“Fuyukoi” is a special apple brand from Iwate Prefecture, featuring only the finest “Haruka” apples that meet stringent criteria for sugar content and honeycore. Available only during the brief start of winter, its rich sweetness and crisp texture offer truly premium flavor.

Iwate: A Diverse Apple-Producing Region with “Original Varieties”

Iwate Prefecture ranks as Japan’s third-largest apple-producing region, following Aomori and Nagano. Leveraging natural conditions like significant temperature fluctuations and rich soil, high-quality apples are cultivated primarily in inland areas.

The first Western apple seedlings were imported to Japan in 1871, shortly after the country opened its doors. The following year, Western apple cultivation began in Iwate Prefecture, making it one of the earliest regions in Japan to engage in apple production.The region focuses not only on productivity but also on quality improvement and variety development. Through collaboration among producers, agricultural cooperatives (JA), local governments, and research institutions, Iwate has created numerous “original Iwate varieties,” such as the “Beni Iwate” with its deep red skin and strong sweetness, and the juicy, large “Ooyume.” One of these is the “Haruka” variety, which serves as the base for the “Fuyukoi” apple.

The Iwate-born apple variety “Haruka”

Haruka was born in 1976 in the orchard of Iwate University’s Faculty of Agriculture and made its market debut as a registered variety in 2002. Its name comes from the grandson of its creator, the late Professor Emeritus Kiyoshi Yokota.It is a late-season variety with yellow skin, known for its abundant honey, rich sweetness, and crisp, juicy texture. However, it also has characteristics that initially hindered its popularity: smaller fruit size and a tendency to develop “rust” – a condition where the skin discolors and becomes rough. As a result, it was considered “unattractive” when first introduced, and few producers initially took up its cultivation.

However, some recognized Haruka’s potential. In 2006, dedicated growers from across the prefecture gathered and established the “Iwate Haruka Research Group” (now the Iwate Fuyukoi Research Group) with fruit-growing organizations. They began working to improve quality and establish cultivation methods, aiming to “develop Haruka into Iwate’s brand apple.”

One of the founding members was Mineo Kumagai of Shimokubo Farm in Morioka City. Having dedicated over 20 years to improving Haruka’s quality and establishing cultivation methods, and serving as chairman of the Iwate Fuyukoi Research Group until 2024, Kumagai reflected on the group’s origins: “While its appearance isn’t great, Haruka’s excellent honey-infused sweetness and high sugar content are major attractions. I wanted to find a way to make the most of that.”

Overcoming Weaknesses with “Bagging”

Members of the “Iwate Haruka Research Group,” who cultivate apples across the vast regions of Iwate Prefecture, grew Haruka in a corner of their respective orchards. Through repeated information exchange and discussions, they tested various cultivation methods. One year, a member accidentally bagged a Haruka tree instead of a neighboring one. Surprisingly, it produced a clean, rust-free yellow fruit.

“Bagging” refers to the cultivation method of placing bags over apples after thinning. This protects against disease and sunburn, maintains freshness and quality post-harvest, and improves “storage life” for longer preservation. Additionally, removing the bags just before harvest to expose the fruit to sunlight promotes coloring, resulting in an even, vibrant hue.

Feeling confident that “this could work,” Mr. Kumagai and his team switched Haruka cultivation from “unbagged” to bagged. As a result, the occurrence of rust and blemishes decreased significantly.

However, bagged apples develop lower sugar content compared to unbagged apples that grow with ample sunlight. To overcome this, they experimented extensively: testing multiple types of bags with different materials and specifications, and drastically reducing the number of fruits per tree to concentrate nutrients on each remaining fruit.After years of effort, they succeeded in growing larger fruit without compromising its inherent flavor. Today, techniques for cultivating high-quality Haruka apples are becoming established, including using specialized bags for bagging and allowing the fruit to fully ripen on the tree before harvest.

“Still, apple cultivation happens only once a year. Even after growing Haruka for 20 years, I’ve only experienced 20 harvests. There might be a more suitable bag, or other better methods—research never ends,” says Kumagai. This relentless accumulation of effort is steadily elevating Haruka’s quality and reputation.

Only the most meticulously selected apples become “Fuyukoi”

Among the Iwate-grown “Haruka” apples cultivated this way, only those meeting specific standards—such as sugar content, honeycore presence, and appearance—are granted the “Fuyukoi” designation.

“Fuyukoi” is a branded apple handled by JA Zen-Noh Iwate. Harvested Haruka apples are individually measured using light sensor sorting machines, selecting only those with “sugar content of 15 degrees or higher,” “honeycore,” and “excellent appearance.” Only these selected apples are shipped as “Fuyukoi.”Furthermore, those meeting even higher standards—”sugar content of 16 degrees or higher and honeycore” and “free of rust spots or blemishes”—become “Premium Fuyukoi.”

The shipping period is late November to December. Named “Fuyukoi” (Winter Love) because they are harvested just before winter, the latest among apples produced in Iwate Prefecture, and their high sugar content evokes the image of sweet love, “Fuyukoi” is gaining recognition year by year and is popular as a gift. It is also handled by department stores and high-end produce shops.

“Haruka is inherently a high-sugar variety that easily develops honeydew. The Haruka we grow averages around 18 degrees Brix, with many exceeding 20 degrees,” says Mr. Kumagai. The typical sugar content for apples is around 13 degrees Brix. Considering this, even Haruka apples not selected for Fuyukoi are sufficiently sweet.

“So what makes Fuyukoi special? Its visual beauty. For personal consumption, even unbagged Haruka with rust spots is fine—I even think it might taste better that way. But when giving them as gifts, you naturally want something that looks beautiful.”

Haruka’s skin is extremely delicate. Even when carefully cultivated with bags to protect it from external stress, bruises or blemishes can sometimes appear. Fuyukoi’s flawless, smooth texture is the crystallization of the grower’s meticulous work.

Adding value through labor

To grow large, high-quality apples, thinning young fruit—known as “fruit thinning”—is essential.Apples rely on leaves for photosynthesis to deliver nutrients to the fruit, making the balance between leaves and fruit crucial. Typically, thinning aims for a ratio of about 40-50 leaves per fruit. For Haruka, however, it’s astonishingly 100 leaves per fruit. By drastically reducing the number of fruits on the tree, nutrients are concentrated, resulting in sweeter, larger apples.

Haruka apples, cultivated through this “select few” approach, are still grown on a relatively small scale with limited production, making them rarely seen in stores. The “Fuyukoi” and “Premium Fuyukoi” grades selected from these are even more scarce.”We want to turn that rarity into value and return as much profit as possible to the growers,” says Kumagai. He explains that the research group was established precisely because they wanted to create a system where “hard work producing excellent fruit is properly valued and leads to profit.”

A Voice for Iwate’s Apple Appeal

As chairman of the Iwate Fuyukoi Research Group, Kumagai actively promotes the apples at events and markets both within and outside the prefecture. “Over the past few years, I’ve really started to feel that Haruka and Fuyukoi are gaining fans,” he says. “More producers are supporting this initiative, and our membership is growing. We want to ride this momentum and bring in even more partners.”

Haruka is a variety born in Iwate, but there are no restrictions on where it can be grown, and it is now cultivated outside the prefecture as well. However, only Haruka apples grown in Iwate can carry the “Fuyukoi” brand name. “Nationally, when people think of apples, they probably think of Aomori or Nagano,” Kumagai says with hope. “I want to spread the word widely that ‘Iwate also has such excellent apples.’ I believe Fuyukoi and Haruka are major selling points for that.”

There are no limits to “making good things”

The apple orchards of Shimokubo Farm spread across the rolling hills overlooking Mount Iwate. Located at an elevation of approximately 360 meters, it is one of the highest apple farms in Iwate. Compared to lower-lying areas, the temperatures are cooler. When the farm acquired this land 40 years ago, they struggled because the fruit didn’t grow large. However, with global warming, temperatures have gradually risen. “Now, we grow better apples than other farms at lower elevations,” Kumagai explains.The higher elevation also means a greater temperature difference between day and night, resulting in apples with a firm, crisp texture,” says Kumagai.

Nevertheless, global warming remains a serious problem. Apples thrive in cool climates, and high temperatures cause various issues like poor coloring, sunburn, and diminished flavor. They also tend to develop less honeycore, which could undermine the brand value of varieties like Haruka and Fuyukoi that pride themselves on this characteristic.

Furthermore, soaring material costs and rising labor expenses are major burdens. Unlike crops like rice, where mechanization is advancing, apple cultivation remains largely manual. Tasks like bagging and harvesting, which require delicate handling of the fruit, must be done by hand, one by one. “If we could mechanize, maybe my son and I could manage it, but that’s not possible. So we have to hire people, and the more labor-intensive it is, the higher the labor costs,” says Kumagai.The environment surrounding apple farming grows harsher each year, with global warming, persistent abnormal weather patterns, and rising production costs all taking their toll.

“I’m completely exhausted. It’s like hanging on by a thread, barely managing to keep going,” he says with a wry smile. Yet he adds, “Even while being swept up by changes in the times and environment, I feel fortunate to have made it this far.” His eyes still burn with passion for apple growing. “This work is enjoyable because I can devise my own methods and experiment. I know there’s still so much I don’t know, and I believe there’s still more I can do. There are no limits to making something truly good.”

To avoid cutting down apple trees

“It would be easy to quit apple farming and just cut down the trees. But then all the years of care invested up to that point would be lost in an instant, and if I ever wanted to get it back, it would take just as much time. That’s why I want to keep going as much as possible. So I won’t have to cut down the apple trees I’m growing now.”

His son Katsuhiko, who runs the orchard with his father, shares this sentiment. “With global warming continuing like this, I wonder if there will come a time when we can’t rely solely on apples. That’s why we’re also growing other crops in separate fields. But I don’t want to give up apple farming. It’s hard work, but it’s still enjoyable.”

