Visitors enjoying fun rides offered by a BDF-powered tractor in the yellow flower field with snowy Chokai Mountain in the background (in Yurihonjo-shi, Akita Prefecture)
Visitor experiencing production of rapeseed oil using a compressor. Yellow oil is pressed out when a lever is pushed down.
Seeds harvested last year. Approximately 100 kilograms of seeds per decare are produced.
The 7th Chokai Plateau Rape-blooms Festival was held in Yurihonjo-shi, Akita Prefecture, in May 2016 at an 18-hectare rapeseed field which was once a vacant farm land. Approximately 5 million rapeseed flowers were in full bloom and attracted approximately 10,000 visitors this year. The festival is part of the initiatives to make use of the empty farmland, produce rapeseed oil and vitalize the local economy.
Girl enjoying pony ride.
A non-profit organization (NPO), Akita Nanohana (rapeseed flower) Network, planted a high-yielding rapeseed variety called kizakinonatane here. The festival was held for 11 days starting from May 17 this year and was organized by the committee consisting of the NGO and the Yurihonjo-shi Government.
On Saturdays and Sundays, visitors had fun experiencing rapeseed oil production using a compressor and fun rides through the flower field on the carts pulled by a tractor powered by bio diesel fuel (BDF). Some also enjoyed pony rides and
Visitors planting young corns, which are rotational crops for rapeseeds
shopping at a local specialty market.