort to preserve them, the chef at Naniwa-tei recommended selling them. The name “540” comes from the fact that the potatoes undergo a maturation period of over 540 days from harvest.

Carefully aged to develop a unique sweetness unlike any other, “540” was first served at local hotels such as “Chalet Ivy Hirafu” and “Park Hyatt Niseko HANAZONO” in Niseko. It quickly gained popularity, with inquiries pouring in from restaurants across the Kanto region, including Tokyo, and as far south as Okinawa. However, due to the need for meticulous temperature control, it is only available through a referral system, and general sales are not available to customers without a connection to Kutchan.

We aim to increase the number of fans of Kutchan-produced products through these appealing processed goods.

The pioneers of the Meiji era who introduced potato farming to Kutchan. Additionally, the subsequent development of the Niseko area as a resort destination is another major factor contributing to the unique character of Kutchan’s potatoes, according to Mr. Honma.

Resort visitors who come to Niseko specifically to visit Mr. Honma and tell him, “It was delicious” and “Thank you,” are a source of inspiration. Even though the resort is the main purpose of their visit, the fact that there are many people who interact with each other through potatoes is a unique charm that other potato-producing areas do not have.

I would like people to see the fields where potatoes are actually grown, experience the environment of the production area, and feel the people who are involved in these potatoes. In the future, I am eager to create processed products that utilize the “540” brand. For example, if there are items that can be taken home as souvenirs or provide a tangible experience, they could serve as a tool to make the production area feel more accessible.

“Just as Kutchan is known as a resort destination, we hope that more people will visit as a production area associated with the ‘540’ brand,” he says with conviction.

The post The deep snow of Kutchan, Hokkaido, creates a special sweetness—Honma Matsuzo Shoten’s potatoes “540” / Kutchan Town, Hokkaido first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Ken and Katsuko Sasaki are winemakers who are dedicated to producing wines with the aroma and taste of the region, based on the philosophy of “nouraku,” which means “to enjoy farming by bending and swinging,” and “to pursue our own ideals without belonging to any one place. The couple, who have been involved in wine production in some of the world’s most prestigious wine regions, chose the Southern Hokkaido region, which includes Hakodate, as their winemaking base.

Learning and meeting in Burgundy, the master of wine

Located at the southern tip of Hokkaido, the port city of Hakodate has served as a hub for international trade. As the gateway to Japan, Hakodate has a history of early influx of Western culture, and its modern buildings with a “high-color” exotic atmosphere are eye-catching. The winery “Norakura” is located in the Motomachi district at the foot of Mount Hakodate, a central tourist area.

Some people are surprised to find a winery in the city center. The farm is located in the Bungetsu district of Hokuto City, which is adjacent to Hakodate City, and the grapes are grown on a south-facing slope with a night view of Hakodate City.

Ken Sasaki, who runs Nora-Kura, says, “We grow grapes on a south-facing slope overlooking the night view of Hakodate city. He and his wife and partner in winemaking, Katsuko, are “growers” who are committed to making wine with a focus on the climate, climate, and growing environment.

The winery, which incorporates both Japanese and Western influences to match Hakodate’s classic atmosphere, was originally renovated from a building that was once a printing office in town. The winery is located in a building that used to be a printing office in the city. We were able to communicate our thoughts on winemaking directly to them, and I think that was a good thing in the end.

Ken was born in Muroran City, but spent his childhood and high school years in Chiba. While pursuing a university education, he had always been interested in wine, which he had always loved.

I was interested in the so-called “sixth industry” of making and selling wine while farming, and I found it more interesting to think about wine than to go to college,” he says. So I went to France.”

In France, he attended an oenology school in Beaune, the center of Burgundy wines, and then returned to Japan and worked at wineries in Yamanashi and Tochigi. As he studied wine in this way, Ken felt that farming and grape growing were not something he did consciously, but something that was integrated into his way of life. In order to confirm whether his feeling was correct or not, he went back to France to further study at renowned wineries such as Christian Vignerre in Alsace and L’Ecrapale in Champagne, both of which are producers of natural wines using organic farming methods.