“Growing apples is fun,” the Kumagai father and son say in unison. Despite facing various challenges and hardships, their sincere commitment to “producing something better” is what underpins the special flavor of Haruka and Fuyukoi apples.

The post All high-sugar content, honey-filled. The specially selected apple “Fuyukoi” / Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Koishihama Scallops. What a wonderful name! Among the scallops produced along the coast of Iwate Prefecture, the “Koishihama scallops” from the fishing port of Koishihama, Ayari, Sanriku-cho, Ofunato City, are renowned as a brand of scallops. Jun Sasaki, the producer and president of the Iwate Prefecture Fishermen’s Association, has overcome the disaster and continues to produce high quality scallops.

What is Koishihama, Ofunato City, where Koishihama Scallops are produced?

The area off the coast of Sanriku is known as one of the best fishing grounds in the world, where the Oyashio tide from the north meets the Kuroshio tide from the south. Of the three prefectures of Sanriku (Aomori, Iwate, and Miyagi), the coast of Iwate Prefecture is characterized by a series of bays and a saw-toothed rias coastline.

Ofunato City, located in the southern part of the coast of Iwate Prefecture, has a number of bays, including Yoshihama Bay, Okirai Bay, Ayari Bay, and Ofunato Bay, where various types of fishing have been practiced since ancient times. In the bays where the waves are calmer, wakame seaweed, scallops, and ascidians are cultivated actively.

Koishihama in Ayazato, Sanriku-cho, Ofunato City, has been particularly active in scallop cultivation. Jun Sasaki, a fisherman from Koishihama and president of the Iwate Prefecture Fishermen’s Association, has been farming scallops here since his father’s generation.

What are “Koishihama Scallops”?

Iwate scallops have long had a good reputation in the central market, and around 1985, they once commanded the highest wholesale price in Japan at the Tsukiji market.

In 2008, Mr. Sasaki founded the Koishihama Youth Club. Until then, Koishihama fishermen had been shipping scallops to the market, but that did not show the name of the beach. So, through the Ayasato Fisheries Cooperative Association, they developed a sales channel for the scallops they grew so that they could ship them directly to ordinary consumers. The scallops were branded as “Koishihama scallops. The name “Koishihama Scallops” is a play on the Japanese pronunciation of “Koishihama. It has a nice sound to it.

The Sanriku Railway runs near the fishing port, and in 2009 the station name was changed to “Koishihama. The station has become a power spot for romance, and the station waiting room is decorated with ema (votive picture tablet) in which wishes are written on scallop shells.

High-quality plankton nurtures scallops.

Looking out over the landscape of Koshiki Bay, one can see that there are many broadleaf trees. In autumn, broadleaf trees fall off their leaves and turn to leaf litter. The seawater containing nutrients from this leaf litter provides nourishment for marine life. On the other hand, off the coast of Sanriku, where the Oyashio and Kuroshio currents collide, phytoplankton is born, and zooplankton that feed on the phytoplankton gather there.

Ofunato’s inner bay, which contains plankton from the sea and nutrients from the mountains, is a very good environment for scallops. In Koishihama, only scallops that meet certain standards among those raised with care are sold as “Koishihama scallops.

Ear-suspension type of aquaculture born in Ofunato

Scallop cultivation begins with the collection of scallop larvae (rahbas) that come in from the northern ocean on the Oyashio tide from April to June. rahbas are collected in May, and by September they are about 1 cm in size. 20 tiers of cages are made, each containing 50 scallop larvae. As the scallops grow, the number of scallops in the cage becomes denser, so the number is reduced to 25 in December, then 10 in February, and so on, until the scallops are 8 cm in diameter, which takes about one year.

Once the scallops have grown to 8 cm in diameter, holes are made in the shells and the scallops are hung from ropes for aquaculture. This method of cultivation is called the “ear-hanging” method. This method of cultivation is currently practiced from Aomori to Miyagi, but was actually invented in Ofunato.

The “ear-suspension” method was established around 1960. It was devised to efficiently raise scallops in Ofunato, where the water is deep and the bays are intricate, and has been used to this day. Ofunato does not have shallow sandy beaches like those in Hokkaido, so it is not possible to harvest a large number of scallops using the “ground sowing” method of cultivation, which grows scallops on the sea bottom. Therefore, the “ground sowing” method of cultivation, in which scallops are hung from ropes suspended in the water, was devised in an attempt to cultivate as many scallops as possible by taking advantage of the depth of the sea. Because the scallops do not stick to the seafloor, sand does not get inside the shells.

Ofunato’s bay is about 40 meters deep, and scallop cultivation has flourished because of this topography.

Sparing no pains to produce high-quality scallops

Scallops are hung from ropes and grow to a large size in the bay over a period of about one year. Counting from the larvae, the scallops are shipped after about two years. Koishihama scallops compete on the quality of each scallop, as the fishing grounds are limited.

In order to grow high-quality scallops, Mr. Sasaki keeps a gap between shells and cleans the shells at least twice a year. Seaweed and barnacles adhere to the shells. If these are not removed regularly, the seaweed and barnacles will take away the nutrients that the scallops feed on. Not only that, but the rope will become heavier due to the attached materials, causing it to fall.

Even so, the larger the scallops grow, the lower the ropes become. It is the fisherman’s job to adjust the height of the rope. Sasaki says, “The scallops are held together by ropes, so we raise and lower the height of the ropes all year round to keep them suspended at a depth where there is plenty of food.” He raises and lowers the ropes based on his years of experience in checking whether the sun’s rays are reaching the area and whether the tide is running fast enough. Mr. Sasaki is particular about the scallops he grows, cleaning the shells and adjusting the ropes.

Overcoming the Earthquake

Koishihama scallops, sold directly by the Ayasato Fisheries Cooperative, have been successfully branded. The thick scallops, sweet and delicious even when eaten as is, gained a reputation, and the number of orders increased. However, in March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. The Great East Japan Earthquake struck. Koishihama was also hit by the tsunami.

I was at sea when the Great East Japan Earthquake hit. When I returned to the beach, I found that the situation was very serious,” said Sasaki. After the earthquake, it was not possible to start fishing immediately. The fishing port had subsided and the cargo handling station had been washed away.

Immediately after the disaster, people he met through Koishihama Scallops offered their support. Some people even rushed to the area to offer their support. In the midst of all this, an overseas volunteer group appeared to offer support for the damaged fishing port, and Mr. Sasaki negotiated with them about the current status of the fishing port and what was needed for its recovery. His natural mobility and sociable personality, which helped him brand the “Koishihama scallops,” made it possible for him to engage in dialogue with foreign dignitaries without fear, which paid off.

Thanks to support from overseas, in 2014, the subsided fishing port was improved and a cargo handling station was completed in Koishihama. The speed of reconstruction was one of the fastest on the coast. Along with the reconstruction of the fishing port and cargo handling station, the scallops that had been cultivated were ready for shipment. In 2014, scallop shells were cleaned and sorted at the cargo handling station, and scallops of good quality were ready for shipment.

He was told by a support group that if they had not known about Koishihama Scallops, they might not have come here. Mr. Sasaki is grateful for the support and human connections he has received, saying, “When we first started (Koishihama Scallops), some people said, ‘What are you trying to do?

Going to the Sea with His Wife Isabelle

Mr. Sasaki met his wife, Isabelle, after the disaster. Originally from inland France, Isabelle had practiced karate since childhood and grew up interested in Japanese culture. After graduating from a Japanese university and finding a job, Isabelle visited Ofunato many times as a volunteer after the earthquake. Although Isabelle was working in Tokyo at the time, Ofunato became like a second home to her.

In 2020, she married Mr. Sasaki. She now works as a tourist guide and interpreter, and also rows out to sea with Mr. Sasaki to work as a fisherman.

In France, I was not much of a seafood eater, but I did like scallops. But when I ate Koishihama scallops, I was surprised (laughs). I thought,” he laughs cheerfully.

The Sea Connects Ofunato and Europe

In France, scallops are called “Coquilles Saint-Jacques. These are called “European scallops,” and technically speaking, they are a different species from Japanese scallops. However, off the coast of Sanriku in Japan, far away from France, coquille saint-Jacques can sometimes be found in the nursery. These are the shells depicted in Botticelli’s painting “The Birth of Venus,” which have a slightly fluffier shell than Japanese scallops.

In other words, the oceans are connected. In this light, the story of the “Koishihama Scallop” is a romantic tale of a man of the sea.

Delivering Quality Koishihama Scallops in the Future

Global warming is having a tremendous impact on the oceans. The place where the Oyashio (cold current) and the Kuroshio (warm current) collide is moving northward. The warm currents are so strong that the fishing grounds for lobsters, which should normally be caught off the coast of Ibaraki, are also moving northward.

Scallops prefer a cold environment. Scallops hibernate when the water temperature drops below 5°C. After hibernation, they feed on nutrients when the water temperature rises and grow larger. In recent years, due to global warming, water temperatures no longer fall below 5°C. Because the sea water temperature does not drop in winter, scallops lose the opportunity to hibernate. It is as if the next summer will arrive without the scallops having recovered from their summer fatigue. Some of them die without growing large.

The fisherman’s job is a natural one. They do not know what will happen the next year due to changes in the environment. Even so, Mr. Sasaki says, “We will never give up on scallops. He is determined to maintain the quality of Koishihama scallops. Even if the sea changes, we will live by the sea with the pride of being fishermen. As Mr. Sasaki gazes out to sea with his arms folded, I felt the determination of a man with a mission on his shoulders.

The post In “Longing Beach Scallops,” I see the romance of a man of the sea. Fisherman Jun Sasaki / Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Hiroshima and Miyagi prefectures are well-known for producing oysters, but at the Toyosu Market in Tokyo, Maruten Suisan of Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, has won Japan’s top first-round competition in consecutive years since 2017 for its oysters in the shell. The company’s oysters are “three-year-old” oysters, which take three years to grow, and are highly valued for their size and flavor.

