HOKKAIDO, Oct. 7 — Shipments of pumpkins used for Halloween decorations are in full swing in the town of Chippubetsu, Hokkaido. The Kitasorachi region including the town is Japan’s major producing area of ornamental pumpkins. Some 50 farms in Chippubetsu grow ornamental pumpkins of different shapes and sizes on fields totaling 12 hectares. The pumpkins include Kyoryu no Tamago (dinosaur’s egg), a fist-size variety with distinctive green stripes, and Atlantic Giant, a cultivar that could grow to weigh more than 100 kilograms. Akiko Nakanishi, 50, a pumpkin grower in the town, lines up harvested pumpkins inside a greenhouse to be wind dried. She is busy polishing them by hand and … Continue reading →

IBARAKI, Oct. 3 – Ibaraki Prefecture, the biggest chestnut producer in Japan, began offering a hot new boxed gift product, a homemade Mont Blanc kit. The kit includes chestnut paste, a Mont Blanc squeezer (called Odamaki in Japan), a recipe, and more for everyone to enjoy making the classic dessert at home. The prefecture aims to encourage people to enjoy fresh, homemade Mont Blanc and promote the region, taking advantage of the Japanese chestnut boom. The name of the boxed gift is Kasama-no-Okurimono, a gift from Kasama, a region known for producing high-quality chestnuts. You should also note that they use a Chinese character for chestnuts in writing ’kuri (chestnuts … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sept. 29 — Beniharuka had the largest acreage in Japan among all sweet potato varieties including those for cooking, brewing and producing starch, according to a survey by the agriculture ministry. In the 2022 harvest season, Beniharuka’s cropping acreage was 7,055 hectares, up 5 percent from a year before. It took over the top position long held by Koganesengan, whose total planted area was 6,613 hectares in 2022. Beniharuka occupied the top share of 22 percent in terms of acreage, as it gained support of growers for high-yielding, quality crops, as well as its sticky texture and rich sweetness. While half of the planted areas are located in Ibaraki … Continue reading →

YAMAGATA, Sep. 29 – In Oe City, Yamagata Prefecture, there is an art craft called Momono-mi Kogeihin, made from peach seeds thrown away at local canned fruit plants. It’s one of the town and prefecture’s thank-you gifts for hometown tax programs. The local specialty items are produced at a local studio called Momono-mi Kobo (Peach Seeds Studio). According to Noriyasu Kamoda, the studio’s 70-year-old owner, the craft is one of a kind in Japan. The studio purchases peach seeds from a local canned fruit factory in Sagae City, Yamagata Prefecture, which makes canned peach from the fruits grown in Yamagata. The seeds are washed and dried for about eight years, … Continue reading →

Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to achieve 50 homers and 50 steels in a season on September 19 local time or September 20 in Japan standard time, throwing farmers in his hometowns in Japan, Akita and Iwate Prefectures, into rapture. Naoto Ohtani is one of those celebrating the great accomplishment of the hometown hero. The 52-year-old farmer grows rice in Kuriyama Region, Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture, home of Shohei Ohtani’s great-grandfather. Last year, he began selling his Akita Komachi rice as “Ohtani Rice” at local farmers’ markets and on the online shopping site. Many purchasers are fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar. Iwate Meijo Co., Ltd., … Continue reading →