It was around this time that he met his future partner, Katsuko.

There were Japanese who visited Burgundy, but they all wanted to work as sommeliers or in stores. We were the only ones who wanted to be winemakers.

Born in Saitama Prefecture, Katsuko’s family is a dual-income farmer. They ate rice and vegetables grown at home, and handmade pickled plums and pickles were a staple in the household, so fermented foods were a familiar part of Katsuko’s life.

As she grew up, Katsuko became interested in fermentation, especially sake, and enrolled in the Department of Brewing and Fermentation at the Tokyo University of Agriculture. After graduation, she took on brewing duties at a winery in Hyogo Prefecture. I entered the wine industry because I wanted to make sake, but there was not much to learn about wine in Japan at the time, so I decided to study abroad and then return to Japan to establish my own business,” says Katsuko. She studied at the University of Burgundy’s Faculty of Oenology and spent her days studying to obtain the difficult certification of French National Oenologist (DNO).

It was during this time that she met Ken, a winemaker with whom she had much in common, and the two became comrades, talking about wine and improving each other.

Hokkaido, Donan, and Hokuto, where grape growing conditions are essential

The two naturally became partners. After Katsuko obtained her DNO and Ken obtained his DTO and other certifications, they returned to Japan and finally opened Bungetsu Vineyard in Hokuto City in 2011. The couple chose Hokuto City to fulfill their dream because it was an environment where they could grow grapes for their favorite wines.

We like wines with a strong acidity, which we describe as ‘full-flavored. It’s a little difficult to put into words, but we describe it as a wine that has flavor from the moment it is put into the mouth to the aftertaste. If the wine is not ripe, the taste in the mid-palate is blurred.

It is said that Naimoto wines tend to have a weak mid-palate. He chose Chardonnay, a white wine grape variety native to Burgundy, because it is a well-known grape variety. Although Chardonnay is a well-known grape variety, it is known as a kind of elusive grape variety that reflects the individuality of the terroir and the winemaker, rather than the distinctive character and flavor of the grape itself.

We focused on where the Chardonnay would be to our taste,” he said. Particular emphasis was placed on the effective total temperature. Generally, we calculate this by adding up the number of days during the period from grape budding to harvest (roughly from May to October in Hokuto City) when the temperature exceeds 10°C, which is the lower limit, and the portion of the days when the temperature exceeds 10°C.”

Using 10°C as a standard, they say that if the temperature is too low or too high, the quality of the grapes will be affected. The effective total temperature to achieve the taste of wine that Mr. and Mrs. Sasaki seek is approximately 1,200°C, and to narrow it down to that condition, the altitude is 1,000 m. “Even at the Yamanashi winery,” Mr. Sasaki said, “the conditions are not met.

There are wineries in Yamanashi that meet the criteria, but I thought it would be better to go to Hakodate or Hokuto, which are closer to my roots. And this area is cooler than others. I thought that if the grapes ripened slowly in the cold, they would taste the way I like them. If it is hot, the grapes need to be harvested earlier. Chardonnay grapes need to ripen slowly and be harvested with good acidity, so we need some time in the cooler fall months.

Chardonnay is said to prefer limestone soils. The well-drained, mineral-rich limestone of Hokuto fits the bill. The limestone from the Togatta mine behind the vineyard was also used to create an environment that allowed the unique terroir of Nogakura to be brought to bear on the flavor of the wine.

Nourakura’s philosophy of not daring to list the variety on the label

The year after the opening of his own farm, he established Nourakura in Hakodate, and by 2015, three years later, he and his wife Sasaki were able to harvest a decent amount of grapes from their own work. At the same time, however, they also sell wine made from high-quality grapes from contract farms in Yoichi Town in southern Hokkaido and elsewhere.

The main lineup includes the Nora series, which has a distinctive “This is Nourakura” character; the Nora-Pon series, which uses grapes from contract farms and is full of “Hokkaido character;” and the avant-garde Nora-Ken series, which is made with what Mr. and Mrs. Sasaki call “test-lot cuvées” and is freewheeling and free to do whatever they want. From vineyard work to vinification, the couple works alone to provide only what they are satisfied with.

