【Product name】
Hikari green onion（Autumn/Winter）
【Type】
Allium fistulosum L.
【Producing area】
Iriyamazaki, Sosa City, Chiba Prefecture (JA Chiba Midori, JA Group Chiba)
【Origin of name】
It was named after the local town ‘Hikari’ name.
【Major features】
Mr. Toshio Ichikawa has made a lasting contribution to the local community with this agricultural product, and serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chiba Prefecture Kariate River Coastal Land Improvement District (located in Yoshida, Sosa City). A land improvement district is a legal entity authorized to be established based on the Land Improvement Law, whose members are cultivators and owners of farmland. We do maintenance and management. In 2020, there were 191 land improvement districts in Chiba Prefecture. Although it is a federation of land improvement business associations, it is a joint organization of those who conduct land improvement projects, and is a corporation whose members are municipalities and land improvement districts, etc., and provides technical guidance on land improvement projects conducted by members. In Chiba Prefecture, there is the Federation of Chiba Prefecture Land Improvement Organizations (Midori Net Chiba). The Kariate River is a grade 2 Kuriyama river system in Chiba Prefecture. The river flows through the Kujukuri Plain in the middle part of Chiba Prefecture and flows into the Pacific Ocean. 39 kilometers long. It originates from the hills in the southern part of Katori City, collects water from the Shimousa plateau, and flows into the Pacific Ocean at Yokoshibahikari Town, Sanbu County. In terms of basin area, it is one of the largest rivers in the prefecture. It is also used as a passage for Ryoso irrigation water, which flows the water from the Tonegawa River taken in Katori City to the paddy fields in the Kujukuri Plain. There is an excavated fishing port at the mouth of the river, and in recent years, it is known that salmon released by the Prefectural Fisheries Research Institute have returned. Overview of Kuriyama River Fishing Port: Class 1 Fishing Port, Yokoshibahikari Town, Sanmu District, Chiba Prefecture, Notification No. 358 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of April 15, 1960, Chiba Prefecture Coastal Conservation Area Designation, March 27, 1992 Chiba Prefecture Notification No. 273. This fishing port is located at the mouth of the Kuriyama River, a second-class river that flows through Yokoshibahikari Town, Sanbu County, in the center of Kujukuri Beach. The nearby coastal area is the only beach in town, and is very busy during the summer season. There is a protected forest behind the coast, and there are marine recreation facilities such as a pool in the surrounding area, which seems to be a tourist base in summer. A farmer’s organization created by the Land Improvement Law enacted in 1949. Maintenance and management of various land improvement facilities such as farm ponds and waterways. However, in recent years, the number of farmers has decreased and the population has aged, making it difficult to manage them. Also, housing complexes have been built in farming villages, and many different people have come to live there. Those who are not farmers may not be familiar with this organization, but nearby rice fields, waterways, and reservoirs are facilities managed by land improvement districts. Agricultural facilities also have the effect of protecting the natural environment and beautiful rural scenery. In addition, it can be said that the land improvement districts that manage these areas play an important role in your area. Waniguchi Iriyamazaki Walk: “Temple gong” (a tool hung in front of Buddhist temples and temples and played with ropes) dedicated to the Myohozan Konreji Temple of the Nichiren sect after more than 70 years. Hollow. There is a horizontally long mouth at the bottom. It is a type of Buddhist altar fittings made by casting iron into a flat circle. A square in the center, a hook on the left and right sides of the top, and a mouth that opens in a straight line at the bottom. This wide mouth is wide open. (Origin of the name) Iriyamazaki Ward (Yoshida District) was divided into Furusaki Village. There is a Toso Wide Area Farm Road nearby, which connects Yoshida, Sosa City, Chiba Prefecture and Kiyotaki, Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture, and is about 19 km long. There was a car accident at the end of last month, so please drive safely. The history of green onion cultivation in the jurisdiction is long, beginning in the 1955s in the Hikarimachi district (now Yokoshibahikari Town). Currently, the cultivation area has expanded to Sosa City and Asahi City, and the long green onions produced in the jurisdiction are branded as high-quality “Hikari Green Onion”. Cultivation is in autumn / winter, spring, May（satsuki）, and