Inspired by Circular Organic Farming: Starting a Farm in Ogawa Town
About an hour from central Tokyo, in Hiki District, Saitama Prefecture, lies Ogawa Town, a town rich in nature, surrounded by satoyama hills and flowing clear streams. Known as an organic town thriving with organic agriculture, it declared itself an "Organic Village" in 2023.
One of the pioneers of organic farming there is Mr. Ryuichi Tashimo of "Kaze no Oka Farm."
The ingredients handled by "A RESTAURANT FOODS" are for chefs who truly engage with ingredients and draw inspiration from them. Therefore, this time, we visited "Kaze no Oka Farm" with Chef Yasunori Muto of Restaurant "Eme" and traveling chef Eriko Kishimoto.
Although he was born in Tokyo, he had a desire to "work in a spacious place" from a young age, and for a time he aimed to become a dairy farmer in Hokkaido.
"I was 19 back then, and knew absolutely nothing. I worked for about a year and a half, but realized it was impossible to raise the capital to buy my own cows and cowsheds, so I gave up."
So he returned to Tokyo and worked for a company for a while, but he kept remembering, "The potatoes and tomatoes I grew for my own consumption in my garden in Hokkaido were so fragrant and delicious."
Moreover, through working in logistics, he gained some insight into society and his desire to "create things rather than just move them" grew stronger. It was while thinking, "Farming, where work is life and life can be created from work, sounds good," that he encountered "Shimozato Farm" in Ogawa Town.
"Shimozato Farm" is the farm that laid the foundation for Ogawa Town to be called "Organic Village." Since 1971, when organic farming was not yet widespread, farm owner Yoshinori Kaneko has been engaged in organic farming, cultivating crops without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, utilizing the power of microorganisms to enrich the soil.
It was also a circular agricultural system where livestock ate weeds and pests, and their manure was composted. It can also be said that his achievement was establishing a management foundation for organic farmers by promoting a "partnership" system, which involved delivering produce directly to consumers on a regular basis, without going through the market.
His belief and passion for organic farming resonated with many people, and the number of individuals engaging in training and practicing organic farming in Ogawa Town increased. Even trainees from overseas were inspired by his spirit, with some even naming their children "Kaneko." Eventually, this circle expanded, and as the production volume of organic agricultural products became secure, organic products such as sake made from organic rice, and tofu and soy sauce made from organic soybeans were also developed.
The sale of these specialty products also revitalized the local economy. Today, both "Shimozato Farm" and Ogawa Town are attracting attention from all over the world.
"Shimozato Farm" has also focused on nurturing talent, having accepted a considerable number of trainees from around the world, and Mr. Tashimo was among their second cohort. He still says that the founder, Mr. Yoshinori Kaneko, is his respected mentor.
"I had built up physical strength from my dairy farming work, and I learned most of the process during my one-year training, so I became independent and started farming. That was 42 years ago. At that time, there was almost no support for new farmers, so it was initially very difficult even to rent a field. My mentor called his acquaintances, and I was able to rent one tan of rice paddies and three tan of fields."
He got married simultaneously with his independence and has been operating "Kaze no Oka Farm" with his wife, Saeko. About six years later, they found their current land, moved their base of operations, and have been there ever since.
A peaceful land surrounded by hills. Water. Not much animal damage, only needing measures against crows and other birds. Every time you walk along the ridges of the fields, grasshoppers fly about.
Ogawa Town, with its limited flat land and location in a mountainous intermediate area, is not inherently favorable for cultivation. Many vegetable production areas in Japan that produce small quantities of various items are often located on volcanic ash soil. Soil that has weathered from volcanic ash accumulated by eruptions is also known as "Kuroboku soil," characterized by good drainage and excellent breathability. Its soft texture allows for daikon radishes and turnips to grow with clean skins.
However, Ogawa Town, surrounded by the Hiki hills and plateaus, is made up of "alluvial soil" formed by mountain sediment carried by rivers. Because it drains poorly and is heavy, vegetables tend to be less visually appealing. Yet, conversely, they are rich in minerals and have a deep flavor. Abundant forest resources and blessed water resources are what shape the taste of Ogawa Town's vegetables.
"Next to us is Kumagaya City, said to be the hottest in Japan, and it gets quite hot here during the day too. But at night in winter, temperatures can drop to minus 8°C. In other words, the annual temperature range is large, over 20°C. This stress increases the sweetness of the vegetables."
From Soil Preparation to Living Mulch: Farming Methods in Harmony with Nature
Having farmed this land for 42 years, I've realized the difficulty of farming things I can't control and the importance of building healthy soil.
"It's a weather-dependent business, so sometimes a typhoon blows everything away just before harvest, or even if you're happy about a plentiful harvest, the price drops due to overproduction. Even when you work hard, there are many things you can't control on your own. Especially with the current climate crisis, things are happening that we've never seen before, making it unpredictable."
Due to recent global warming, the harvesting season for vegetables that ripen in early summer has been starting earlier than usual, he says.
"It's the first time the rainy season has been this short, so I'm worried about summer vegetables. During the drought a few years ago, the reservoirs dried up and the rice paddies cracked. It makes me almost wish for a typhoon."
To avoid burdening the environment, he chooses biodegradable materials for mulching and tying tapes. The scissors he always carries are for harvesting and pruning. He sharpens and maintains them himself.
What Mr. Tashimo values most is soil preparation, which forms the foundation of everything.
"Farming is a challenging job where you can't control everything, but it's also a job where diligent effort yields results. Since I don't use insecticides, I remove insects when I find them, and I guide plants so they get enough sunlight. These meticulous tasks are necessary. However, if you build good soil, vegetables will grow on their own to some extent. The longer you do it, the more you learn where you can ease up a bit."