Grown in Hirota Bay, which is rich in nutrients and has excellent water quality

The Sanriku coast is considered one of the three best fishing grounds in the world, where warm and cold currents collide and attract many fish. Hirota Bay in Rikuzentakata City, where Marten Suisan is located, is part of this area, and the phytoplankton contained in the fallen leaves of the surrounding mountains flows into the sea through the underground water and the Kesen River, making it a rich fishing ground. Furthermore, there are no industrial areas in the surrounding area, and unlike urban areas, the amount of wastewater from daily life is low, making the water quality excellent. In addition, the bay’s calm waves have long been a source of seaweed, scallops, oysters, and other fish.

Local Kesen cedar is used for cultivation rafts.

There are two main types of oysters widely distributed in Japan: oysters and rock oysters. The former is in season in winter, and most of them are cultivated. The latter, on the other hand, is in season during the summer, and is available both cultured and wild, with the Sea of Japan being the main production area.

There are several methods of cultivating oysters, but Marten Suisan cultivates oysters using the “raft method,” in which oyster larvae, or baby oysters, are tied to a rope and suspended from a floating raft on the sea. Oyster seeds are purchased from Miyagi Prefecture. The oyster seeds are purchased from Miyagi Prefecture, because the oyster farmers need a shallow water environment in order to collect the seeds in the sea, which is difficult to do in Miyagi Prefecture, and Miyagi Prefecture meets the requirements. The rafts are also made of local Kesen cedar. The first cedar used for the rafts was one that grew in the surrounding mountains, and it has been used to this day because of its sturdiness.

The secret of the oysters’ high reputation is their “3-year-old” size, body, and flavor.

Generally, most oyster producers grow oysters for one or two years before shipping them out, but Marten Fisheries ships “3-year-old” oysters that have been grown for three years. Originally, like other oyster producers, “one- to two-year-old” oysters were shipped to the market, but at the end of the Showa period, Mr. Sasaki’s father and other producers of the same generation decided to grow oysters for three years in order to differentiate and brand them. Currently, there are 10 oyster producers in Hirota Bay, and four of them, including Mr. Sasaki, have taken over the business. The three-year-old oysters with shells that Mr. Sasaki ships come in three sizes (SML, L, and L), with the large size overflowing the palm of an adult man’s hand. Moreover, because the meat inside is large and tasty, they have won the top prize in Japan at the Toyosu Market’s first auction since 2017. They are also well-received by the restaurants to which they sell directly, and orders are increasing every year.

We want to handle “3-year products,” even if it is risky.

However, there are risks involved in producing three-year products. Since the fish are raised in the sea for a longer period of time, there is a higher probability that they will fall from the rafts or ropes during the time they are in the sea. Even with this risk, the market price is almost the same as for two-year-old fish. Even so, Mr. Sasaki insists on raising three-year-old fish because he does not want to waste the efforts of his parents’ generation, and also because he wants to meet the demands of restaurants that repeatedly order his fish.

Innovations to improve the meat content

As mentioned above, Mr. Sasaki’s three-year-old oysters with shells are highly valued because not only the shells but also the meat is large and tasty. The secret lies in the process of removing the oysters one by one from the rope, putting them in a net, and submerging them in the sea just before shipment. The oysters are then submerged in the sea for a month while the temperature of the sea water drops daily, which makes the meat bigger, whiter, and firmer.

Unlike peeled oysters, where you can tell the size of the oyster at a glance, the meat of oysters in the shell is not always clear whether it has grown well inside the shell or not, and there is always a chance of being wrong. For example, when a restaurant opens the oyster shell and offers it to a customer, if the oyster is small, the customer will be embarrassed, but if it is large, the restaurant will trust the oyster, which will lead to the next order. That is why we do this work as a ‘finishing touch before shipping’ to ensure that there are as few ‘outliers’ as possible,” says Sasaki. In fact, in western Japan, such as Hiroshima Prefecture, the fish is shipped by the kilogram, so the size of the fish can be estimated by weight. Reducing the probability of such a situation as much as possible is the key to gaining the trust of customers.

There are other ways to grow the body size. These are “thinning” of the young clams and “hot water treatment,” in which the clams are submerged in 75°C water for 30 seconds on the boat in the summer. By thinning out the oysters, the remaining oysters are able to consume plenty of nutrients from the sea, and the hot water treatment also removes seaweed, barnacles, and other attached matter from the shells. This prevents wakame seaweed and barnacles on the shell from taking away the nutrients in the sea that the oyster needs for growth.

Incidentally, because oysters have thick shells and are highly sealed, they will survive even if they are submerged in hot water at the temperature and for the time mentioned above.

Steamed oysters are recommended in addition to raw oysters

Mr. Sasaki’s oysters are also highly regarded for their flavor. In general, oysters from Sanriku have a higher salt content than those from western Japan or Hokkaido, and the more you bite into them, the sweeter they taste. Mr. Sasaki’s oysters are no exception to this rule, and their firm flesh gives them a crispy texture when eaten raw. On the other hand, Mr. Sasaki also recommends steaming the oysters for those who are not used to eating oysters, such as children. It is said to soften the flavor of the sea and increase the sweetness.

Direct sales to increase value-added and prices

In addition to restaurants, Marten Suisan also focuses on direct sales to individuals. As mentioned earlier, the price of three-year-old oysters is almost the same as that of two-year-old oysters, so the company aims to add value and increase the price of three-year-old oysters by selling them directly. Oysters are alive until they are shucked, so the shucked oysters that arrive at the store or home are still alive and fresh. I want people to taste the oysters in their best condition,” says Sasaki. It is difficult for those who are not accustomed to handling oysters in the shell to open them, but for those who wish to use an oyster opener (a special knife), which is available for a fee for direct sales, they can experience the milky taste and crispy texture of oyster meat that was alive until just before the oyster was delivered.

Many oyster producers in Rikuzentakata, including the company, do not engage in sea urchin fishing in summer or abalone fishing in winter, but specialize in oysters. That is why they are thinking about “how to grow good quality oysters” all year round and putting their efforts into oyster production. In fact, peeled oysters from Rikuzentakata are sold at the highest unit price in Japan at the Toyosu Market, and one can imagine that the efforts of these producers are behind this. The brand power of Rikuzentakata’s oysters is sure to grow even stronger.

The post Maruten Suisan” won the highest evaluation in Japan for its “3-year-old” oysters with large, flavorful shells / Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture. first appeared on NIHONMONO.

真牡蠣の産地といえば広島県や宮城県が有名だが、東京・豊洲市場では岩手県陸前高田市のマルテン水産の殻付き真牡蠣が、2017年から連続で初競り日本一を獲得しているという。同社の真牡蠣は3年かけて育てる「3年物」で、その大きさや風味の良さが高く評価されている。

栄養豊富・水質良好の広田湾で育つ

暖流と寒流がぶつかって多くの魚が集まることから、世界三大漁場のひとつとされる三陸海岸。マルテン水産のある陸前高田市の広田湾もその一角にあり、周囲の山々の落ち葉に含まれる植物プランクトンが伏流水や気仙川を通じて海に流れ込み、豊かな漁場となっている。しかも周囲には工業地帯が無く、都会とは違って生活排水量が少ないため、水質は良好。さらに、内湾で波が穏やかなので、昔からワカメやホタテ、真牡蠣などの養殖が盛んに行われている。

養殖筏には地元の気仙杉を利用

日本で多く流通している牡蠣は、主に真牡蠣と岩牡蠣の2種だ。前者は冬が旬で、ほとんどが養殖もの。それに対し後者は夏が旬で、養殖もののほか天然ものもあり、日本海側が主な産地になっている。

真牡蠣の養殖法にはいくつかあるが、マルテン水産では、“種”と呼ぶ牡蠣の幼生、つまり赤ちゃんを付けた貝殻をロープにくくりつけ、海上に浮かぶ筏（いかだ）に吊るす「筏式」で養殖している。牡蠣の種は宮城県から購入。種を海中で採取するためには遠浅の環境が必要で、県内では難しく、宮城県がその条件に適っているからだ。また、筏の材料には地元の気仙杉を使用。周辺の山に生育していたものを利用したのが始まりで、使ってみると丈夫だったことから現在も利用が続いている。

「3年物」の大きさ＆身入りと風味の良さが高評価の秘密

一般的に真牡蠣の生産者は1〜2年育てて出荷するケースがほとんどだが、マルテン水産では3年かけて育てた「3年物」を出荷している。もともと他産地同様「1〜2年物」を市場に出荷していたが、昭和末期に佐々木さんの父親や同世代の生産者たちが、3年かけて大きく育て差別化・ブランド化を図ることに。現在広田湾の真牡蠣生産者は10人だが、そのうち佐々木さんを含めた4人がそれを継承しているのだ。佐々木さんが出荷する3年物の殻付きの牡蠣はSMLの3サイズがあり、Lサイズは大人の男性の手のひらからはみ出す大きさ。しかも中の身も大きく味も良いことから、豊洲市場の初競りで2017年から連続して日本一を獲得している。また、直売先の飲食店からも評判で、年々注文が増えている。

リスクがあっても「3年物」を手掛けたい

ただ、3年物を手掛けるにはリスクもある。海中で育てる期間が長くなるので、その間に時化で筏やロープから落下する確率が高くなるのだ。しかもそうしたリスクを抱えながら育てても、市場価格は2年物とほとんど変わらない。それでも佐々木さんが3年物にこだわって養殖しているのは、親世代の想いと努力を無駄にしたくないのと、繰り返し注文してくれる飲食店の要望に応えたいからだという。

身入りを良くするための工夫

前述のとおり、佐々木さんの3年物の殻付き牡蠣が高く評価されているのは、殻だけでなく身も大きく、味が良いからだ。その秘密は、出荷直前に牡蠣を1個ずつロープから外してネットに入れ、海中に沈める作業にある。日々海水温が下がるなか1か月間育てることで、身が大きく白くなり、引き締まるという。