summer, and 700,000 cases are shipped annually. In 1996, a central collection and shipping facility equipped with a pre-cooling storage facility started operation, which seems to have made it possible to further improve quality and ship products in accordance with customer requests. In recent years, we are facing various issues such as an increase in cheap imported long onions, the occurrence of difficult-to-control pests, and the aging of producers. People are working together to maintain and improve the brand production area. Each producer produces, adjusts and selects based on cultivation standards and shipping standards, and brings them to the shipping site. At the shipping site, a full-time inspector (a system of five people) conducts an on-board sampling inspection of the shipped products, and it seems that only the shipped products that pass the inspection can be unloaded onto a special pallet. After being transferred to the pallet, the green onions are cooled in the same facility’s “vacuum precooling device” and then stored in the refrigerator right next door. Since the shipping area is centralized, it is possible to check with the unified eyes of the full-time inspectors and correct individual disparities. The Sosa Horticulture Club still has eight inspectors in charge of inspections, who keep track of the daily inspection status, exchange information with the full-time inspectors, provide inspection guidance, and conduct witness inspections themselves throughout the season. Eight officers in charge of guidance conduct comparison tests and review meetings every year to select varieties suitable for this area. In the pesticide residue inspection for each cropping type, all producers are encouraged to put pink flags on the fields during harvesting, and measures are taken to avoid pesticide drift. Mandatory record keeping. It seems that those who do not submit the record of cultivation history cannot ship. In March 2022, the Kanto Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced the outline of the budget for 2022. In this, it seems that the new commercialization of “National Highway No. 126 Sanmu Toso Road Third Phase” will be included. National Highway No. 126 “Sanmu Toso Road” constitutes the Choshi Renraku Road, which is a regional high standard road, and connects Sanmu City and Asahi City in Chiba Prefecture. The first section is 6.1 km from Matsuo Yokoshiba IC (Sanmu City) on the Ken-O Expressway to Yokoshiba Hikari IC (Yokoshibahikari Town). It is open as a road. The second section is a 5 km extension from Yokoshiba Hikari IC to Yokaichiba IC (tentative name: Sosa City), and construction is underway for opening in 2023. And this time, the new business will start in the third phase section, which will connect a 13 km extension from the Yokaichiba IC (tentative name) to the vicinity of the roadside station “Kirari Asahi” (Asahi City). The budget for 2022 is 50 million yen, and the survey design is scheduled to be implemented. By improving the second and third stages of the Sanbu Toso Road, it will be possible to improve the efficiency of logistics such as “agricultural and marine products”, improve accessibility to emergency medical facilities, and reduce congestion on National Road 126 (current road). It seems to be expected. Regarding the development of the Choshi connecting road further east of the third section, the utilization of National Highway No. 126 “Iioka Bypass” (extension of about 6 km, Asahi City), which was opened in 1993, and straddling Asahi City and Choshi City. It seems that the section is planned to be widened. The 13 km section from “Sosa City” to Asahi City will be newly commercialized, and a plan to further extend the Choshi Renraku Road will start. Image character “Apii-chan” of the special product “Red Bell Pepper” in Sosa City, Chiba Prefecture is the only production area of “Red Bell Pepper” in the prefecture, and its deliciousness and quality are highly evaluated in the market. The design was considered by a local high school student, and the nickname was decided by open call for participants. She is a girl born in 2006 to promote red bell peppers, which is the only production area in the prefecture. She’s always smiling, but she sometimes mistakes her red head for an apple and makes her sick. Ripe green peppers are sweeter than green peppers and rich in vitamins A and E. Vitamin A protects the eyes and skin about 7 times. Vitamin C tends to be about 1.8 times less likely to catch a cold, and Vitamin E is about 5.6 times more bloody. Carotenoids prevent aging about 15 times. If you grow green peppers slowly and slowly without harvesting them, they will transform from green to blackish red and then “bright red”. It takes 25 to 30 days for ordinary green peppers to be harvested after the flowers bloom, while red peppers are more than twice as long. It takes more than a month to spend more time than ordinary bell peppers. Also, it’s very cold and it doesn’t grow if the temperature is below 17 ℃. Approximately 92 tons are produced annually in 1.2 hectares of the Nosaka area, and it is said that “rice flour apii bread”, which is eaten with croquettes sandwiched between rice flour bread kneaded with red peppers for school lunch, is a popular menu. Nosaka is a town on the sea in the eastern part of Chiba prefecture. Adjacent to Yokaichiba City, Hikari Town, Sosa District. A long time ago, it sometimes appeared on TV as a karaoke town. Noda Village and Sakae Village are merged to form Nosaka Town. Neighbors seem to say “nozakae”. A fishing and agricultural town about 100 km from Tokyo. Fielders, Imaizumi, Uchiurazuka, Kawabe, Horikawa, Kayada. Each has a beach. There are Oka village and Hama village, which form a typical barn village. Due to regression, people began to live in the barn of the fishing gear storage and became a village. Both the Oka and Hama villages are almost parallel to the coastline, and it seems that the Oka village was established along the lagoon formed by regression. Perhaps because of this, the road connecting the Oka villages draws an arc, just like the current coastline. There was a village called “mena” in the middle of the Oka and Hama villages. In other regions, it is sometimes written as Mena, but there seems to be a theory that they are all in similar places and mean wetlands. Node Village: Mr. Kanmu Taira Mr. Chiba, Mr. Node, a clan of Mr. Shiina who was separated from Mr. Chiba, lived in the fielder Mijo. In March of the 4th year of Astronomy (1535), a “fielder battle” took place, and the castle fell after being attacked by Mr. Oshida, the owner of the Yokaichi Market. Originally, the fielder was called Noda, Nuda but he became a fielder, and when Noda Village and Imaizumi Village merged, Noda revived and became Noda Village. It is the largest bell pepper producing area in Chiba prefecture and is shipped throughout the year. More ripe and nutritious red peppers are produced only in Sosa City in the prefecture.Yokoshibahikari Town is located in the northeastern part of Chiba Prefecture, and was born in 2006 through the merger of Hikari Town in Sosa County and Yokoshiba Town in Sanbu County, and is the most populous town in Chiba Prefecture. The Kuriyama River, which flows through the center, is a mecca for fishing. The city releases juvenile salmon every year, and many salmon return to the river. Mother-river homing” Although the mechanism has not yet been determined, the olfactory imprinting theory is the theory that the mother-river homing returns to the mother river based on the memory of the odor peculiar to the mother river. Based on experiments and observations such as salmon being unable to return to their mother rivers, it seems to be supported by many researchers. “Oamishirasato City” : The city is located almost in the center of the Kujukuri Plain. It has a climate with abundant nature, with lush hills in the west, vast countryside in the center, and the coast of “Hakusasaisho（White sand, Pinus thunbergii Parl: One of the top 100 beautiful stretches of sandy beaches dotted with pine trees.）” in the east. It has an area of 58.08 km2 and is 9.8 m above sea level. In 1979, Concluded a sister town with the mountain town “Nakanojo Town”. Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture is a town of Scenic Beauty by beautiful mountains and abundant hot springs. In a natural environment different from Oamishirasato City, which faces the Pacific Ocean and has the sea. On October 10, 2006, the “Agreement on Mutual Support in the time of disaster” was also signed. Let’s continue to investigate history. Plateaus and hills that connect to the Toke district of Chiba City spread to the west, and sand dunes that have been deposited since the early Jomon period spread to the east. Research has been carried out since the 1945’s, and among them, Kutsukake shell mound, Kamikaizuka, and Minamiiizuka ruins have been known for a long time. The Shimosa Plateau, which has an altitude of 80 to 90 m, extends over the western plateau. Prior to the construction of residential areas and golf courses, the oamiyamadadai archaeological site, sunada archaeological site, mizuhooketsu archaeological site, Kanayago archaeological site, etc. Many People are said to have started living in the Paleolithic era, 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. It is said that the earth at that time was a cold period called the ice age, the sea level was more than 100 m lower than the present, and the continent and the Japanese archipelago were connected by land.Tomita Village: Fujufuse (Not Receive and Not Give) School of the Nichiren Sect is a sect whose founder was Nichiren and the school founder was