They use wild yeast and do not use sulfites (antioxidants), which is also the Norakura style.

The wild yeast is clearly more complex and gives a more three-dimensional taste. Of course, there are cases where unintended complexity comes out, but it can be said that it adds depth to the flavor. It is also interesting that we, the winemakers, can control the unintended aspects during the aging period,” says Ken.

As for sulfurous acid, he says that it is partly a matter of taste, as the first sip is more snappy with sulfurous acid, but he also says that wines made with sulfurous acid are less compatible with food, especially seafood. He believes that this could be a fatal flaw for a wine from Hakodate, a seafood town.

Furthermore, it is Nourakura’s style not to put the grape variety on the label. The reason, he says, is that he wants people to simply enjoy the wine without preconceived notions. I think of the grape variety as a kind of symbol. Of course each grape variety has its own personality, but the most important thing is the “character of the region,” so we don’t go out of our way to show the grape variety. It is a very important theme for us to be able to bottle our wines without losing the character of the locality.

Passing on the art of wine and promoting it as a 6th industry

Mr. and Mrs. Sasaki say that as a winery in town, they have been able to convey the appeal of wine to many people. However, they also say that due to the limited space, they have had to ship their wines within a few months of bottling.

We really want the grapes to ferment as they like, so we want to keep the wine for at least six months after bottling. Then we don’t have the space. I believe that some wines have character that only comes out after aging.

He continues, “We also want to devote our energies to increasing the number of winemakers in Japan and spreading the techniques of winemaking.

We don’t increase the number of wineries because we have a philosophy of pursuing our ideals and offering what we are satisfied with, but we would like to increase the number and variety of wines by teaching the skills to those who aspire to be winemakers. For example, there is a clear difference between 10 wineries making and distributing one type of wine each, and one winery making 10 types of wine. The former has more diversity.”

Ken speaks softly, saying that he is willing to share the skills and knowledge he has actually cultivated, and that he thinks it is more interesting. He is also prepared to introduce the winery’s land to prospective winemakers.

I think it would be good to have a sixth industry that combines the arts with the livestock industry and the agriculture and water industry. To make wine and culture more culturally significant, it would be interesting to work with music and painting, regardless of genre.

Mr. and Mrs. Sasaki are planning to relocate the winery to a new location in order to improve the quality of their wines. The new location will include vineyards, a winery, and an auberge run by sommelier Motohiro Ogoshi. The Nourakura’s consistent philosophy of connecting people to each other through wine and expanding the world of wine will continue to be a modest, yet enjoyable endeavor.

The post Commitment to the Hakodate Winery “Nourakura” first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Maruhira Kawamura Suisan, located in Hakodate, Hokkaido, with the Tsugaru Straits stretching out before its eyes, is a seafood company that
handles everything from the careful selection of fresh fish to processing, allowances, and transportation.
With its professional eye for quality, the quality of its condition-based fish processing, and the speedy and flexible delivery using both air and bullet trains,
it has earned the complete trust of top chefs across the country.

Hakodate has an exotic cityscape, a beautiful night view of Mt. Hakodate, and an abundance of fishing grounds where warm and cold currents intersect. Top chefs from all over Japan rely on Maruhira Kawamura Suisan for the best selection of fish that Hakodate has to offer. In response to customer demand, the company’s second generation owner, Junya Kawamura, has also begun shipping fish by Shinkansen bullet train. What is Mr. Kawamura’s secret desire to deliver high quality, fresh fish from Hakodate to every corner of Japan?

From squid grown in the rapids to hairy crabs and yellowtail

Located at the southern tip of Hokkaido, Hakodate is a port town blessed by the Tsugaru Straits, the Pacific Ocean, and Eruption Bay (Uchiura Bay). It is known for its history as a port of call for the Kitamae Ship in the old days, and as a trading port that opened its doors after Perry’s arrival. The Tsugaru Straits, with the Tsushima Current (warm current) and the Oyashio Current (cold current) flowing into and colliding with each other, form a complicated coastline reminiscent of the shape of Tomoe. This is why Hakodate attracts a wide variety of fish species from season to season.