「出荷できるサイズの殻付き牡蠣をさらに1か月間育てるので、手間もコストもかかるのですが、一目見て大きさがわかるむき身と違って殻付き牡蠣の身は殻の中で大きく育っているかどうかわからず、『当たり外れ』があります。例えば飲食店の方が来店客に殻を開けて提供したときに身が小さいと恥をかかせることになってしまいますが、逆に大きいと飲食店から信用を得られ、次の受注につながる。ですからできるだけ『外れ』がないよう、『出荷前の仕上げ』としてこの作業を行っているんです」と佐々木さん。実は、広島県など西日本ではキログラム単位で出荷するので重さで身の大きさを想定できるが、陸前高田市など宮城県より北の地域では個数単位で出荷するため身の大きさを想定できず、身が小さい「外れ」が紛れ込む可能性がある。その確率をできるだけ低くすることが、顧客からの信用獲得につながるのだ。

身を大きく育てるための工夫はほかにもある。稚貝のときの「間引き作業」と、夏に船上で75℃の湯に30秒ほどくぐらせる「温湯処理」だ。間引くことで、残った牡蠣は海中の栄養をたっぷり摂取することができるし、温湯処理によって殻に付いたワカメやフジツボなどの付着物を取り除くこともできる。これによって、殻に付着したワカメやフジツボが、牡蠣の成長に必要な海中の栄養を奪ってしまうのを防ぐのだ。

ちなみに牡蠣は殻が厚く密閉度が高いので、前述の温度・時間なら湯にくぐらせても生き続けるという。

生食のほかに「蒸し牡蠣」もおすすめ

佐々木さんの真牡蠣は、風味の面でも評価が高い。一般的に三陸産の牡蠣は西日本産や北海道産の牡蠣よりも塩分濃度が高く、噛むほどに甘みが感じられる。佐々木さんの真牡蠣もそのとおりで、さらに身が引き締まっているために生で食べるとサクサクした食感が楽しめる。一方で佐々木さんは、「子どもなど牡蠣を食べ慣れない人なら、蒸して食べるのがおすすめ」ともアドバイスする。磯の風味がやわらかくなるうえ甘みが増すそうだ。

直売で、付加価値と値段のアップを図る

マルテン水産では飲食店のほか、個人への直売にも力を入れている。前述のとおり市場では3年物の価格は2年物とほとんど変わらないため、直売することで3年物の付加価値と値段のアップを図っているのだ。「牡蠣は殻を開けるまで生きているので、店や家に届いた殻付き牡蠣はまだ生きている状態で新鮮。その最高な状態の牡蠣を味わってほしい」と佐々木さん。殻付き牡蠣の扱いに慣れていない人が殻を開けるのは難しいが、直売の際には、希望者に有料の「牡蠣オープナー（専用ナイフ）」を付けて発送しているので、それを使えば、直前まで生きていた牡蠣の身ならではのミルキーな味やサクサクした食感を体験できる。

同社を含め陸前高田市の牡蠣の生産者は、夏のウニ漁や冬のアワビ漁などをやらず、牡蠣専業が多いという。それだけ、一年中「いかに良質の牡蠣を育てるか」について考え、生産に力を入れているといえる。実は同市産の真牡蠣のむき身も、豊洲市場で日本一の単価で取り引きされているそうで、その背景にはそうした生産者の努力があることが想像できる。陸前高田市産の真牡蠣のブランド力は、ますます大きくなるに違いない。

The post 身が大きく風味の良い「3年物」の殻付き真牡蠣で日本一の評価を獲得「マルテン水産」／岩手県陸前高田市 first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Abalone is known as a high-end shellfish. In Iwate Prefecture, which boasts the largest catch of abalone in Japan, Gensho Ei Kitanihon Suisan has been engaged in land-based aquaculture for more than 40 years. The abalone, which is cultivated by devising unique water and feed, is named “Sanriku Jade Abalone” and branded as such. The abalone is characterized as “thick, tender, and tasty right down to the liver,” and has been well received by chefs and consumers.

Both natural and dried abalone are available. Iwate is famous for abalone

Abalone is a type of mollusk, of which there are about 70 species in the world. They are characterized by their crispy texture and are especially suitable for eating raw.

Iwate Prefecture, where Ezo abalone are caught, boasts the largest catch of wild abalone in Japan. The abalone grows slowly when the sea water temperature is low, but in the Sanriku region of Iwate Prefecture, the warm Oyashio Current flows in and stimulates the growth of the abalone, there is an abundance of seaweed such as kelp and wakame (seaweed is the food for abalone), and the fishing season is limited to two months from November to December to protect resources. Incidentally, since the Edo period, abalone caught in Yoshihama, Sanriku-cho, Ofunato City, in the prefecture had been dried and exported to China as “kippin-kampo” (dried abalone). In the Meiji period (1868-1912), the production method was improved, and the abalone was regarded as the world’s best quality in China.

Land-based aquaculture cultivates abalone with quality that rivals that of natural abalone.

Founded in 1982, Motoshoei Kitanihon Suisan is engaged in land-based cultivation of abalone in Ofunato City, which has long been famous for its abalone production. Katsuhiro Furukawa, a local fisherman, originally took up the challenge of land-based abalone aquaculture because he was concerned that the catch of natural abalone was declining year by year. The cultivation method was a matter of trial and error, and even if he tried the same method as the previous year, the abalone did not grow in the same way. Furthermore, even after finally establishing the aquaculture method, it was difficult to brand the product and differentiate it from natural products, and the product did not sell as well as expected. The turning point came when he received support from a private organization that assists companies in the six Tohoku prefectures and Niigata Prefecture. After the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, the business has been taken over by his son, President Toshihiro, and grandson, Sales Manager Shota, who produce 1.2 to 1.3 million pieces per year. They produce 1.2 to 1.3 million pieces per year. The company produces 1.2 to 1.3 million pieces per year, which is said to be one of the highest production volumes for land-based aquaculture in Japan.

Why are abalone soft and tasty right down to the liver?

There are two ways of cultivating abalone: “sea cultivation,” in which abalone are raised in fishponds at sea, and “land cultivation,” in which abalone are raised in facilities on land. The former is the most common method in Japan because it is less expensive in terms of equipment and technology, but there is a risk of natural disasters such as typhoons and theft. The latter, on the other hand, is more costly in terms of equipment, etc., but the growing environment, including water quality and feed, can be controlled, and stable production is possible throughout the year. Shota explains the advantages of land-based aquaculture, “In particular, the fact that we know the history of the feed should give consumers peace of mind.

One of the key points of the company’s land-based aquaculture is that the fish are raised in “seawater that percolates underground. This is seawater that passes through the sandy layer of the seafloor, which acts as a “filtration system” to purify the water. The company pumps this water up, filters it further, and then spills it into aquaculture tanks 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so the tanks are always filled with fresh water and are clean. When abalone eat food, they take in sand and dirt, which accumulate in their livers, but the water in the company’s tanks is clean and free of sand, which is why Sanriku Jade Abalone is “delicious right down to the liver.

Also, when abalone grow up in the ocean with currents, they are more active, their muscles develop, and their meat becomes tough. This is the reason why Sanriku jade abalone are described as “softer than natural ones.

Seaweed pigments give the shells a beautiful jade color.

The second key point is the bait. In addition to seaweed, mainly kelp, the company also feeds the fish artificial feed in the form of pellets made from Japanese kelp powder, white fish powder, and other ingredients. Because most of the abalone currently available in Japan is produced in South Korea, Motomasauei Kitanihon Fisheries believes that, as long as it claims to be domestically produced, it should focus on high quality rather than production volume first. Believing that the quality of the abalone is directly related to the quality of the feed, the company uses completely additive-free feed to which no antibiotics or other substances are added. This resulted in abalone that are thick, tasty, and free of any unpleasant taste. Incidentally, the beautiful jade green color of the abalone’s shell, which is the origin of its name, is due to the coloring of the abundant kelp that is fed to the abalone. It is clearly different from natural abalone, which eat a variety of seaweed and have difficulty producing a green color in their shells. “Individual customers are pleased with the beauty and appearance of this product,” Shota proudly states.

Integrated production with in-house breeding and hatching

While many abalone farmers raise abalone from young, the company is unique in its integrated production process, in which it breeds and hatches abalone in-house. After hatching, the abalone are raised in a container with a “corrugated plate” with seaweed on it until they reach 7mm in length, after which they are kept in an aquarium and fed the aforementioned artificial feed. Although there are individual differences, abalone grow to 3 to 4 cm in one year, 5 to 6 cm in two years, 7 to 8 cm in three years, and 9 cm in four years. Incidentally, it takes five years for a natural abalone to grow to 7 cm, the size of an adult edible abalone, while the company’s abalone grows at a faster rate of three years. The main reason for this is that the company selects fast-growing abalone for breeding. Abalone that resemble their parents also grow fast, so even though they are not given growth hormones, they grow quickly. Furthermore, the company sells half of the 2 million larvae it hatches to local fishermen. The fishermen release them into the ocean and harvest the mature ones, thus helping to conserve resources.

The company’s main product is a three-year old abalone that measures 7 to 8 centimeters, but some customers want a different size, so the company sells the desired size in the desired quantity. Shota says that 90% of the abalone is shipped fresh to restaurants and hotels, and the rest is processed into “steam-frozen products” and shipped mainly to private customers.

Undeterred by forest fires, the company is working to revive the industry.

The rise in seawater temperature due to global warming over the past few years has made it easier for bacteria to proliferate in seawater, and the company is considering installing sterilization equipment and switching to “closed-circulation land aquaculture” to prevent abalone diseases caused by bacteria. The “closed-circulation land-based aquaculture” is a method of raising abalone by circulating artificial seawater in a tank, and has been under research and development for the past five years in cooperation with a major general contractor. This method eliminates the use of seawater containing bacteria and is also environmentally friendly since the water in the tank is no longer discharged into the sea by “pouring” it over the tank.