Nichio. As a special product, the strawberry “shinku-no-misuzu” born in Oamishirasato is known. Developed by a strawberry breeder living in the city, it was registered as a variety in 2015. Even the flesh is dyed deep red and has a high sugar acid ratio. The catch phrase is “All, love.” The color, aroma, taste, and sweetness are all rich. Wordplay that puts that “dark” into “love”. “Togane City”, With a population of about 60,000 and a warm climate. It is located in the central part of the prefecture, about 50 km from central Tokyo. In the plains, good countryside extends toward the Pacific Ocean, and the hills are covered with Sanbu cedar forest（Chiba Prefecture A variety of cutting sugi that has been cultivated in the Sanbu area in the northeast for over 250 years（A variety selected from particularly excellent ones and cultivated by cuttings. Cryptomeria japonica. In the Edo period, the “Onari Kaido” was built for falconry of Ieyasu Tokugawa. A post town and a wholesale district where neighboring agricultural products gather are formed. Since then, it has become a popular distribution center for logistics and has developed as a core city in the Kujukuri area. The area is 89.12 km2 and the altitude is 8.1 m. The excavation survey of the “Maruyama site” was around 1957. This is because the landowner Eiichi Ichihara at that time discovered a large amount of earthenware and burnt soil while cultivating the fields. The excavation survey was conducted in early January 1960 under the guidance of Mr. Akira Kawato, who was a teacher at Togane High School at that time. The remains are confirmed on the upper surface of the Kanto loam layer, which is dug down about 20 cm to 30 cm from the ground surface (field at that time). Many relics were excavated in the process of removing the soil accumulated on the remains, and it was found that the remains were four dwellings. After that, along with the large-scale development in the 1950s, the area around this site was excavated as the Toganedai site group. 155 pit dwellings were detected at the Ebigaya site, 142 at the Toganekuroda site, 265 at the Shikidai site, and 109 at the Koyuidai site. In the re-survey of the Maruyama site conducted at this time, about 105 pit dwellings were confirmed. It was a valuable survey to learn about the lives of people from the Kofun period to the Nara and Heian periods. Besides, Hachigaya site, etc. “Kujukuri Town, Sambu District”, A monument of “the birthplace of Sweet Potato cultivation in the Kanto region” is erected here. The eighth shogun, Yoshimune Tokugawa, ordered Konyo Aoki to grow sweet potatoes and made a prototype at the current Kujukuri Town Fudodo. As a result, sweet potato cultivation has become widespread in the Kanto region and remote islands since the Kyoho famine. As a result, it is commented that, since the Great Famine of Kyoho, the cultivation of sweet potato spread in Kanto region and solitary islands, and thus a lot of people’s lives were saved in the Tenmei Famine :（The 8th general of the Edo bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) Yoshimune TOKUGAWA had already ordered Konyo to cultivate the known sweet potato as an emergency crop at the famine in West Japan, and make trial pieces in the Koishikawa Medicine Garden (Koishikawa Botanical Gardens), Makuwari Village in Chiba District of Shimousa Province (present Makuhari, Hanamigawa Ward, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture), and Fudodo Village in Yamabe County of Kazusa Province (present Kujukuri Town, Sanbu District, Chiba Prefecture). Kujukurihama was chosen as the marathon site because Ino Tadataka, a geographical surveyor in the Edo period, was born in Kujukuri Town. Kujukuri beach: Located almost in the center, “katakai” has prospered with sardine fishing since the Edo period, and is a town where “sardine culture” lives. “Sanmu City”, Located in the eastern part of Chiba prefecture. It faces the Pacific Ocean for about 8 km in the center of Kujukuri beach, one of Japan’s leading sand coasts, and has a total area of 146.77 km2. It is roughly divided into the Kujukuri coastal area, the vast alluvial plain as a hinterland, and the hilly area consisting of low plateaus at an altitude of 40 to 50 m. These are strips that are almost parallel to the coastline, and for some reason they are nostalgic scenery. The city is active not only in rice cultivation but also in vegetable and fruit production. In areas rich in nature, with forest products such as Sambu Cedar, seafood from Kujukuri Beach. As a tourist resort, you can enjoy sports such as swimming, surfing, and tennis, and it has local resources that are attractive to young people. Due to the good location, the concentration of industrial facilities is increasing, and because of the good nature environment, many people visit and move to this area. The area