20180205 Addition

“I’m most happy when the customers smile and say, ‘It’s delicious!’”

Ayaka Satoh, Satoh Farm　

Apple farmer

Although you may not associate apples with Yamagata Prefecture, Yamagata was the first place in Japan to make the transition from “bagged cultivation” to “bag less cultivation.” Without the bag, the apples have a higher sugar content and sourness, making Takahata’s apples famous as ”sweet-sour apples.”

What makes the apples so tasty is the “shape of the tree” and the “mountain basin climate.” We have established detailed rules and procedures for growing the trees while using trial and effort to develop methods of pollinating and tree thinning (removing excess fruit). In addition, by letting the fruit grow for as long as possible before harvesting, we can ship larger apples with more sugar content.

Most of all, we are indebted to the climate of Takahata, a town surrounded by mountains. The large temperature differences between day and night help us grow apples that are fine-tasting and firm. The fact that there are fewer long rainy spells during the rainy season than on the Pacific coast and plenty of sunny days also gives us an advantage. It surely is a blessing from above.

My parents are also farmers, but this is my third year starting out on my own. I’m most happy when the customers smile and say, ‘That’s delicious!’

When I was a student, I left Takahata to learn about agriculture, but leaving the town actually helped me realize how great this place is. It is surrounded by mountains, rich in nature, and the people are generous, so I intend to continue farming this land in the future.