Just as such a new experiment was being planned, a forest fire in Ofunato City destroyed part of the company’s facilities in March of this year, wiping out the approximately 2.5 million abalone in the tank. The damage amounted to approximately 500 million yen. Even if the company resumes aquaculture with new equipment, it will take three years to grow the few remaining juvenile clams to a size where they can be shipped, and there will be no income during that time. Nevertheless, both Suehiro and Shota have not given up for the sake of their employees, customers, and the local community, and have even taken on the challenge of crowdfunding to rebuild their business. We will continue to wait and believe that the day will come when Sanriku jade abalone will once again be available on the market.

The post Sanriku Jade Abalone” is thick, tender, and tasty right down to the liver, produced by land-based aquaculture. Motoshoei Kitanihon Sanriku Fisheries / Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Iwate Prefecture boasts Japan’s largest charcoal production. In Iwate Prefecture, about a quarter of the charcoal produced is from the town of Hirono in the northern part of the prefecture. One of the charcoal makers in Hoku Sangyo, a longtime charcoal producer in the town of Hirono, is Sachiko Ichijo, a charcoal maker who has won awards at the Iwate Prefecture Charcoal Fair.

Charcoal Production in Hirono Town Developed in Connection with Steel Manufacturing

One of the reasons why charcoal production is thriving in Hirono Town is the abundance of native hardwood trees, the material used to make charcoal. Moreover, the mountains where the hardwood trees grow are gentle, making it easy to cut and transport the charcoal.

Another reason is the connection with iron manufacturing. The Ono area of Hirono Town prospered during the feudal era because of its iron manufacturing industry, known as “tatara-zeki” (tatara iron manufacturing). Tatara-tekketsu is a traditional Japanese iron manufacturing method in which iron sand and charcoal are placed in a clay furnace and burned while air is blown through the furnace to produce iron. Charcoal was indispensable to iron manufacturing because iron sand was transformed into iron oxide by combustion, which was then reduced to iron by combining with carbon, a component of charcoal.

In the Meiji period (1868-1912), Western-style blast furnaces began to be used to make iron, and tatara iron manufacturing declined, but charcoal production continued in the Ono area as the demand for charcoal as a household fuel increased. In addition, many farmers in other areas of Iwate Prefecture also made charcoal during the off-season, and the opening of the Tohoku Line made it easier to ship charcoal to the Tokyo market, and the prefecture encouraged charcoal production. In 1912, the prefecture became Japan’s largest charcoal producer.

The raw material is oak trees 20 to 30 years old.

Charcoal is carbonized by heating wood in the absence of oxygen to remove oxygen, hydrogen, and impurities, leaving only carbon. White charcoal is represented by binchotan, which is made mainly from ubame oak trees. On the other hand, black charcoal is made in Iwate, and the wood used to make it is oak, which grows abundantly in the prefecture. The trees are 20 to 30 years old, and one of the reasons for this is that “when calculating backwards from the thickness of the finished charcoal, a tree with a diameter of 20 cm is suitable,” he says.

Since many of our customers are restaurants, such as Robata-yaki restaurants and Yakitori restaurants, they require charcoal to have a long-lasting flame. Hard and dense oak holds fire well when made into charcoal, which is another reason why we use oak as a raw material,” explains Akira Sasaki, president of Hoku Sangyo, located in Yono-cho. The company was formerly known as “Sasaki Lumber Store” founded in 1952, and started its charcoal-making business a few years later. Currently, the company has 16 kilns producing “Iwate Charcoal,” which is a registered product under the Geographical Indication (GI) protection system, as well as charcoal, powdered charcoal, wood vinegar solution, and other products.

Good Charcoal” Means “Good Fire Life

Sachiko Ichijo began making charcoal three years ago. Until then, she had been in charge of cutting and packing finished charcoal into bags and boxes, but she became interested in the charcoal-making process and decided that she wanted to try it herself, rather than just watching and listening to the process.

He learned charcoal making from a senior craftsman. First, he cut the oak logs to the standard length and thickness, stood them inside the kiln, lit the fire at the entrance, and let them dry for four days. The entrance to the kiln is then closed, and the amount of oxygen in the kiln is adjusted by moving the ventilation openings and smoke openings to carbonize the wood. Once completely carbonized, the kiln is closed at all entrances to shut off the oxygen and allowed to cool for about a week before the kiln is complete. The time from ignition to digestion varies depending on the dryness of the logs and the climate, but it takes about two to three weeks. In other words, it takes three to four weeks to complete the process.

Aiming for “hard,” “heavy,” and “low-pasteurization” charcoal

The most difficult part is to line up the logs in a straight line with no gaps between them in order to keep the inside of the kiln in an acidic state,” says Mr. Kikuchi. But the most important part is to block the entrance to the kiln and move the ventilation openings and smoke openings while carbonizing the charcoal,” says Ichijo. This is where the quality of the charcoal is determined. For Ichijo, good charcoal is “hard and heavy,” or “dense,” which is also a requirement for “charcoal that burns well. If the burning (carbonization) speed is too fast, it will result in low-density, scraggly charcoal, so he adjusts the carbonization speed by measuring the temperature at the smoke opening.

He says, “Before the charcoal is digested, the smoke outlet is opened wide to raise the temperature inside the kiln and increase the carbonization rate. The lower the value, the lower the impurities and the higher the carbon purity (carbonization), in other words, the higher the quality of charcoal. Iwate Charcoal, which has been approved for registration under the Geographical Indication (GI) protection system, is defined as having a purity of 8% or less, and this value is used as the standard for the fair. The bottom part of the finished charcoal is highly refined, so in the case of “Iwate Charcoal” it is cut off before shipping, but Hokubu Sangyo does not cut off the bottom part but inspects it according to its own standards and ships it as “Nara Charcoal.

Senior charcoal makers say that you can tell the state of carbonization and the timing of refining by the smoke and smell, but I have not reached that level yet, so I don’t know. So now I start refining when the temperature at the smoke outlet reaches 320°C. But I hope to be able to tell someday. But someday I would like to be able to understand it. That’s why every day is a learning experience, and that’s why every day is interesting,” Ichijo says with a smile.

Appearance is also an object of evaluation at the fair.

In the course of repeated charcoal making, Ichijo finds charcoal that he thinks is “well done,” and saves it to exhibit at a charcoal show. In addition to the aforementioned “hardness, heaviness,” and “degree of refinement,” Ichijo also considers “appearance” to be a requirement for “good charcoal,” so he selects charcoal with clean bark. As a result, at the 2022 Iwate Charcoal Fair, the company received the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award in the black charcoal cut charcoal category and the Director-General of the Forestry Agency Award in the black charcoal long charcoal category. The cut charcoal was approximately 6.5 cm long and the long charcoal was approximately 30 cm long.

I don’t want to end the charcoal-making technique and culture.

According to Mr. Sasaki, there is so much demand for charcoal in Japan right now that the company’s production cannot keep up. The company has been receiving an increasing number of orders for charcoal for use in camping at Corona Disaster and later for use in restaurants such as yakitori (grilled chicken) restaurants.

Even under such circumstances, we always try to produce charcoal of consistent quality. Also, we want to respond to any order. For example, some customers want charcoal that is softer and easier to crush than our Iwate Charcoal or Nara Charcoal, so we sometimes have to search inside the kiln to deliver it to them,” Sasaki says proudly.
Mr. Ichijo, on the other hand, says, “When you make charcoal, you also get ash for incense burners and braziers, and ‘wood vinegar,’ which is made by cooling the smoke, so there is no waste. I don’t want to let this charcoal-making technique and culture die out, so I want to continue making charcoal for 10 years, or even 20 years,” he says. Mr. Ichijo concentrates on each and every task, day in and day out, with only one thing in mind: making “good charcoal. Ichijo’s attitude will surely lead to the emergence of the next generation of young people who aspire to become charcoal makers.

The post Aiming for charcoal with “good fire retention,” which has three key qualities: hardness, fineness, and appearance. Sachiko Ichijo, Hokubu Sangyo / Yono-cho, Iwate Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Nakahora Farm is a pasture-farming dairy farm of mainly Jersey cows in the vast mountainous area of the Kitakami Mountains. The milk is pasteurized and non-homogenized at the company’s own milk plant, and is highly praised both inside and outside of the prefecture for its “rich flavor with a clean aftertaste.

Aiming for mountain dairy farming in his hometown

The Kitakami mountain range covers approximately 60% of Iwate Prefecture, with gently sloping mountains stretching from the center to the periphery. Nakahora Farm is located in a hollow 700 to 850 meters above sea level. It covers an area of 120 hectares, about 25 times the size of the Tokyo Dome. Here, 110 dairy cows, including calves, graze.

Nakahora Farm was established in 1984 by Tadashi Nakahora, a native of Iwate Prefecture, who settled in the Arigei district of Iwaizumi Town. While a student at Tokyo University of Agriculture, Mr. Nakahora learned about “Yamachi Dairy Farming,” a style of dairy farming advocated by Dr. Kyoji Naobara, a plant ecologist, and was shocked by it. In order to provide large amounts of milk at low prices, many dairy farmers in Japan today do not pasture their cows, but keep them in barns and feed them nutritious foreign grain feed. In contrast, “mountain dairy farming” is to plant wild buckwheat on mountains and let cows, which are herbivores, graze on the grass, thereby effectively utilizing the mountains, which cover about 70% of Japan’s land, for dairy farming and turning them into green grasslands. Furthermore, when one hears the word “grazing,” one tends to think that flat, wide grasslands are necessary, but cows can easily walk on slopes as long as they have grass, their favorite food. Thinking that this would make dairy farming possible even in the mountain forests of Iwate, where there are many steep slopes, Mr. Nakadora returned home after graduation and purchased his current farm, which had been put on the market by the “Kitakami Mountain Range Comprehensive Development Project. The project was to attract dairy farms to 17 cities, towns, and villages in eight regions of the prefecture, and the farm was a “build-to-order farm” that included a 50-hectare plot of land, various facilities, barns, and housing. Some of the equipment, such as a manure disposal machine, was unnecessary for mountain dairy farming, where cow manure is used to fertilize pastureland, and the farm was heavily in debt, but he made the decision to pursue his dream of “practicing pasture-based dairy farming in my hometown.

