national

Tsunami-hit, cold-climate Ishinomaki hangs hope on olive growing

8 Comments
By Keita Nakamura

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© KYODO

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

8 Comments
Login to comment

Yeah, and now watch the spread of propaganda that Japanese olive oil is the "best" in the world. If only to justify the costs!

I looked at buying an olive tree sapling down here, and I was shocked at the price. I looked around quite a bit to even find one, and when I did the store had a price tag marked ¥65,000 for an approximately 1.5 m tall sapling!

It takes a few years for one tree to bear fruit so this is really a long term investment, and they are going to want their money back!

3 ( +6 / -3 )

I foresee little 100ml bottles that cost 800 yen.

Olives grow in very arid conditions. Japan is a super wet country. This is a recipe for lots of chemical spraying to stop mold, mildew etc. That's assuming they can find ones that are hardy enough for the Tohoku winter.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Bit more than 800¥/ 100ml (going by Shodojima prices), given extremely limited production. So buy your adulterated Spanish extra virgin at 800/ liter- no one's forcing you to purchase Made in Japan.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I have never had Japanese olive oil.

Would like to try some.

Have heard of offering an Olive branch as a symbol of peace...not sure of the meaning though. But an olive tree resembling a symbol of peace?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Bit more than 800¥/ 100ml (going by Shodojima prices), given extremely limited production. So buy your adulterated Spanish extra virgin at 800/ liter- no one's forcing you to purchase Made in Japan.

You are preaching to the choir here! This "message" needs to get to the Japanese public.

Sadly it WILL get lost in translation!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I spent about a decade living on an olive farm. The article speaks of a hundred kg......that is a very small amount. One mature tree can produce more than that.

I agree that locally made olive oil tastes better. We used to cure our own olives, and those tasted very good as well. As to climate, summers in southern California tend to be hot, but we occasionally got frosts and even a little snow in the winter. The most important criteria seemed to be getting enough water to the trees. When the fruit was ready to be picked, the trees would be so full of olives that branches would sometimes break off due to the weight. When the climate is right, olives just about grow themselves, so planting them on abandoned farm land sounds like a good idea. Prune off the broken branches, irrigate them if needed, and show up to collect the harvest. They can take many years to mature, but then can live for hundreds of years. Much easier to grow than citrus. I don't remember any bugs ever attacking the olives groves. They were impervious to termites. Very hardy trees. The wood is very hard and can be carved and polished into many beautiful things. During flowering season, I remember many people would develop allergies to the pollen. The trees develop a lot of pollen, and it was all pervasive.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

II ooked at buying an olive tree sapling down here, and I was shocked at the price. I looked around quite a bit to even find one, and when I did the store had a price tag marked ¥65,000 for an approximately 1.5 m tall sapling!

I bought one for 1200 Yen in 2017, just buy a smaller one. Mine was about 50cm when I got it, now its about 2.5 metres tall. They grow fast if you plant them in a good spot.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Okayama has olive tree farms I believe.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites