Onion farmer in Nikoro, Kitami City

Yonemori Atsushi

The History and Unity that Built the Best Onion Agriculture in Japan

Onion farmer in Nikoro, Kitami City

Yonemori Atsushi

The History and Unity that Built the Best Onion Agriculture in Japan​

Kitami is proud of being Japan’s top onion producer
A quarter of Japan’s onions comes from here
The firm, compact and round shape is its characteristics
Because the onions are firm and waterless
They survive long storage period for nationwide distribution
And bring unchanged flavor to the table at home.

Hidden behind the onion production
Is the history of the producers’ unity and effort

Onion Production in Kitami

Kitami’s onion production is said to have started about 100 years ago. My family has been engaged in the business for over 40 years, three generation including the head family.

Nowadays, machines and containers are splendid to use, but in the old days most work was done by hand. Containers were made of wood.

Now our production volume is the top in Japan, but when we began farming, we started from zero. We worked very hard, aspiring to be like other famous farming regions. Natural disasters, like floods and hail, were serious threats. Back when systems like mutual aid were not well-established, we often faced difficulty to keep on farming itself. We local farmers helped each other. As our organization became bigger, so too did we become the top production area in Japan.

Onion Production in Kitami

Kitami’s onion production is said to have started about 100 years ago. My family has been engaged in the business for over 40 years, three generation including the head family.

Nowadays, machines and containers are splendid to use, but in the old days most work was done by hand. Containers were made of wood.

Now our production volume is the top in Japan, but when we began farming, we started from zero. We worked very hard, aspiring to be like other famous farming regions. Natural disasters, like floods and hail, were serious threats. Back when systems like mutual aid were not well-established, we often faced difficulty to keep on farming itself. We local farmers helped each other. As our organization became bigger, so too did we become the top production area in Japan.

To Produce What Customers Appreciate

In terms of quality, we pay attention first to producing what consumers appreciate, including food security and safety.

The climate in Kitami is right for onion production. The highest temperature in summer is relatively high compared to other cities in Japan, and the temperature gap between the cold and hot months is big. Especially during the summer, it is dry and cool in the morning and at night, which is suitable for growing firm, good quality onions. 

It has been a difficult journey to achieve these qualities–not only good flavor, but also the bulb size, the appearance with no black spots, good color depth– the qualities that make consumers choose our onions. 

Recently production quantity has increased as mechanization progresses. In the old days, most work had to be done manually, which took time and labor. Thanks to mechanization, our work is more efficient which has lead to not only an increase in production volume but also an improvement in quality. Machinery enables us to do our best possible work in a shorter period of time. If planting and harvesting were done by manual labor, it would be impossible to work quickly as we are undergoing a shortage of workers today.

To Produce What Customers Appreciate

In terms of quality, we pay attention first to producing what consumers appreciate, including food security and safety.

The climate in Kitami is right for onion production. The highest temperature in summer is relatively high compared to other cities in Japan, and the temperature gap between the cold and hot months is big. Especially during the summer, it is dry and cool in the morning and at night, which is suitable for growing firm, good quality onions. 

It has been a difficult journey to achieve these qualities–not only good flavor, but also the bulb size, the appearance with no black spots, good color depth– the qualities that make consumers choose our onions. 

Recently production quantity has increased as mechanization progresses. In the old days, most work had to be done manually, which took time and labor. Thanks to mechanization, our work is more efficient which has lead to not only an increase in production volume but also an improvement in quality. Machinery enables us to do our best possible work in a shorter period of time. If planting and harvesting were done by manual labor, it would be impossible to work quickly as we are undergoing a shortage of workers today.

Maintaining the good quality of the product is not only dependent on the production facilities, but also on the varieties of crops we have. Our cultivars were developed over a long period of history, and it’s stemmed deeply from local farmers’ will and determination to produce better quality products that consumers nationwide would want to choose. In order to please consumers, we utilized variations in product and also cultivation technology.
Such improvements were not achieved by one single farmer, but by the cooperation and effort of all the farmers in the region. Our Production Committee still holds regular seminars to continue to strive for improvements of quality by sharing knowledge of new pests and the latest cultivation technology. As history has shown, regional unity helps us overcome difficulties and produce better onions.

Maintaining the good quality of the product is not only dependent on the production facilities, but also on the varieties of crops we have. Our cultivars were developed over a long period of history, and it’s stemmed deeply from local farmers’ will and determination to produce better quality products that consumers nationwide would want to choose. In order to please consumers, we utilized variations in product and also cultivation technology.
Such improvements were not achieved by one single farmer, but by the cooperation and effort of all the farmers in the region. Our Production Committee still holds regular seminars to continue to strive for improvements of quality by sharing knowledge of new pests and the latest cultivation technology. As history has shown, regional unity helps us overcome difficulties and produce better onions.

Flavor of Kitami Onions

Kitami onions have the largest production volume in Japan, and people naturally expect to be able to eat these delicious onions anywhere in the country. But in the past, we had lots of imperfect or rotten onions. 

Overcoming such challenges, we managed created the firm and round onions everyone knows today.

A firm onion with low water content tastes bitter when eaten raw, but the actual sweetness it has is quite high. Heat can help decrease bitterness and enhance the sweetness. There is very little water content, so it does not become watery while cooking. I want people to come and enjoy Kitami’s onions at restaurants here in Kitami, just like they would at home.

Flavor of Kitami Onions

Kitami onions have the largest production volume in Japan, and people naturally expect to be able to eat these delicious onions anywhere in the country. But in the past, we had lots of imperfect or rotten onions. 

Overcoming such challenges, we managed created the firm and round onions everyone knows today.

A firm onion with low water content tastes bitter when eaten raw, but the actual sweetness it has is quite high. Heat can help decrease bitterness and enhance the sweetness. There is very little water content, so it does not become watery while cooking. I want people to come and enjoy Kitami’s onions at restaurants here in Kitami, just like they would at home.