Why he chose Jersey cows

After settling in the area, Mr. Nakadora first cut down trees, put up fences around the farm to prevent the cows from escaping, and put 11 dairy cows out to pasture. The cows roam around and eat underbrush and leaves, which they eat up, leaving the soil bare. The cows’ manure and manure then became fertilizer, and eventually native wild grasses, such as wild buckwheat, began to grow. By repeating this process little by little, the pastureland with wild grass grew and the number of dairy cows increased. Dr. Naohara’s idea of the right balance between enough food for the cows and enough wild grass not to disappear due to overfeeding is “1.5 adult cows per hectare of pastureland,” and Nakahora Pasture follows this scale.

Making the Most of the Original Flavor of Raw Milk

Cows at Nakahora Farm are pastured day and night throughout the year. They enter the barn only twice a day for milking. The rest of the time, from spring to fall, the cows are fed on wild grasses and wild oats in the pastureland, and in winter, when the pastureland is covered with snow, they eat silage made from fermented pesticide-free grass from their own pastureland and Japanese hay. Mating and birthing are done in a natural way. Breeding and births are done in a natural way. Even after giving birth, cows are breast-fed for up to two months, so both mothers and calves are stress-free. They are healthy both mentally and physically.

Pasteurization at 63°C for 30 minutes

Nakahora Farm processes raw milk from such healthy cows into milk at its own milk plant and sells it. Mr. Nakahora shipped raw milk to an agricultural cooperative for seven years after settling in the area, but in 1987, the raw milk trading standard was changed to “fat content (percentage of fat in raw milk) of 3.5% or more,” and the purchase price of raw milk that did not meet the standard was reduced by about half. Nakahora Farm’s raw milk was not high in milk fat content due to the high amount of pastoral exercise, but from spring to fall, when the milk is fed on green grass with high water content, the milk fat content is even lower. Mr. Nakahora therefore felt a sense of crisis, saying, “I can’t run a business under this standard,” and decided to launch his own brand. With a loan from a bank, he built a milk plant and began producing milk. Incidentally, the dairy has since increased the ratio of Jersey cows to increase the fat content of its raw milk, which now ranges from 3.6 to 3.8% in summer and 4.3 to 4.5% in winter.

The ranch’s milk is characterized by its full-bodied flavor with a clean aftertaste. This is due to the fact that the milk is pasteurized at 63°C for 30 minutes. The pasteurization temperature and time change the proteins in the milk, causing it to lose its original taste. After much trial and error, we arrived at the legal limit of ’63°C for 30 minutes,'” explains Toru Makihara, who will replace Mr. Nakahora as head of the dairy farm in 2021. According to Makihara, the milk takes on a “matured flavor” as the days go by, and some customers enjoy the change in taste from the day of purchase to one week later.

Enjoy the “fresh cream” on the top of the bottle!

Another feature of Nakahora Farm’s milk is that it is non-homogenized milk. Homogenization” refers to the process of crushing the fat globules contained in milk into small pieces. The fat globules must be crushed before pasteurization in order to avoid scorching during the high-temperature pasteurization process (120°C for 2 seconds, etc.) for mass-distributed products from major dairy companies. On the other hand, the crushing of fat globules has the disadvantage of losing the original flavor of raw milk, so Nakahora Ranch chooses to use “non-homo” milk, saying, “We want our milk to taste close to raw milk. That is one of the reasons why our milk is said to have a rich taste. Also, as the days go by, the fat content floats to the top of the bottle, but this is fresh cream, so it is delicious eaten as is, and some customers even put it on bread,” says Makihara, proudly.

Aiming for “stable management” that can be passed on to the next generation

In addition to milk, Nakahora Farm’s milk plant also produces processed products such as ice cream, yogurt, butter, and pudding. Sales have expanded beyond Iwate Prefecture to Kanto, Kansai, Shikoku, and Kyushu, but business is still tight.

It is important for people to understand the value of our products.

Mr. Makihara’s family used to be a dairy farmer raising 600 cows in a barn in the neighboring village of Tanohata, but the family later went out of business. He came to Nakahora Farm 13 years ago, and felt that he wanted to raise cows in this way. However, it is not possible to run the farm at a loss of more than 100 million yen a year, as is the case now. We need a management structure that can feed the family and be passed on to the next generation of young people,” he stated clearly.

To stabilize the business, Makihara believes it is necessary to increase sales by having consumers understand the value of the products. For example, some customers do not know that the fat content is what floats to the top of our milk bottles. The price of our milk is more than five times the price of regular milk, so unless they understand why, that is, that we are a pasture-based dairy farm that feeds mainly grass, pasteurized, and non-homo, they will not buy our milk. On the other hand, if they understand, they will buy it,” says Makihara. Together with his young staff and trainees, he shares his wisdom and aims to develop the dairy farm under the motto, “For the cows, for the mountains, and for the health of the consumers who keep our dairy products.

The post Pasturing Jersey cows and delivering “pasteurized, non-homo” milk throughout Japan. Nakahora Farm / Iwaizumi Town, Iwate Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Iwate Prefecture ranks second in Japan in terms of sea urchin landings. Among these, Taneichi in Hirono Town is the largest sea urchin catch area in Japan. Kitasanriku Factory, a company that processes and sells sea urchins in Taneichi, is promoting the branding of the town’s wild sea urchins, and is also engaged in “regenerative aquaculture” of sea urchins that have been affected by “iso-yaki,” or rocky seas and are therefore not filling up properly.

Facing the open sea, natural seafood is abundant.

Located at the northernmost tip of the coast of Iwate Prefecture, the town of Yono faces the open sea without a bay, which is unusual for a town on the Sanriku coast. While exposure to rough seas makes it unsuitable for aquaculture, the direct influence of the Oyashio and Kuroshio Currents means that natural ascidians, abalone, sea urchins, etc. can be caught in abundance.

Once again, the fishing industry is making the town vibrant.

Yukinori Shimojotsubo, CEO of Kita Sanriku Factory, was born and raised in Taneichi, Hirono Town, in a family that has been in the fishing industry for generations. When he was in elementary school, he remembers diving into the sea and seeing a forest of kelp and sea urchins feeding on the kelp. Fisheries resources were so abundant that the town was vibrant. However, in the 1990s, the local fishing industry declined due to the unstable supply of raw materials for marine products and the sluggish consumption of marine products in Japan, and his father’s company began to fall into decline. He was a junior high school student at the time, but felt that he could no longer make a living in the fishing industry, so he graduated from college and became a salesman for a car sales company.

He worked in Tokyo, Sendai, Morioka, and other locations while changing jobs, but his father’s illness brought him back to his hometown in 2009. He remembered the days when the sea was abundant and the town was bustling with activity, and in 2010 he founded Hironoya, a seafood processing and sales company, with the hope of “making the town vibrant again with my own hands, just as it was back then. He then launched the brand “Kita Sanriku Factory” and incorporated it in 2018.

Aiming to increase the value of sea urchin produced in Hirono Town

Mr. Shimojitsubo focused on sea urchin as the core of his business. The type of sea urchin produced in Hirono Town is the Kitamura-Saki sea urchin. Harvested from spring to summer, it not only has a large catch, but also has a good taste. However, since they are distributed in the market as “Sanriku-grown” along with sea urchins from other regions, they wanted to somehow establish the “Hirono-cho” brand and increase the value of the sea urchins.

Uni Farm” lands natural sea urchins for the fourth year

There is a unique reason for the deliciousness of sea urchins in Hirono Town. The town’s 178 “propagation trenches,” which were artificially created on the coast about 60 years ago, are the reason why sea urchins are so tasty. The sea in Hirono is shallow, and at low tide, the seawater dries up and the seaweed dies, so the local fishermen’s cooperative built these grooves as a “seaweed bed” where the seaweed can grow. Thanks to this, even at low tide, sea urchins are able to feed on natural seaweed in the propagation trenches. According to Mr. Shimojitsubo, “The taste of sea urchins is determined by their food, and natural kelp is the best,” which is why the sea urchins in Hirono Town have such a rich flavor.

However, not all sea urchins living in the sea in Hirono Town are able to enter the propagation trench, and if too many sea urchins enter the trench at one time, they will compete with each other for seaweed. Therefore, the fishermen of Yono-cho have used their experience and wisdom accumulated over many years to manage the growth of sea urchins and create a system that allows them to be shipped in the “four-year” period when they are most delicious.

Specifically, after the young sea urchins are hatched and raised for one year at the prefectural “Sea Urchin Cultivation and Fishery Center” located near the Taneichi fishing port, they are released into the open sea for two years, and then transferred to a propagation trench where they are raised for one year before shipment. The sea urchins are fed a steady diet of natural kelp that thrives in the propagation trench for a year before shipping, resulting in a sea urchin with a strong flavor and good filling. Mr. Shimojitsubo has further branded the propagation channels as “Sea Urchin Farm®” and the peeled raw sea urchins as “Four-Year Sea Urchin from the Yono Sea Urchin Farm®”. The brand is sold from the end of April to mid-August, along with raw sea urchins in the shell, and has been highly acclaimed, especially by restaurants. The general method of sea urchin cultivation is to grow sea urchins on land or in a facility on the sea by feeding them special food.

Regenerative cultivation” of emaciated sea urchins by feeding them a unique bait

Along with the branding of natural sea urchins from Hirono Town, Mr. Shimojotsubo has also been involved in the “regenerative aquaculture” of sea urchins that are almost completely devoid of meat due to the effects of rocky seabed burns.

Isoyake,” a desert-like condition where seaweed does not grow on the seafloor, and the resulting decrease in landings of marine products, have become a problem in many parts of Japan, including Hirono Town, and one of the major causes is said to be the overgrowth of seaweed-eating sea urchins. One of the main reasons for this is said to be the overpopulation of seaweed-eating sea urchins, which have a strong reproductive capacity and are omnivorous, so they continue to live even when there is no more seaweed. Moreover, they become more active when the sea water temperature rises, so they are proliferating rapidly due to the recent rise in sea water temperature caused by global warming. However, sea urchins that continue to live in the seawater are of no commercial value because they contain almost no flesh, so they must be discarded at a disposal fee, and the amount of sea urchins that can be shipped as products will only decrease. When consulted by fishermen at ……, Mr. Shimojitsubo decided to feed the emaciated sea urchins with artificial bait to “regenerate” them into sea urchins filled with delicious flesh. He asked Associate Professor Hiroshi Urawa of Hokkaido University’s Faculty of Fisheries, who had been researching sea urchin aquaculture technology, to teach him how to do it, and he set about researching and developing bait and sea surface cultivation methods.

The development was more difficult than I had imagined,” he said. The sea urchin meat was packed tightly and had a beautiful color, but the key was that it did not taste good,” said Mr. Shimojitsubo. Nevertheless, after eight years of trial and error, they finally succeeded in “regenerative aquaculture” of sea urchins with a taste similar to that of natural sea urchins. Specifically, he developed a special cage in which to keep the sea urchins and a bait mixed with natural seaweed pomace. This sea urchin, named “Hagukumu Uni,” has attracted attention not only for its taste and filling, but also for the fact that it can be shipped year-round.

Mr. Shimojitsubo then established a local subsidiary in Australia in 2023, hoping to use the sea urchin’s regenerative aquaculture system to improve the world’s seashores and achieve the company’s mission “from Kita Sanriku, to enrich the world’s oceans. The company is now engaged in aquaculture from two bases in Australia and Japan.

Aiming to export to Europe after receiving EU HACCP certification

Unfortunately, it will take time to completely exterminate the overgrowth of sea urchins and return the sea to a state where seaweed can thrive. In fact, as mentioned above, the amount of sea urchin landings has been decreasing year by year due to rocky shore scorching, and in 2024 it was down 60%. In addition, the amount of sea urchins for sea farming is also becoming unstable due to the continuing rise in sea water temperature.

Therefore, Mr. Shimojitsubo is promoting the development of land-based aquaculture facilities in the town. Fresh seawater drawn from offshore Maehama is drawn into a fishpond on land, and the temperature is controlled while the water is poured over the fishpond, where poor-fleshed sea urchins are re-cultured. The majority of the sea urchins handled by the company are currently natural, but the company expects that more sea urchins will be cultured once the facility is operational.

The company is also eyeing overseas markets. In December 2024, the company’s main factory became the first sea urchin factory in Japan to receive EU HACCP certification. Taking this opportunity, the company is looking to export processed products and frozen cultured sea urchins to Europe. According to Mr. Shimojitsubo, price competition in the domestic market for sea urchin is becoming tougher every year due to the entry of foreign products into the Japanese market, and it is essential for the survival of the business to have its products highly evaluated on a global level. Fortunately, the popularity of sea urchins is increasing overseas, and he hopes to establish the Yono’s sea urchin brand in Europe first. Believing that this will one day lead to the revival of the town of Hirono, Mr. Shimojitsubo continues to travel around the world today.

The post Delicious natural sea urchins and “regenerated cultured sea urchins” from Kita Sanriku to the world. Kita Sanriku Factory / Yono Town, Iwate Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

北上山系の広大な山地で、ジャージー牛主体の放牧酪農をしている「なかほら牧場」。野草を食べながらのびのびと過ごす健康な牛の生乳を、自社のミルクプラントで「低温殺菌･ノンホモ」に仕上げた牛乳は、「コクはあるのに後味がすっきりしている」と県内外で評価されている。

故郷で山地酪農を目指す

岩手県の県土の約6割を占め、中央部から周辺部に向けてなだらかな勾配の山地が広がる北上山系。その標高700〜850メートルの窪地に、なかほら牧場はある。面積は、東京ドーム約25個分の、およそ120ヘクタール。ここで子牛も含め110頭の乳牛を放牧している。

なかほら牧場は、1984年に岩手県出身の中洞正（なかほらただし）さんが岩泉町有芸地区に入植して始めた牧場だ。中洞さんは東京農業大学在学中に、植物生態学者の猶原恭爾（なおばらきょうじ）博士が提唱した酪農スタイル「山地（やまち）酪農」を知り、衝撃を受ける。現在日本の多くの酪農家は、牛乳を大量に安価に提供するために、牛を放牧せず、牛舎につないで栄養価の高い外国産穀物飼料を食べさせている。それに対して「山地酪農」は、山に野シバを植え、草食動物である牛を放牧して草を食べさせることで、日本の国土の約7割を占める山を酪農に有効利用し緑の草地に変える、というものだった。しかも、「放牧」と聞くと平らで広い草地が必要と思いがちだが、牛は好物の草さえあれば傾斜地でも難なく歩くという。「これなら急傾斜地が多い岩手の山林でも酪農ができる」と考えた中洞さんは、卒業後に帰郷し、「北上山系総合開発事業」により売り出されていた現在の牧場を購入。この事業は県内8地区17市町村に酪農を誘致する事業で、牧場は、50ヘクタールの土地のほかにさまざまな設備や牛舎、住居なども付いた「建て売り牧場」だった。設備のなかには糞尿処理機など、牛の糞尿が放牧地の肥やしとなる山地酪農では不要なものも含まれており、多額の借金を抱えるものだったが、「故郷で放牧酪農を実践する」という夢のために決断したという。

ジャージー牛を選んだ理由

入植した中洞さんは、まず木を伐採して、牛たちが逃げないように牧場の周囲に柵を打ち、11頭の乳牛を放牧した。牛たちは歩き回って下草や木の葉などを食べるので、食べ尽くされて土壌がむき出しになる。そこに日が当たり牛たちの糞尿が肥料となって、やがて野シバなど在来の野草が生えるように。この作業を少しずつ繰り返すことで野草が生えた放牧地を拡大し、乳牛の頭数を増やしていった。ちなみに猶原博士は、牛が十分に食べられる量且つ、過食により野草が消滅しないちょうどいいバランスとして、「放牧地1ヘクタールあたりの牛の頭数を成牛に換算して1.5頭まで」としており、なかほら牧場でも、それに準じた規模で放牧を行っている。

生乳本来の風味を生かしたい

なかほら牧場の牛たちは、通年昼夜問わず放牧されている。牛舎に入るのは、一日2回の搾乳時のみ。搾乳時には、国産のビートかすと大豆かす、小麦を混ぜた「おやつ」が与えられるが、それ以外は、春から秋までは放牧地内のノシバや野草を、放牧地が雪で覆われる冬は、自社採草地の無農薬牧草を発酵させた「サイレージ」や国産の干し草を食べながら、広大な放牧地でのびのびと過ごす。交配も出産も自然のまま。出産後も2か月までは母乳哺育なので、母牛･子牛ともにストレスがかからない。心身ともに健康そのものだ。

「63℃で30分間」の低温殺菌

なかほら牧場ではそんな健康な牛たちの生乳を、自社のミルクプラントで牛乳に加工し、販売している。中洞さんは入植してから7年間は生乳を農協に出荷していたのだが、1987年に生乳の取引基準が「脂肪分（生乳に含まれる脂肪分の割合）3.5％以上」に変更になり、基準に満たない生乳の買取価格が半額程度となった。なかほら牧場の生乳は放牧で運動量が多いため、乳脂肪分が高くなかったが、水分量の多い青草を食べる春から秋にかけては乳脂肪分がさらに低くなる。そのため中洞さんは「この基準では経営が成り立たない」と危機感を感じ、自分のブランドを立ち上げることを決意。銀行から融資を受けてミルクプラントを建設し、牛乳の製造を始めた。ちなみに同牧場ではその後、ジャージー牛の比率を増やして生乳の脂肪分を高め、現在は夏が3.6〜3.8％、冬は4.3〜4.5％である。

同牧場の牛乳は、コクがあるのに後味がすっきりしている点が特徴だ。それをつくりだしているのが、「63度Cで30分間」の低温殺菌をしていること。「殺菌温度や時間によって、タンパク質が変化して生乳本来の味ではなくなる。そこで試行錯誤してたどり着いたのが、法律上ギリギリの『63度Cで30分間』だったんです」と説明するのは、中洞さんに代わり2021年から牧場長を務める牧原亨さんだ。牧原さんによると、日にちが経つと牛乳に「熟成した風味」が加わるそうで、顧客の中には購入した当日と1週間後の味の変化を楽しむ人もいるという。

瓶の上部の「生クリーム」も楽しんで

もうひとつ、なかほら牧場の牛乳の特徴が、ノンホモジナイズ牛乳（ノンホモ牛乳）であることだ。「ホモジナイズ」とは牛乳に含まれている脂肪球を小さくつぶす工程のこと。大手乳業の大量流通品は120℃2秒などの高温殺菌工程における焦げつきを避けるため、殺菌の前にその脂肪球をつぶしておく必要があるのだ。しかし一方で、脂肪球を砕くため生乳本来の風味が失われるというデメリットがあることから、なかほら牧場では「生乳に近い味を楽しんでもらいたい」と「ノンホモ」を選択しているという。「うちの牛乳の味が濃厚といわれるのはそれもあるのです。また、日にちが経つと脂肪分が瓶の上部に浮いてきますが、これは生クリームですのでそのまま食べてもおいしいですし、パンにのせて食べるというお客様もいらっしゃいます」と牧原さんは胸を張る。

次世代に引き継げる「安定経営」を目標に

現在なかほら牧場のミルクプラントでは、牛乳のほかにアイスクリームやヨーグルト、バター、プリンなどの加工品も製造している。販売先は岩手県を越え、関東や関西、四国、九州まで拡大してきたが、それでも経営は厳しい。

商品の価値を理解してもらうことが重要

牧原さんの実家は、隣りの田野畑村で600頭の牛を牛舎で飼育する酪農家だったが、その後廃業となり、牧原さんは13年前になかほら牧場にやってきた。そして「こういうやり方で牛を飼いたい」と感じるようになったという。「でも、現在のように年一億円以上の赤字経営ではダメ。家族で食べていくことができて、次世代の若者に引き継げるような経営体にしないと」と明言する。

経営を安定させるために牧原さんは、消費者に商品の価値を理解してもらい売り上げを増やすことが必要だと考えている。「例えば、うちの牛乳の瓶の上部に浮いてくるのが脂肪分だと知らないお客様もいます。うちの牛乳の値段は一般的なものの5倍以上ですから、その理由、つまり放牧酪農でエサは草主体で、低温殺菌でノンホモである、ということを理解してもらわないと買ってもらえない。逆に理解してもらえば、購入につながるはずです」と牧原さん。若いスタッフや研修生とともに知恵を出し合い、「牛のため、山のため、乳製品を飼ってくれる生活者の健康のため」をモットーに、牧場の発展を目指す。

The post ジャージー牛を放牧し、「低温殺菌･ノンホモ」の牛乳を全国にお届け。なかほら牧場／岩手県岩泉町 first appeared on NIHONMONO.

