Ishii farm is a shining example in Japanese agriculture. Known for their imaginative approach to farming, Ishii farm embraces technology and tradition equally to produce high-quality and eco-friendly products, especially konjac. We had the chance to try their konjac gummies and they were surprisingly delicious! Let’s hear more about their story.
A breathtaking view of the Ishii Farm – Photo Credit: Ishii Farm
We are glad to have you here today! Can you please introduce yourself?
I’m Kunihiko Ishii, from Showa Village in Gunma Prefecture. Showa Village is a scenic
location that is affiliated with “The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan.” In such a place, we cultivate konjac potatoes and use them to create unique gummies that help clean your teeth.
A booklet page showing the history of the Ishii Farm – Photo Credit: Ishii Farm
We’ve come to know that Ishii Farm has a glamorous history. Can you please walk our readers through it?
I’m the fourth generation of konjac farmers. Konjac is internationally known as an unusual vegetable. We must dig up and replant them for three years in order to cultivate them. Once I took over the family business, I began to strongly feel that “it’s a shame to keep such a hard-earned vegetable only in Japan!”
Being a farmer in Japan, konjac potatoes could only be sold to domestic wholesalers. If we wished to introduce konjac abroad, we needed to become a manufacturer. Thus, we began our new project to become one. First, we started to produce konjac products for household consumption, while always having the idea of producing konjac gummies in mind. And here we are now, selling konjac gummies abroad too.
Vegan Konjac Gummies – Photo Credit: Ishii Farm
Our HR Manager, Norma, met you and introduced us to your konjac gummies. How did you come up with the idea of making gummies from konjac? Also, can we get a slight insight into how they are made?
I began making these gummies after meeting some children in Peru.
The tribe that I met with doesn’t have the habit of brushing their teeth in their entire lives. I was very sad to learn that even though I gave them chocolate and other candies with only good intentions, they were still doing harm to their teeth. This astonishing encounter was a major paradigm shift in my life. I could not get this out of my head, and I was always thinking about how I could potentially make such candies that’d do no harm. Eventually, I came up with the idea that I might be able to make gummies with konjac, which we produce on our own farm.
Making gummies from konjac was not an easy feat. It took four years from prototype to final product, and twelve years from their actual conception. From our hope of children having safe food to eat, we do not include sugar. They are made from konjac, fruit juice, and erythritol, a sweetener that is naturally derived from corn that does not cause cavities. The ingredients are quite simple, aren’t they?
Can you let us know where our readers can try or buy them?
They are mostly available online. However, our products are also available at some physical stores such as Kagurazaka Yasai Keikaku in Tokyo and Nippon Department Store at Red Brick Warehouse in Yokohama.
Steps of making Konjac product – Photo Credit: Ishii Farm
What types of approaches do you use to make your products high-quality and environmentally safe?
It starts with soil preparation. All konjac potatoes, the raw material of our products, are grown on site at our own farm. We take as much care as possible to eliminate environmental impact during our cultivation and produce the best of the konjac for your loved konjac gummies.
The growing konjac plants – a pretty view – Photo Credit: Ishii Farm
For our readers, we would love to know if international or local tourists can visit your farm. If they can, can you please inform us about the experiences that they can have?
While not always available, farm tours can be arranged. Please contact us to schedule a visit. You can experience planting in the spring and digging in the fall. In summer, there is nothing to experience because the fields are under management, but why not refresh yourself by cycling or driving in the Akagi Highland area instead? So please be our guests whenever you can, and we’ll try our best to make your experience memorable!
Konjac pork belly and Chinese cabbage roll finished off with okonomiyaki sauce – Photo Credit: Ishii Farm
We can guess that you love konjac, so maybe you have a favourite recipe you would like to share with our readers?
With konjac, there are a variety of tasty foods you can make with it. Firstly, please try Ishii Konjac as sashimi. Then, I recommend a pan-fried version of it. It also tastes delicious when breaded and deep-fried as karaage. Our konjac goes well with vinegar, so I also recommend marinating it in balsamic. Please note that these recipes won’t work with all brands of konjac.
Delicious Konjac Fritters – Photo Credit: Ishii Farm
Looking ahead, do you have any future plans you are working on?
My wish to help children eat gummies without having cavities hasn’t changed. Instead of eating foods that cause cavities, I’d like to spread the new idea of consuming foods that keep your teeth clean. And so, I’ll always be looking to make my konjac gummies more tasty for the children so that they are loved more, rather than the traditional chocolates and candies.
Konjac making, Base 1 – Photo Credit: Ishii Farm
Konjac making, Base 2 – Photo Credit: Ishii Farm
Your farm is located in Gunma Prefecture. Are there any places you would recommend visiting there and why?
Gunma Prefecture has wonderful outdoor activities and hot springs. For example: Gunma Safari Park, the Oze Highlands, Minakami Rafting, and Lake Shima. Our prefectural character, Gunma-chan, is quite cute too. We have one of the only four Häagen-Dazs factories in the world. Our soul foods include miso manju, Mizusawa udon, and more.
That said, if you are ever visiting Gunma prefecture, I highly recommend the restaurant “Fan x Dalcuore” in Takasaki.
Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to our readers?
Konjac is a plant unique to Asia. It is quite different when compared to the usual vegetables. That’s why I think you should try konjac, which can be transformed into a variety of dishes.
Additionally, Showa village in Gunma Prefecture is not a place you would normally visit on a trip to Japan. So why not take this chance to experience our local culture too while visiting us!
It was so lovely to have you with us! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day for us! We really appreciate your insights.
Follow Ishii Farm on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imo_konjac_/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IMOkonjac/
Blog Website: https://www.imo-konjac.com/
Featured Photo Credit: Ishii Farm