One of Hakodate’s specialties is surume-ika (Japanese common squid), known as “mai-ika” in Hokkaido. The Tsushima Current from Kyushu, the Black Current from the Pacific Ocean, and the Kurushima Current from the north collide in the Tsugaru Strait, creating a torrent of water. It is said to be one of the roughest waves on earth. Squid are fed on the high quality plankton nurtured in the rapids, and are rubbed by the currents. Squid that has been rubbed by the torrent is very sweet, has a great texture, and is delicious.”

Junya Kawamura of Maruhira Kawamura Suisan gave us a rundown of the delicious squid, a local Hakodate specialty. Kawamura is the second generation owner of Maruhira Kawamura Suisan, a fresh fish store that has been in business for over 50 years, located right next to the Hakodate Municipal Marine Products Local Wholesale Market. The store, which started as a fish shop in the town, now delivers fresh seafood from Hakodate to restaurants and other food service establishments nationwide, mainly through wholesale sales.

Because of its location in the relatively southern part of Hokkaido, Hakodate offers a wide variety of fish, from those that live in cold waters to those from warmer areas, Kawamura says.

We can catch all kinds of fish,” he says, “including crustaceans and shellfish such ashairy crabs,button lobsters, and abalone. Herring, which used to be caught only in cold regions, are also being caught. Since the beginning of autumn about 18 years ago, when news of rising sea temperatures began to spread, yellowtail and other fish have been chasing the squid,” says Kawamura.

He says that many chefs, from kappo restaurants to French restaurants in Kyoto, have been inquiring about the yellowtail caught in Hokkaido during the autumn season, not cold yellowtail.

The yellowtail is not the rich, full-bodied fatty yellowtail of cold yellowtail, but rather a lighter yellowtail with a lingering umami flavor,” says Kawamura. Once they have used it once, they ask for it again. However, there are individual differences among the yellowtail, so we look at them with our own eyes to determine what they are.

Yellowtail just caught in Hakodate are in a state before rigor mortis. When the yellowtail is allowed to rest for a little while after rigor mortis, its body secretes flavorful ingredients. This is a flavor that cannot be tasted when the fish is fresh. The time when this flavor can be best felt and the balance of the crunchiness vary from fish to fish. Kawamura Suisan arranges the transportation time in anticipation of the best time for the fish.

For example, if the fish is auctioned off at the Hakodate market and transported to the Toyosu market, where the chefs buy it from the brokers, it would take a long time. That’s why we transport morning fish by Shinkansen bullet train directly to chefs in the Tokyo metropolitan area and other areas on the same day.

Using the Shinkansen in conjunction with air transportation, fish caught in Hakodate in the morning can be enjoyed for dinner at restaurants in Tokyo. It is sure to be the happiest meal ever for restaurant visitors.

Fishmonger to French Embassy as “Connoisseur

Mr. Kawamura’s freshly selected “Hakodate seafood” is highly acclaimed by food professionals, and he is trusted by them. He often receives requests directly from chefs at three-star restaurants and other famous restaurants.

Many of our customers are from the Japanese and French cuisines, but we serve a wide range of genres,” he says. We also receive orders from Italian and Chinese chefs. For hotels, we take orders based on a month’s menu, and sometimes we call customers when we have good fish. Sometimes we will send the fish after it has been cut, and other times we will deliver the fish as is so that the young chefs can practice their skills. We tailor the delivery to the customer’s needs.”

Kawamura Suisan delivers fish to some of Japan’s leading chefs, but the company was originally a “fish shop in town” that sold fish for household consumption.

He says, “My family ran a traditional fish shop with a small frontage. As time went by, we were pushed out by supermarkets selling reasonably priced fish…” He actively traveled to culinary fairs in search of customers who demanded better quality. Gradually, he succeeded in gaining the trust of chefs at restaurants.

Kawamura Suisan then had a major encounter that would change the future of the company. He was invited by the French Embassy and had the opportunity to meet chefs whose names are known throughout the world.

