What is Takashima Farm?

The beginnings of Takashima Farm can be traced back to 1897, a whopping 120 years ago. They settled in Naganuma Town from Fukui Prefecture and began farming fields and rice. The farm moved to its current location in the early Showa period.
They created their original brand "Rural Symphony" and also operate a direct sales shop.

Image courtesy of Takashima Farm

Mr. Ryohei Takashima is the sixth generation of rice growers at Takashima Farm.

The farm has 20 hectares of rice paddies (about 4 times the size of Tokyo Dome) and grows various types of rice, including "Yumepirika", "Nanatsuboshi", and its ancestor, "Akagemai". In addition, a small amount of pesticide-free vegetables are also grown.

Rice that doesn't need a side dish! Takashima Farm's "Rural Symphony

Takashima Farm's original brand of rice, "Rural Symphony," first impresses you with its freshly cooked rice. The delicious aroma of freshly cooked rice spreads the moment you open the rice cooker. The rice is so glossy and smooth one by one.
This is the first rice that makes you feel so happy even before you eat it.

After eating it, you will be even more surprised and impressed. It is said that the more you chew rice, the sweeter it becomes, but the sweetness of Takashima Farm's rice can be felt from the moment you put it in your mouth, and the flavor increases rapidly after about five bites. After you finish eating it, the clean sweetness and umami taste will remain as an aftertaste, and the happiness in your mouth will continue.

I don't need any side dishes! I want to eat it with just rice! This was the first rice I had ever tasted that made me think, "I don't need a side dish!

We asked Mr. Ryohei Takashima, the sixth generation owner of Takashima Farm, about the particulars of his original brand, "Rural Symphony Music," which is unforgettable once you try it.

The "Rural Symphony," which is so delicious, is filled with so much passion that it is impossible to describe, but what he is particularly particular about is using a high percentage of organic fertilizers and as little pesticides as possible.

We use organic fertilizers manufactured by a domestic manufacturer and also actively use compost made from resources in Kitahiroshima City, which we have blended in our own unique way.

The compost is made from cattle manure from Miyakita Ranch, which breeds and fatten cattle using 100% domestic feed, and chicken manure from a local egg production company.
The compost is made by mixing these materials in a ratio determined by the owner and allowing it to mature for about three years.

He says, "If you don't use cow manure and chicken manure properly, they are like industrial waste. If they are collected in one place for the sake of human efficiency, they can't be used if they pollute rivers, but if they are composted properly, they can be used effectively. So we make sure the manure is well fermented to make good compost.

Takashima Farm supplies Miyakita Ranch with rice husks and grass grown with this compost, and Miyakita Ranch supplies them with cattle manure.

Image courtesy of Takashima Farm

The continuous use of organic fertilizers fertilizes the soil and improves it, stabilizing the rice harvest. It has also made it possible to grow rice that is less susceptible to weather fluctuations, which have become more pronounced in recent years.

Image courtesy of Takashima Farm

Takashima Farm uses only one herbicide each time before and after rice planting. As they increase the ratio of organic fertilizers, the crops themselves become stronger, and they are able to secure stable yields without using any pesticides such as insecticides or fungicides. The amount of pesticides used is about 1/5 of conventional cultivation, and around July, fireflies can be seen growing!

What I'm realizing now is that organic cultivation yields more and tastes better," he said. Rice grown in fields with a lot of organic fertilizers has an amazing flavor. The more you chew it, the more umami comes out.

I am filled with gratitude when I think that Takashima Farm's many years of experience in rice cultivation and their quest for deliciousness, trial and error, are what makes the rice so tasty.

Where can I buy Takashima Farm's original brand "Rural Symphony"?

Many of you must be thinking, "I want to try 'Rural Symphony Music' now that I hear about Takashima Farm's special cultivation methods! Many of you must be saying, "I want to try 'Rural Symphony Music'!

There are three ways to purchase "Rural Symphony".

(1) Takashima Farm's online store
This season, you can purchase Yumepirika, Nanatsuboshi, Oborozuki, Yukihikari, and glutinous new rice. It is also attractive that they sell not only white rice but also brown rice.

*Open for business this year ended on November 3.

This direct sales shop is open on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from early June to early November (please check the website for business days).
Here, they sell not only various kinds of "Rural Symphony Music" but also pesticide-free vegetables grown at Takashima Farm, as well as rice husks and compost.
It is also a great place for those who have a vegetable garden.

The shop also offers a full lineup of processed products created in collaboration with restaurants in the city.
The collaboration with "Anjushin Sweets" resulted in the sale of roll cakes made with rice flour from Akage rice, and glutinous rice and seasonal vegetables.

Image courtesy of Takashima Farm

Other products are lined up in collaboration with restaurants in the city.

For the hometown tax payment to Kitahiroshima City, you can choose Rural Symphony, which is decorated with a special ball park package, as the key word "challenge" is a common point between the ball park and rice cultivation in Kitahiroshima.

Please pay your hometown tax to Kitahiroshima City and try Rural Symphony Yumepirika!

4. looking forward to brewing sake with "Yutaka Rice

We asked Mr. Takashima about his future plans.

Ryohei Takashima

I want to be a farmer and farm that is rooted in the local community and loved by the locals, collaborating with local people. In the near future, I am most looking forward to collaborating with a liquor store to try my hand at sake brewing.

This year, Takashima Farm began to try its hand at "Yutaka Rice," which is grown in collaboration with "Meishu no Yutaka," a famous sake store that has been in business for over 100 years. The rice is grown by Mr. Takashima and the staff of Meishu no Yutaka, who weed the fields by hand without using any pesticides, and with a lot of time and care.
From next year, they will start a new circular agriculture project, using the harvested rice to make sake and spreading the sake lees back into the rice paddies. This is a trend not to be missed!

Image courtesy of Takashima Farm

It was in mid-March of this year that the idea of growing "Yutaka Rice" using sakekasu as fertilizer came up!
The idea came to them in mid-March of this year, and they decided to take action as soon as they had the idea, gathering as much sakekasu as they could and cultivating it with great care.

I think it's important to try something new," he said. It's easy to keep doing the same thing, but I think that's only going to lead to a decline. When I calculate how many more times I can farm in my life, I figure I have about 30 years left to be at the forefront, and since I can only grow rice once a year, that's only 30 more times." I can only make rice once a year, so that's 30 more times."

Every year, the temperature, precipitation, and other conditions are different, and Mr. Takashima continues to light up with his passion for producing tasty rice through trial and error.
We are sure that you will be impressed by the taste of "Rural Symphony" once you try it. We hope you will apply for the campaign, purchase some rice through our online store or by paying tax in your hometown, and taste it for yourself.