The compost essential for soil building comes from a compost factory in the neighboring town.
"Before, I used to get manure from nearby livestock farms to make compost, but I became concerned about potential residues of hormones, antibiotics, and heavy metals. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, we even measured radioactivity levels, and I want to respond to customers' desire for safer products. So, for over 10 years now, I've been using compost made from fermented food waste, like kitchen scraps from supermarkets, and rice hulls. For summer vegetables that need additional fertilizer, I buy non-GMO domestic rapeseed oil cake from 'Yonezawa Seiyu' nearby and mix it with rice bran to make bokashi fertilizer."
The Connection Formed by "Delicious!" Brings Joy and Pride to Farmers
The greatest joy for a farmer is when delicious vegetables are grown. And seeing the restaurants and consumers who buy them happy is what gives him a sense of purpose.
Mr. Tashimo offers bell peppers, snap beans, tomatoes, and more, freshly picked on the spot, to Chef Muto of Eme and traveling chef Kishimoto, who accompanied him for the interview.
"These vegetables have no unpleasant taste at all, a very clean flavor," says Muto. "Talking with Mr. Tashimo, I feel that his personality is exactly like the taste of his vegetables and the impression of his farm," says Kishimoto.
"The closer the relationship with the people who eat my produce, the more fulfilling it is. The first restaurant that used my vegetables hosted交流會 (exchange events) between producers and customers. I was able to hear feedback directly from the people who ate them, and it made me happy to feel that they were being handled with care. Many customers were introduced through them."
Mr. Tashimo believes that good vegetables are delicious as they are, or simply steamed or grilled. He would be happy if they were cooked in a way that directly conveyed their flavor. However, professional chefs often bring out an even more enhanced taste, so the farmer himself is often surprised, exclaiming, "It can taste like this!"
"I really think that seasonal, outdoor-grown produce is the most delicious. My top recommendations are winter spinach and carrots. They grow slowly and steadily with large temperature differences, absorbing various nutrients from the soil. Even if they look damaged by frost due to extreme cold, when you eat them, you'll find they're sweeter and often more delicious than the vibrant, perfectly-looking ones."
Spring is a lean season, so there's less harvesting, but it's busy with sowing and planting. Summer is a battle against heatstroke. Autumn has good weather and abundant harvests, bringing a sense of ease, but in winter, hands quickly become stiff and painful, to the point of needing to warm them in the car while working. When his hands stop hurting, he knows "spring has come." The seasons cycle like this, but farming is always physically demanding, regardless of the season.
Mr. Tashimo always goes out to the fields before 5 AM to harvest. Other staff arrive around 7 AM, and he returns home for breakfast around 8 AM. He then goes back to work and has an overall meeting at 11 AM. On days with fewer staff, he sometimes helps with shipping, but usually, he manages the vegetables and weeds in the fields. After lunch at 1 PM, he works in the fields until around 6 PM. Since he starts early, he goes to sleep soon after dinner.
"Since the fields are large and busy, lunch is always simple and easy to prepare. Just miso soup with lots of vegetables and rice, plus one or two side dishes. Usually, it's something simple like grilled vegetables with salt and pepper. The rice and miso are homemade, and the vegetables are freshly picked, so it's delicious enough. My favorite is miso soup with potatoes and snap peas. The harvesting season for these two vegetables overlaps for only a short time in June, so it's a rare menu item (laughs)."
When buying vegetables at the supermarket, it's easy to lose track of the seasons, but at "Kaze no Oka Farm," everything is grown outdoors, so you can feel the change of seasons through the harvests.
"Everyone thinks edamame are a summer vegetable, right? But it's only recently that varieties were bred to be harvested in summer for beer snacks; their true season is actually October.
Since soybeans are harvested in November, young edamame are harvested in October. People used to eat edamame while gazing at the Mid-Autumn Moon, so it was called "Bean Moonlight." Even now, varieties like Dadacha-mame and Tanba black bean edamame appear in October. At my farm, our heirloom soybeans also reach their peak season in October, so I eat a big bowl of edamame every evening during that time."
As an organic farmer, considering the future of food.
His private enjoyments include going to hot springs, watching baseball, and playing with his three grandchildren. We asked Mr. Tashimo about his future dreams.
"The goal when I became a farmer was my dream of self-sufficiency. If I only considered income, a specialist farmer producing one or two types of vegetables in large quantities would be more efficient. But even though the bank opposed it, I've continued to grow many varieties in small quantities because my original goal was self-sufficiency. In Ogawa Town, the number of organic farmers has increased, and I feel a strong sense that the region has become more robust, and that we are supporting local food. However, I am concerned about Japan's food self-sufficiency rate. I believe we must aim to become a country that can feed itself."
Japan's food self-sufficiency rate, which indicates the proportion of domestically produced food consumed domestically, is considered to be quite low among developed countries. The factors include changes in dietary habits, such as increased consumption of wheat and meat, but primarily the decline in agricultural workers due to an aging population and a shortage of successors. It is necessary for producers, consumers, and the government to work together.
"As I see with the current rice shortage騒動 (commotion), the government must create a system to continue producing the nation's food while training successors. In Ogawa Town, most of the people managing 15 hectares of fields are in their 70s, so abandoned farmland and fallow land are increasing. If this continues, there will be a food shortage. Relying solely on imports is unsettling. And when it comes to food for export, I don't think they're considering the people who will eat it.
Transactions with people you know are safe and secure, and ensure a stable supply of vegetables. I want to continue fostering aspiring organic farmers and expanding productive organic agriculture."