This encounter led to an increase in media attention as a connoisseur. This encounter led to Mr. Kawamura’s reputation as a connoisseur, which in turn led to his meeting with a number of famous restaurants.

Seafood praised by chefs who demand the finest ingredients

Through Mr. Kawamura’s “selective eye for fish,” the potential of the fish from the port city of Hakodate has become known throughout Japan. Inquiries from restaurants in Tokyo have increased dramatically,” says Kawamura. The number of inquiries from restaurants in Tokyo has increased dramatically,” says Mr. Kawamura, “including two-star restaurants in Ginza and famous hotels. We also receive orders from other areas and genres, such as a two-star French restaurant in Osaka and an Italian restaurant in Hokkaido.

Chefs at famous restaurants are naturally very busy. Mr. Kawamura says that he makes it a point to make suggestions about menus and other items ahead of time so as not to overburden his busy clientele. He is constantly honing his skills in order to offer even better suggestions than what his customers are looking for.

I am not a professional chef, but I have honed my skills in selecting the best ingredients and processing methods to make the fish I catch delicious,” he says. So, I always have an image of the customer in mind when I talk to them in advance about how to serve the fish, what the ingredients are, and how to process them. For example, for flash-frozen fish, it is best to defrost it in the refrigerator at ice temperature. Not everyone knows about this, so we try to inform them. Everyone is a professional who uses a variety of products from all over the world and understands their value, so we put a lot of effort into it,” says Kawamura.

Kawamura says that many chefs were initially reluctant to try the aforementioned “autumn yellowtail.

At first, they all said, ‘Oh, no,’ but I recommended that they use it, thinking they had been tricked. (Laughs.) Then, everyone liked it. I feel grateful for Hakodate’s geographical advantage.

He also rests his fish in an aquarium before sending them to his customers in order to keep them in the best condition. The water temperature is about 14 degrees Celsius at the moment, and about 9 degrees Celsius at the bottom,” he said. The water temperature in tanks at the market is often high, so once the fish are auctioned off, we bring them back to the same temperature as in the ocean and let them rest here. In the winter, we lower the water temperature and increase the amount of oxygen so as not to stress the fish.

Passing on the philosophy of sustainable seafood to future generations

Mr. Kawamura says that he has come to understand the importance of understanding what the “real thing” is when he started working with chefs at many famous restaurants. He says that he has realized anew how wonderful the seafood he has cherished is.

He says, “Chefs at proper restaurants really examine the ingredients and use them carefully. Unfortunately, in the general distribution world, the price is the first thing that comes to mind, and I feel that many people don’t realize the value and quality of such wonderful seafood. Of course, this is partly due to a lack of awareness on our part.”

He suggests that the philosophy of “sustainable seafood” should be shared by all Japanese people in order to convey the benefits of fish to the future and to ensure that we can continue to eat seafood for a long time to come.

My idea of sustainable seafood is that everyone should be aware of the problem. I think we need to rethink how we should add value to fish because there are fewer and fewer fish in the world. Instead of selling everything in large quantities at mass merchandisers, we need to buy fish in a valuable form, using proper fishing methods, and pass it on to people who understand its value.

We want to systematize the concept of sustainable seafood and work with NPOs and other organizations that share this philosophy,

He would like to systematize the concept of sustainable seafood and work with NPOs that share the same philosophy to pass on the culture and culture of the future to the children of the future.

It is my dream to play a part in bringing more people together who know and understand the value of real fish.

I want to convey the value of authenticity through fish in my own territory,” he says. As a connoisseur, Mr. Kawamura heads to the market again this morning in order to connect the future of fish.

Based on the trust and track record we have built up over the years, we are repeatedly requested by top chefs each season. We have exceeded the expectations of a wide variety of people, from kaiseki restaurants and restaurants to overseas buyers involved in the food business. We invite you to experience for yourself the top quality of our products, which have been trained by the world’s top chefs!

The post Delivering Deliciousness from Hakodate to the Nation. Maruhira Kawamura Suisan continues to be dedicated to this goal/Hakodate, Hokkaido first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Ishikawa Farm has an 80-year history of rice cultivation in Akaigawa Village, which has a population of less than 1,200 and is mainly engaged in agriculture and tourism. There is a third generation of rice farmers who love both growing and eating rice. We visited Mr. Hayato Ishikawa, who struggles with the beauty and harshness of nature.

A Beautiful Village Blessed with Nature Interwoven with Mountains

Akaigawa Village is located in the southwestern part of Hokkaido, about 40 km southwest of Otaru City, and has been attracting attention as a tourist spot in recent years as an area within a 30-40 minute drive from Otaru. It is known as a basin with a caldera-like topography with mountains surrounding the village from east to west, north to south, and south to north. It has an inland climate unique to basins with large temperature differences between day and night, summer and winter, and is also one of the areas with the heaviest snowfall. The village boasts abundant tourist resources that attract many visitors , such as the spectacular view of “Cloud Lake,” where fog flows into the basin and accumulates on clear autumn mornings, and “Kiroro Resort,” a ski slope blessed with powder snow.

The village also grows many agricultural products. The village grows a wide variety of products, including rice, pumpkins, broccoli, mini-tomatoes, melons, and watermelons, all of which are popular for their sweetness due to the difference in temperature between day and night.

Mr. Ishikawa’s delicious rice, which he produces in a straight line for rice

Ishikawa Farm is located in the Kyokugawa district of the scenic village of Akaigawa, where he grows paddy rice. Mr. Hayato Ishikawa, the third generation of rice farmers who started rice farming in 2004, loves rice.

He says, “Going to the rice fields on a sunny day and observing the different faces of the rice each day, and then eating the delicious rice after polishing are both essential to my work. Both are essential for me, and rice is my ‘hobby.

I eat three cups of rice at one meal,” he adds happily.

After graduating from junior high school, Ishikawa stayed in Otaru for high school and then worked as an office worker in Sapporo. Even though he was away from his hometown, the rice paddies started by the first generation of farmers who moved to the village from Shikoku were always somewhere in his mind. Even though I was working at other jobs, I always wanted to return to my hometown someday to grow rice,” he said.

The typhoon made him decide to return to his hometown with his wife, which he says was a very natural decision.

Clear water, temperature difference, soil, and sun determine the taste.

Ishikawa Farm produces three varieties of rice : Yumepirika, Nanatsuboshi, and Yukisayaka, which are representative of Hokkaido’s brand-name rice.

All of these varieties are the pride of Hokkaido. Yumepirika” in particular is a rice with characteristics similar to glutinous rice. It has a soft, glutinous texture and a sweet, rich flavor with a hint of a special aroma,” says Ishikawa.

Mr. Ishikawa’s rice grows well in the favorable conditions provided by the melted snow nurtured by the mountains including Mt.

Mr. Ishikawa’s rice grows well and quickly. “Because the village of Red River is surrounded by mountains, even if a cloud rolls in, it will be blown away by the mountains. This is why the sun shines down on the rice, especially in the summer. The rice exposed to the sun performs photosynthesis and stores a lot of starch. Furthermore, because of the temperature difference between day and night, the rice’s metabolism is suppressed at night, and the starch is packed tightly into each grain of rice. This makes the rice firm, sticky, and sweet.

Another advantage of Mr. Ishikawa’s rice paddies is that they are surrounded by mountains and are not exposed to strong winds. The rice is less likely to be buffeted by strong winds, so there is no extra stress on the rice.

The rice absorbs the minerals of the mountains from the clear water, resulting in large, glossy, delicious rice.

Ishikawa’s “Yumepirika” rice has often won prizes in the annual “Rice-1” Grand Prix held in the town of Rankoshi, Isoya County, with the aim of promoting delicious rice throughout Japan, and finally won the runner-up prize in 2021.

Mr. Ishikawa named his rice “Shemeshi,” which is printed prominently on the rice bag.

Shemesh” means the sun (morning sun) in Hebrew. He told us with a smile that he named the rice “Shemesh” because the presence of the sun (morning sun) is important to the rice he grows, and because it was a nice word.

Attention to water content makes the rice a favorite of chefs.

