TOTTORI, Nov. 10 — Reddish purple rakkyo Japanese scallion flowers are in full bloom in the city of Tottori, blooming around two weeks later than usual due to scorching summer heat and little rain.
Tottori Prefecture is Japan’s No. 1 rakkyo producing region and the Fukube district in the city of Tottori near the famous Tottori Sand Dunes is the leading producing area.
Tottori Sakyu Rakkyo and Fukube Sakyu Rakkyo, Japanese scallions grown near the sand dunes, are registered under the Geographical Indication (GI) protection system.
In areas covered by the Fukube branch of JA Tottori Inaba, a local agricultural cooperative, 54 farms grow rakkyo on fields totaling 102 hectares.
In 2024, they shipped 1,190 tons of Japanese scallions. Rakkyo grown on sandy lean soil are known for their firm, white flesh with a nice crispy texture.
Rakkyo growers plant bulbs by hand between July and September.
The bulbs pass the winter in an area where snowfall reaches 20 to 30 centimeters at least once a year and grow bigger underground through spring to become ready for harvesting in May and June.
Roughly 20 flowers bloom from a stem spherically just like green onion heads.
Sometimes flower buds don’t form, ending up with the plants having no flowers, but whether flowers bloom or not does not affect the quality of rakkyo.
Hidekazu Hamamoto, 51, who cultivates rakkyo on a 2-hectare land, said, “The summer was too hot this year and they are not blooming well. The flowers used to be a defining scenic feature of autumn in the past.”
A rakkyo Japanese scallion grower weeds as flowers bloom in November.