was recognized as a blank area in the early Kofun period, but the Shimato Sakai No. 1 burial mound (4 mirrors) was discovered in the latter half of the early Kofun period (late 4th century). The case is Kitano No. 5 Mound, the second case designated on September 13, 2011. In the category of bronze ware, there were bronze swords, bronze pikes, bronze dagger-axes, bronze bells, bronze mirrors, and so on. Although it was made in various periods, as a historical and archaeological term, it often refers to the bronze mirror excavated from the remains in China, Korea and Japan. In 2006, Sambu District Naruto Town, Sambu Town, Matsuo Town, and Hasunuma Village merged. Naruto and Togane carnivorous plant communities are nationally designated natural monuments. The birthplace of the poet Ito sachio, known for his novel “The Tomb of Wild Chrysanthemum,” is a historic site designated by the prefecture. “Shibayama Town”, Located almost in the center of the Hokuso plateau in the northeastern part of the prefecture. At the northernmost point of Sambu District, in the 60 km area of the capital. Adjacent to Tako Town in the east, Yokoshibahikari Town and Sammu City in the south, Tomisato City in the southwest, Narita City in the north, and Narita Airport. 8.4 km east-west, 10.5 km north-south, 43.24 km2 in area, generally flat. The Takaya River flows to the east and the Kido River flows to the west, and this basin becomes a rice-growing area, and upland fields are flourishing in the hills in the northwest. Many wild Cerasus jamasakura (Sieb. ex Koidz.) H.Ohba (1992) bloom in the hills of the town, and are most familiar to the townspeople. With its ancient history, culture, and beautiful nature, it is eager to become the courtyard of the international airport city. Various house-shaped haniwa of the mid Kofun period (tumulus period) were excavated from Tonobeta number 1 mound in Shibayama Town, Sanbu County, Chiba Prefecture and Nagase Takahama site in Umanoyama burial mounds located in Hawai Town, Tohaku County, Tottori Prefecture. Kannokyoji-Temple: The three-storied pagoda in the precincts is designated as a tangible cultural property of Chiba Prefecture. Koike Otsuka Tomb, Takada No. 2 Mound,Yamada / Houma tumulus group. Arai Festival (Radish Festival): It is a festival held on December 14th every year, and it is said that fire should not be used except at the house on duty. At the house on duty, Shishi-Mai（Lion dance）will hold a festival of disease-free breathing, fire theft, and a good harvest. At Omiya Shrine, a turret built in front of the shrine is set on fire. The practice of throwing radishes at the child and preventing the priest from entering the shrine from the front is a sight to see. “Yokoshibahikari Town” : Located in the northeastern part of the prefecture. Kujukuri Beach, with its white sands in the south, and gentle hills in the north. The average annual temperature is 15 degrees Celsius, with cool summers and warm winters, with a pleasant climate. On March 27, 2006, sambu district yokoshiba town and Sousa District hikari town merged. The scenery of Kujukuri Beach, where the Pacific Ocean spreads magnificently, and the Kuriyama River, which flows through the central part of Yokoshibahikari Town, shines. It is a long and narrow terrain from north to south, and as it progresses from the flat coast to the plateau, it becomes slightly inland and the temperature difference. In general, it is blessed with natural conditions suitable for agriculture, which is cool in summer and warm in winter. Complex management that combines open-field vegetables and facility horticulture is flourishing centering on paddy agriculture. Paddy rice is the main crop, and sweet corn and leek are well known as open-field vegetables, such as tomatoes, squashes, and broccoli. There are also strawberry growers, and many are harvested from December to May and are popular. Working on high-profit crops, cherry tomato, melon in the green house. Hydroponic mitsuba（Cryptotaenia canadensis (L.) DC.subsp. japonica (Hassk.) Hand.-Mazz. (1933) cultivation, and in recent years, flower cultivation such as Cyclamen persicum has been carried out to improve management efficiency. Both pig farming and dairy farming are actively carried out. Speaking of representative agricultural products, welsh onions（Allium fistulosum L. var. bouddhae Prokh.）