The Challenge of a Young Strawberry Farmer in Hagi

Standing in front of a traditional Japanese-style house, I look out on the tranquil scene of rows of strawberry seedling racks and farm workers quietly going about the task of tending them. Located in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Enokidani Nouen (Enokidani farm) produces strawberries with a simple yet rich flavor. What has called a young, 4th generation farmer to take over this family business and make a clear distinction with mass-produced strawberries?

The taste of four farming generations

Several locations in Hagi have been registered as World Heritage sites under the Sites of Meiji Japan's Industrial Revolution, including the town around Hagi Castle and the Shoka Sonjuku private school. It is a place where you can truly feel history and the wisdom of those who hailed from this coastal town. Making my way out from between houses, the green of the long seedling racks and the white of the neighboring greenhouse roofs of the Enokidani Nouen leap into view. Hiroshi Enokidani walks over to greet me. Enokidani is the 4th generation of his family to take over the farm started by his great-grandfather, a wholesaler during the Meiji Period (1868-1912). He explains that ever since his grandfather began growing strawberries, they have become the farm’s signature product.

Delicate red delights

With a refreshing taste and delightful appearance, strawberries are extremely popular in Japan. However, Enokidani notes that cultivating them is not such an easy task. “First off, growing the seedlings takes time and the cultivation period is long. There is also the problem of them being susceptible to disease and the weather. The so-called cloned varieties are one reason for this — there’s always the danger the whole crop could get wiped out. On top of that, temperature control needs to be delicately managed. They are temperamental, but they are an attractive fruit.”

Enokidani Nouen’s strawberries

A peculiarity of strawberries is that research into their varieties is quite advanced precisely because they are such a sensitive fruit. Enokidani Nouen currently grows two varieties. The first is one the 3rd generation owner introduced to the farm: the Sachinoka, a strawberry with a particularly high vitamin C content. This variety is also known for its fine balance between sweet and sour and its resistance to disease. The Sachinoka’s firm pulp means it is less susceptible to bruising and therefore can be transported over greater distances. The second is a new hybrid registered in 2017 called the Yotsuboshi. Rarely seen around the world, this seed propagation type strawberry — only the second to be grown from seed in Japan — has improved reproductive effectiveness with very little disease or virus transmission from the parent strain to the offspring, making it a powerful ally for farmers.

The soil that sustains Hagi’s fruit

Hagi is widely known for its fruit, not least the city’s symbol, the Natsumikan orange. There have been times in the past when the rivers that run through the city burst their banks and flooded the surrounding land. “We’re only two meters above sea level here, so there have been times when, due to what is called the ‘backwater phenomenon’, the area under cultivation has been inundated and the seedlings either swept away or becoming diseased due to the muddy water. Since the dam was constructed up in the mountains, we have better flood controls and can grow fruit in a much safer environment than we had in the past,” Enokidani explains.

“I’m sometimes told: ‘It doesn’t look like a strawberry greenhouse’,” continues Enokidani. “In order to maintain the optimum temperature for strawberries, most farmers grow them in double-layered greenhouses and use heating. However, in Hagi, we rarely get down into negative temperatures, even though it can snow here. It is possible to naturally just maintain the temperature to grow strawberries and it makes for an environment where sugar content easily rises.”

Everything starts with a seedling

Like most other farms in Hagi, Enokidani Nouen once was seen mainly as a producer of Natsumikan and figs; these days, it has firmly established itself as a strawberry farm. The work on cultivating the strawberries starts with the collection of seedlings by four members of the Enokidani family and the part-time farm workers. Enokidani’s father and former manager of the farm that he took over from, Takao, sits in the main building tending to the seedlings. Looking at the way he carefully replants the seedlings one after another, the love he has for the fruit is apparent.

Work on the Sachinoka starts every year in spring. Harvesting of the seedlings takes place in mid-May, then cuttings are planted on September 13, and from around December 10 through to mid-May, the strawberries are harvested. Of course, this schedule is adjusted according to the weather and conditions at the particular time. “It’s only natural that you can have times of great weather and times when it is awful. When we have a particularly long and wet rainy season like we had this year (2020), the sun doesn’t come out to dry out the soil sufficiently and we get concerned about disease,” laments Enokidani.

Despite the strong image of strawberries being a greenhouse-grown fruit, Enokidani argues that a moderate amount of stress for them is essential. “If they are too ‘spoiled’, so to speak, they’re more likely to get sick. Giving them too much of anything will diminish their ability to self-heal. But, if they are strong at an elementary level, they can recover even if they fall sick. The aim is to grow seedlings that are robust.”

Protecting local employment: hybrids to the rescue

As strawberries can be easily damaged, Enokidani says that great care is taken when they are harvested. Making sure the fruit does not end up completely ruined, only the Enokidani family members and more experienced staff members engage in picking them. “All crops, including strawberries, have their ‘in season’. We also grow other crops to keep our trusted members of staff occupied at other times of the year; if they were only involved in strawberry production, there wouldn’t be enough work for them to do.”

Some of those crops are vibrantly-colored potatoes. Cutting one in half reveals it is a Shadow Queen, with its dazzling purple insides; another is the rich yellow-colored Ground Pechka. In all, the farm grows 10 different kinds of potato, each with a different flavor, texture, and dishes they are suited to.

“We are now involved in a trial-and-error process growing unusual vegetables that will stand out in the marketplace, like Italian vegetables like zucchini and others like black bell pepper and white bitter melon. We maybe try growing one hundred different kinds of vegetables a year — since I have been running the farm, I think we are up to three hundred kinds in total,” Enokidani says.

The importance of demonstrating quality

There is one particular aspect of farming that Enokidani, a so-called ‘U-turn farmer’ due to the fact he formerly had a desk job at a company, has placed his focus on. He says that it was when he was asked, “Isn’t a farmer’s income a little low?” while still at the company that he resolved to reliably generate money in his new career. “I plan to expand production volume in future, but for now I think it is important that we set a price that matches the quality of the produce and ensure that the reason for this is understood. I want to promote our quality and increase our brand power. Currently, about 70% of what we grow is shipped around Hagi and to neighboring towns, but we hope to expand this coverage further in future.”

The mellow sweetness of homemade jam

While there are some young farmers making a determined effort in Hagi, many farmers are getting on in years and abandoning their farms. In this environment, Enokidani is trying to revitalize his city through farm tourism and creating processed food products. A homemade jam made from only strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice, mellow and as smooth as syrup, is one such product he is particularly proud of. Sweet, but not too sweet. A harmonious balance between sweetness and acidity, invoking a somewhat nostalgic and pleasant feeling. “They make this jam in neighboring Abu Town and they are very particular about it being additive and coloring-free. They have a different type for both Sachinoka and Yotsuboshi strawberries — I hope everyone can taste each to experience the difference!”

Seeding the ideas of tomorrow

Efforts with an eye on the future are being undertaken throughout the region. “We are now talking with local vendors about ways that non-standard vegetables that would otherwise be rejected and discarded can somehow be used in other ways. On top of that, as there are a lot of children these days who say they have never actually seen vegetables growing, we are involved in farm tourism and food education at schools. There’s a lot we have to do, but you don’t know what will work unless you try. I’m a firm believer in repeated trial and error being the key to learning.”