Hokkaido

Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost island. It is renowned for its harsh climate, the unparalleled beauty of its natural environment, its thriving agriculture and livestock industry… and above all, the exceptional quality of its produce. Hokkaido Prefecture is 200% self-sufficient in food in a country that imports 73% of its calories. So it’s a question of quantity, but also of quality: many Hokkaido products, especially grains, milk and seaweed, are said to be delicious. But why?

It all starts with the land. Hokkaido is surprisingly rich in volcanic soils covered in organic compounds. These ‘andosols’ are rich in nutrients, allowing farmers to grow the best grains in the country: Hokkaido rice, wheat and buckwheat are as expensive as they are delicious. The cows that graze the local pastures also benefit from the richness of the soil. Their meat rivals that of Kobe beef and their milk is sometimes described as the best in the world.

And that’s not all. Hokkaido is also famous for its seafood: kombu seaweed, oysters, sea urchins, crabs and spider crabs, scallops, salmon roe, squid… The prefecture’s waters are ideal for life, not only because of their freshness, but also because they are so rich in nutrients. The nutrients are said to have been ‘deposited’ in the local seas by icebergs from Siberia. The nightlife of Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, is also famous throughout Japan, but that’s another story.