. From around 1968, the cultivation of autumn and winter welsh onions became popular as a back crop of wheat, and in 1972, it was designated as a national production area. Plateau fields in the Houme Area and Kotabe Area were develoed from the 40’s to the 1950’s. After that, the cultivation method was improved and the brand continued to shine. Let’s explain the product. The top of the representative crops is green onion. From around 1968, autumn and winter green onion cultivation became popular as a back crop of wheat. In 1972, it was designated as a national production area. The fields will be improved from about 40 to 50 years, which will support the cultivation of green onions. Currently, both spring onions and autumn / winter green onions : The “Hikari green onion” brand has received high praise in the market. In addition, he won the 26th Japan Agricultural Award before 2000. Farmers and groups who have been enthusiastic about managing agriculture and have made outstanding achievements. The Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives, Japan Agricultural Cooperatives prefectural FSBA and NHK Organization. “See（Child）green onion”, Raised under the sun and seawater spraying of kujukuri, it is thick and sweet enough. 30 strict unified rules – “Kujukuri Sea Child Long Onion” : Uses organic fertilizer specified by JA – Reduced pesticide cultivation : Aim for the number of times Pesticides to be used to be less than half of the standard number of times used by the prefecture. Sambu agriculture promotion center (Formerly sambu agriculture promotion center) : After repeated examinations and tests, it was cultivated in 2006 with seawater and commercialized. National Hokuso Central Agricultural Irrigation Project completed. Inba Agricultural Office: This district is located on the Hokuso Plateau, which extends to the northern part of Chiba Prefecture, and is one of Chiba Prefecture’s leading agricultural areas. In particular, the cultivation of vegetables is one of the largest in the country and plays an important role as a food supply base for the metropolitan area. The purpose of this project is to improve agricultural irrigation facilities, convert the water source from groundwater to the Tonegawa River, and provide a stable supply of water for agricultural use, thereby stabilizing agricultural management. This project, which started in 1988, will be completed in 2020. As an overview of the Hokuso Central District and the business, stable supply of agricultural water, use of agricultural water for regional water (fire prevention water) Stream, Tomisato pumping station and water tank Tomisato pumping station and water storage tank Yachimata City, Tomisato City, Sanmu City Beneficiary area 3,267 ha (field 408 ha, field 2,859 ha)). Sosa City boasts a cultivation area of 510 hectares and a wide variety of cultivated tree species, which are shipped not only to Japan but also to China and Europe. Plant production began in the Meiji era, and it became a full-scale production area in the Taisho era. Podocarpus macrophyllus, which is resistant to pests and cold, has been attracting attention since this time, and is still a popular flagship product. It is an evergreen tall tree, and its young branches are soft and can withstand pruning. The Kuriyama River fishing port was built behind the sand dunes southwest of the mouth of the Kuriyama River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean from the center of Kujukuri Beach, and has been developed as a fishing base for local fishermen. “Marine Pia Kuriyamagawa” stands out on the sea side across the sand dunes of the fishing port.
In the jurisdiction, the cultivation method has been improved repeatedly, and the cultivation of summer leeks has been made possible, and the year-round shipment has been realized. Currently, spring and autumn / winter green onions have been designated as a production area by the country, and are highly evaluated in the market under the brand name of “Hikari Green Onion”. “Throat lozenge”, which is made by adding kumquat and ginger to the extract extracted luxuriously from this excellent agricultural product, is popular for being mild and soothing to the throat.
In order to improve quality, the Tachige (standing crop) Kyoshinkai (the state of crops before they are harvested) is a competition to compete for beauty and fatness. We hold annual awards such as the “Excellent Shipper Award,” which is given to producers who are good at sorting. I am working on making good green onions. In terms of distribution, it seems that they will check the arrival status at the shipping destination and the standards of other production areas, which will lead to further improvements.
Excellent products in the city are solicited and certified as “Sosa’s masterpiece” after examination by Sosa’s masterpiece selection committee. The purpose is to have many people in and outside the city know about the good products and good points of Sosa, which are “though you may know it, but you don’t know it”, and to revitalize the area. You can impress Sosa City. Has its own characteristics (history, culture, tradition, etc.). Uniqueness (differentiation from similar products, etc.). Good quality. The first selection was made in March 2016, and 13 items were certified. Good quality is highly evaluated in the market.