The temperature difference between day and night, the clear mineral-rich stream, and the high-quality soil… Akaigawa Village has all the favorable conditions for growing rice.

Mr. Ishikawa emphasizes that he wants people to eat rice with the optimum amount of moisture depending on when and under what circumstances they eat the rice.

The taste of rice is greatly affected by the amount of moisture contained in the grains. The ideal moisture content is 15-14%, but the moisture content varies depending on the weather and time of harvest.

Ishikawa says that in order to dry the rice evenly, he uses a large far-infrared dryer. He also says that the rice is not dried all at once, but is dried slowly over a long period of time because of his commitment to the taste of the rice.

We use a two-stage drying method. The first drying is stopped when the moisture content is 16.5%, and the rice is left to dry for about three days. When the rice is sealed, the water content of the chaff goes back and forth. When the rice is sealed, the water content of the chaff goes back and forth, with the higher water content giving way to the lower water content in an attempt to equalize.

Mr. Ishikawa has also succeeded in maintaining the quality of the rice by introducing a machine to sort out black rice, which has a slightly inferior taste, known as spotted rice. Every year, he repeats a trial-and-error process to find the best farming method for Hokkaido’s changing climate.

He has come to believe that the most important thing is to keep the roots firmly planted. If rice with healthy roots grows, it will produce large grains of rice. To achieve this, rice straw harvested in the fall is plowed in while the temperature is still high and mixed with the soil in the field. Then, “rice straw corrosion accelerator” is sprinkled to firmly promote fermentation and decomposition of the soil so that there will be no un-decomposed rice straw left in the soil when the temperature rises the next year. If this process is inadequate, gas will be generated from the soil when the temperature rises. When gas is produced, the roots of the rice plants are killed and subsequent growth is poor.

Ishikawa stresses that soil preparation after rice harvest is essential to create good roots for the next year.

Once the rice plants start to grow, I think I look only at the roots rather than the rice itself (laughs).

Mr. Ishikawa enjoys eating rice not only as a producer but also as a consumer. Many chefs fall in love with his rice. Tomonori Oikawa of Nihonbashi OIKAWA is one of them.

Tomo⾂ Oikawa of Naimonbashi OIKAWA is one of them. “I think ‘This rice must be delicious’ from the moment I open the lid of the pot,” he says. It’s just so sweet. Sweetness is umami. The sweetness is the flavor, the simplicity of the taste,” says Oikawa.

The customers who come to the restaurant are delighted by the taste of the soy sauce itself, he says.

Good food is simple. If you use bad food, you have to add all kinds of things.

Conveying the Appeal of Agriculture to the Next Generation of Farmers

Mr. Ishikawa says he feels a sense of crisis in the fact that the bearers of agriculture are aging and young people are not attracted to the industry. The seven rice farmers in the area have joined together to form the “Red-Igawa Village Seiryukai” because they want to protect the rice paddies and rice in the Akaigawa area.

I love the village of Akaigawa. Even though we use different farming methods and sell our rice to different customers, we are all colleagues who use the same irrigation water to grow rice. I struggle every day to find ways to protect the delicious rice here,” he says.

He continues to work energetically, going to schools for on-site classes and working on online classes.

Eating healthy rice makes everyone feel better,” he says. I want to promote the appeal of rice to the younger generation. We are also putting a lot of effort into developing various events to stop the decline in farming.

In a closet, Mr. Ishikawa found a poem he wrote in the fourth grade of elementary school titled “Rice.

It’s beautiful.

It’s beautiful.

The rice shines in a golden brown.

The rice flutters softly.

Fluttering gently like ocean waves.

Delicious.

The rice is shiny and glossy.

The rice is very tasty.

It tastes as good as a small bird’s egg.

He says he wrote this poem when he was a child because he was so impressed by the taste of rice. I want to increase the number of children and the younger generation like me. With this thought in mind, Mr. Ishikawa will continue to take on the challenge of growing rice.

The post Ishikawa Farm’s “Shemeshi” bathed in the morning sun of Akaigawa. Sweet and tasty rice to cheer everyone up/ Akaigawa Village, Hokkaido first appeared on NIHONMONO.