In this third installment of Domingo's month-long collaboration with towns in Hokkaido, we take a closer look at Pippu Town! For four weeks, we will provide you with information on how to enjoy the town and its specialties.
This week, the third week, we introduce Pippu Ichigo, which celebrated its 100th anniversary this year! Let's take a closer look at the beginnings of strawberry cultivation in Pippu Town and what is being done now.

The Beginning and 100 Years of Pippu Ichigo

The history of strawberry cultivation in Pibu Town dates back to 1921, exactly 100 years ago. It all started when farmers near Mt. Ota began growing strawberries as a "snack for children.
Fukuoka Prefecture in the late 1920s and Tochigi Prefecture in the 1945s, making the strawberry cultivation in Pibu Town one of the earliest in Japan.

Pippu strawberries are characterized by the fact that they are grown in the open air. Open-field cultivation means that the strawberries are grown outdoors in fields, not in plastic greenhouses, so that they are exposed to the full blessings of nature, such as sunlight.
At strawberry picking in Pibu-cho, you can enjoy strawberries in season that have grown in the full sun.

In fact, Pippu Ichigo has had a smooth 100-year history, but it has faced crises several times.

For example, around 1965.
Growing strawberries in the open air means that they are susceptible to weather conditions such as rain and wind, and to disease. It is a harsh growing environment for delicate strawberries. Due to continuous crop damage, strawberry yields decreased in Pibu Town, and the cultivation area gradually decreased as a result.

We want to keep the fire of strawberry cultivation lit.
Volunteer strawberry growers took the initiative and came up with measures to overcome the crisis. In order to protect Pippu strawberries, they started growing strawberries in greenhouses in 1971.

Another crisis came in the late 1998s.

Although greenhouse cultivation provides a stable environment, it requires fuel. Many growers found it difficult to continue due to the financial burden caused by soaring fuel prices, and the number of growers has decreased from more than 60 at its peak to about 20 in recent years.
In addition, since strawberries are grown in a combined paddy rice operation, as the scale of the paddy rice operation expanded, more and more people began to leave the labor-intensive strawberry cultivation.

After overcoming several crises, the farmers started to cultivate "Benihoppe" strawberries, which grow in winter, in order to weave the history of strawberry cultivation that has continued until now.

Currently, there are four types of strawberries grown in Pibu-cho: "Kentaro," a well-balanced strawberry suitable for open-air cultivation in Hokkaido; "Yukirara," a new variety with large fruits; "Red Fairy," used for processing cakes and other products; and "Benihoppe," which is grown in greenhouses in winter and has a good balance of sweetness and sourness.

Soft strawberries for strawberry picking are grown in the open air, while strawberries for processing are grown in greenhouses for use in cakes and other products.

The harvest period is from June to early July for "KENTARO" and "YUKIRARARA," from May to early November for "AKAI NO IEI," and from late December to the end of May for "BENI HOPPE. With the start of winter strawberry cultivation, Pibu has become a town where strawberries can be grown throughout the year.

Commemorating the 100th anniversary! Initiatives taking place in Pibu Town

Pibu Town is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2021, and a variety of initiatives are underway.
The "Pippu Ichigo 100th Anniversary Commemorative Project" is being carried out by the producers, JA, and the administration, who have formed an executive committee in order to share the joy and gratitude with the producers, and to spread the joy and gratitude to people in the town and outside the town.

Pippu Ichigo 100th Anniversary Project

Here are four of the most noteworthy projects.

(1) Pippu Ichigo Introduction Campaign
During the month of July, restaurants in the town offered special 100th anniversary menus featuring the "Red Fairy," one of the Pippu Ichigo varieties.
Each of the nine restaurants in town had developed and offered original menus using strawberries.

(2) Strawberry Planting Experience for Children in the Town
This August, we held a "strawberry (yuki-rara) planting experience" for children in the town of Pibu.
Even if you have experienced "strawberry picking," planting strawberry seedlings is not an easy thing to do. Next year, from June to July, when the planted strawberries will be ready for harvest, they are planning to have a harvesting experience.
This project was carried out with the hope that children born and raised in the town of strawberries will "learn about strawberries and experience them! This was an effort made with the hope that children born and raised in a strawberry town would "learn about and experience strawberries!

3) Development of Commemorative Products for the 100th Anniversary of Pippu Ichigo
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Pippu Ichigo, Pippu Town is developing products using strawberries.
It remains to be seen what kind of product will be developed, but it is said to be something to drink or eat that will allow you to taste Pippu Ichigo!
We can't wait to see the finished product!

Hashtag campaign for the 100th anniversary
We are now accepting posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram about things related to Pibu-cho and strawberries!
There will be a drawing for prizes among those who post with the hashtag "#100th anniversary of Pippu Ichigo"!

Please post your memories of Pibu Town and episodes related to strawberries!

To

commemorate the 100th anniversary of Pippu Ichigo, we will hold a 100th anniversary hashtag campaign* We will hold a drawing for prizes from among those who post on each social networking service (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) by December 31, 2021

, with

#Pippu Ichigo 100th anniversary in

it

! The content can be anything related to Pippu Town and strawberries☆Let's celebrate together!

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Pippu Ichigo 100th Birthday [Official] (@pippu100) June 9, 2021

Pippu Ichigo Future Prospects

We asked Mr. Nakazawa, who is in charge of Pippu Ichigo at the Agricultural Policy Section, Industry Promotion Division, Pippu Town, about how Pippu Ichigo, which has reached its 100th anniversary, would like to spin its history in the future.

We believe that the 100-year history of Pippu Ichigo is an asset to Pippu Town.

Except for staple crops such as rice and wheat, it is rare for the same crop to last 100 years in the same town, and he hopes to use this 100th anniversary as an opportunity for Pippu Ichigo to continue for another 150 or 200 years.

My ambition is to create a project like the "Pippu Ichigo Introduction Campaign" that will make everyone happy, including producers, local businesses, and customers from in and out of town, by starting with strawberries! I would like to do something like "Strawberry Day," where everyone can enjoy strawberries!

I would like to have a "Strawberry Day" where everyone can enjoy strawberries." We could clearly see the future of Pippu Ichigo, which has continued for 100 years, as it continues to evolve and weave its way through history.