In French cuisine, it is called “panda d’or” and is known as the “queen of edible birds” due to its refined and delicate flavor. At Ishiguro Farm in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture, which is also famous for its hot springs, panda d’or have been raised for approximately 50 years, taking advantage of the rich natural environment. Their meat is served at renowned restaurants throughout the country.

The only farm in Japan specializing in Japanese quail, located in a hot spring resort in the mountains.

Approximately 10 km northwest of the center of Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture.Nestled in the mountains beyond the “Hanamaki Onsenkyo” hot spring resort, which stretches along the valley of the Ou Mountains, lies the specialized quail farm “Ishiguro Farm.” The farm was founded by the grandfather of the current representative director, Yukichiro Ishiguro, who settled in this area after the war and began cultivating farmland. Eventually, the farm started raising chickens to supply a restaurant operated by relatives in Tokyo.

The farm began raising pheasants approximately 50 years ago. The impetus came when the family’s restaurant opened a branch in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, and they decided to create a signature dish that embodied the essence of Iwate. The first candidate was a dish featuring the prefectural bird of Iwate, the Japanese quail. However, the second-generation owner, Eijiro Ishiguro’s son, Shinjiro Ishiguro, attempted to raise quails but found it difficult to breed them, and there was also significant opposition to eating the prefectural bird.

At that time, he heard through a connection that “in France, the ‘horohoro bird,’ which belongs to the same family as the pheasant, is eaten as food.” He obtained a male and female from a zoo in Saitama Prefecture and began raising them. This was in 1973.

Raising the African-native horohoro bird in snowy Iwate

The guinea fowl is a bird of the pheasant family native to Africa. It has been little modified and remains close to its original form, but it has no strong flavor or odor, and is characterized by its tender, juicy, and refined taste.In Europe, particularly France, it is widely enjoyed as a premium ingredient, from high-end restaurants to home kitchens, and is often referred to as the “queen of game birds.” In Japan, it was first introduced during the Edo period by Dutch ships, and the name ‘porporato’ from that period is said to be the origin of the Japanese name “horohoro bird.”

When Ishiguro Farm began raising Holo Holo birds, there were no other examples of them being raised for food in Japan, so it was a trial-and-error process from the start. They began by keeping them in the existing chicken coops on the farm, but the nervous Holo Holo birds would panic at the sight of foxes through the wire mesh or even the slightest noise, causing them to gather in one spot and be crushed to death.Additionally, being native to Africa, they were sensitive to cold, and some died from being crushed while huddling together to stay warm. “Can we really raise ho-ho-birds in this snowy mountain area?” Amidst doubts and uncertainties, Shinjiro’s trial and error continued for several years.

A “floor heating chicken coop” utilizing the natural environment of a hot spring area

“How to protect the delicate birds from the cold.” The solution to this difficult problem was closer than he thought. It was the hot spring that was bubbling up on the property.

One day, while soaking in the “natural hot spring bath” he had installed at his home, Jinjiro thought, “What if I use this hot spring water for heating the chicken coop?” After trial and error, he succeeded in creating a “fuel-free floor heating system” by circulating the hot spring water through pipes installed under the chicken coop floor. Additionally, he renovated the chicken coop into a spacious indoor facility and adopted a “free-range” system, allowing the birds to move around freely and live stress-free.

In this way, Shinjiro established a stable production method for raising chickens. The subsequent economic boom further boosted his business, and the chickens became a sought-after luxury ingredient, with orders pouring in from restaurants owned by relatives and hotels in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

“The unique flavor of domestically produced chickens.” The third-generation challenge.

Born and raised as the third generation of the Ishiguro Farm, Koichiro did not immediately take over the family business after graduating from high school but instead became a ski instructor.He later joined the team of world-renowned skier Yuichiro Miura and traveled the globe on ski expeditions. He returned to Iwate and took over the family farm in the mid-1990s, just before turning 30. At that time, Ishiguro Farm was struggling due to the aftermath of the bubble economy collapse, with orders from its main clients—relatives’ stores and hotels—plummeting sharply.

“We needed to find new customers,” Yukichiro thought. He traveled to Tokyo several times a month, carrying a cooler box filled with Holo Holo chicken meat, and visited French and Italian restaurants. He was often turned away at the door, but some restaurants with a focus on authentic cuisine and chefs who had returned from France expressed interest, asking, “Is there domestic Holo Holo chicken?”

“Some chefs told me to come back after closing, and when I returned late at night, they had even gathered their chef colleagues to meet me,” recalls Koichiro with nostalgia. Some of the young chefs who were apprentices at the time are now top-class chefs using the quail meat. “The connections we made back then continue to be a great support for us today,” he smiles.

The livestock industry is seeing a decline in self-sufficiency rates.

The chickens at Ishiguro Farm are raised on a feed mix free of antibiotics and rice. As a result, they have no unpleasant odor or off-flavors, and their fat is light and crisp. “Some people say that when you crisply roast the skin, it smells like senbei (rice crackers),” says Koichiro with a smile.

When they first started raising chickens, they used only standard commercial feed, but switched to the current method around 2003. The catalyst was the statement, “Livestock farming is lowering the country’s food self-sufficiency rate.”

“A professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture told me that the livestock industry relies heavily on imported feed. The more we raise animals, the more the self-sufficiency rate drops. I had always thought that by raising livestock, I was contributing to increasing self-sufficiency, so it was a shock,” he recalls.

At the same time, Iwate Prefecture was implementing a “rice production reduction policy” to limit the production of rice for human consumption. Ishiguro Farm’s rice fields were also targeted, but Koichiro decided to switch to growing feed rice. He not only used the rice as feed but also incorporated rice husks and straw into the manure, beginning efforts toward a circular agricultural system.

The safety and taste unique to domestically produced products.

It has been over half a century since Ishiguro Farm began raising Japanese quail. While other farms have started raising them domestically, Ishiguro Farm is the only one that claims to be a “specialized farm.”

Currently, the farm ships approximately 40,000 birds annually. While thigh meat is the most popular cut for chicken, breast meat is said to have lower demand. However, Ishiguro Farm’s holoholo chickens receive orders for all parts of the bird. In particular, the breast meat is highly praised, with some chefs describing its juicy, tender, and mild flavor as “similar to whitefish.”

“It is truly encouraging as a producer to hear so many professionals say that our chickens are delicious,” says Yukichiro Ishiguro.Especially when French chefs recognized our chickens, it was deeply meaningful.“ As he mentioned, there is significant interest from restaurants in France, the birthplace of the Horo Horo chicken. When the renowned French restaurant ”Trois Glaces,” which has maintained three Michelin stars for over 50 years, decided to close its Japan branch, they requested to use Ishikuro Farm’s Horo Horo chicken for their final dinner menu and even invited the farm to the restaurant.

Furthermore, in 2025, the farm won the “Terroir Award” in the Japanese edition of the world-renowned gourmet guidebook “Gault & Millau,” which honors locally rooted food production. The award recognized the farm’s sustainable agriculture practices, such as using geothermal heat for chicken farming and cultivating feed rice with chicken manure, which contribute to the production of high-quality meat.

Aiming for Sustainable “All-Domestic Feed”

Ishiguro Farm has established Japan’s first-ever “edible quail farming,” gaining the trust of renowned chefs for its rarity and quality. However, the journey has not been smooth sailing. In 2023, an outbreak of avian influenza at the contracted hatchery resulted in the culling of all chicks. It took a year to rebuild production and resume shipments.

However, as if to save the day, the eldest son, Eitaro, graduated from university in Tokyo and returned home to take over the family business. Now, the eldest daughter is also helping out. Yukichiro jokes, “We were all scattered before,” but he can’t help but smile at the sight of his capable children.

Mr. Koichiro has a goal of raising chickens using only domestically produced feed. In other words, he aims to achieve a 100% self-sufficiency rate. According to statistics from the 2023 fiscal year, Japan’s feed self-sufficiency rate stands at approximately 27%. The majority of this is “roughage” such as grass and rice straw consumed by cattle, while “concentrated feed” like grains and corn accounts for just 13%.At Ishiguro Farm, they currently rely heavily on imported feed.

Still, “We have plenty of farmland, and some people in the area have started growing corn for feed. It’s not impossible,” says Yukichiro, looking ahead. Even if it’s difficult to achieve immediately, he plans to take one step at a time through trial and error. The history of Ishiguro Farm has been woven in this way. “There’s still so much we can do to create something better.We’ll do our best, and then leave the rest to our sons,” says the father with a smile. Shigekazu nods in agreement. The story of Ishiguro Farm and the ho-ho-ho birds will continue.

The post The “queen of poultry” raised in a natural environment with hot springs. Ishiguro Farm’s soft-boned chicken / Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.