My Rural Travelogue (Part XLII): Promoting local food, including wild edibles, in Japan

Ad for ice cream at a Teshikaga (Hokkaido) ramen house
features a photo of the family farm (4 children!) who produce the milk--
and, of course, one of the cows.

During my recent trip to Japan, I noticed a lot of promotion regarding food that played up the origin of food--usually its local origin. In this photo-dense post, I'm going to feature some of what I saw.  (All photos are (c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2025) 

I first noticed the attention to local food in Kanazawa, on the west coast of Honshu, where the breakfast place mats at our Hyatt Centric hotel noted local milk products and featured the label, "Kanazawa Local Style" (lower left quadrant)  

Breakfast placemat Hyatt Centric Kanazawa

Then, in Osaka, which is known as the food capital of the country, the cafe in a private library touted dairy products from Hokkaido, the northernmost island.  When I asked why an establishment in the southern part of the main island, Honshu, was promoting products from the north, I was told that Hokkaido has more space than Honshu--it's less crowded--and thus most of the nation's milk and dairy products are produced there.  Hokkaido seems to be associated with farm-fresh food, especially dairy.

live chickens outside a restaurant in Osaka; 
now that's local food

The next week, I visited northern Hokkaido and saw for myself many dairy farms.  Near Kushiro and the surrounding marshlands, which are habitat for Japanese cranes as well as dairy cows, the two species often share space. 

I also saw, on the northeastern side of the island near Kushiro, greenhouses where strawberries were grown.  

Fried potato balls (with both white potatoes and sweet potatoes)
are available at Bihoro Pass, Hokkaido

Raised beds for student gardening at a primary school in rural Hokkaido

 

Woman preparing bracken, a wild plant, Lake Akan, Hokkaido.  
I observed a big focus on wild edibles, including fiddlehead fern, at 
restaurants, especially outside the major cities.  I had wild edibles 
prepared as tempura in several cities. 

A Japanese crane across the road from 
the cattle pictured below, Tsurui village, Hokkaido.

Dairy cows, Tsurui, Hokkaido, with a
crane walking behind them (barely visible)

To the northwest of the Kushiro area, closer to Shire and en route to Shiretoko National Park, I saw fields of yams and sugar beets.  Then, between Shiretoko and Memanbetsu, I saw apple and cherry orchards, as well as the Okhotsk Bean Company storage tower.  (I also saw a wild fox, just a few miles from the Memanbetsu airport).  

Heart N Tree restaurant in Tsurui, Hokkaido

Promoting local dairy products at Utoro hotel buffet

Okhotsk Bean Company products for sale, Utoro, near Shire, Hokkaido