KOUNOTORI(Pesticide-free)fromHYOGO-兵庫こうのとり（農薬不使用）2025crop

‘KOUNOTORI’ from Hyogo

In Toyooka, Tajima, Hyogo, rice grows in a pristine mountain basin fed by clean river water and cool highland air. Mr Ueda use the "Kounotori farming method" — winter flooding, organic fertiliser, and zero pesticides — so that frogs, loaches, and dragonflies thrive as food for the Oriental White Stork.

The Oriental White Stork (コウノトリ) vanished from Japan in 1971. To bring it back, Toyooka farmers embraced pesticide-free cultivation. Today over 300 storks soar again — and this rice, rich in living biodiversity, won the 2016 International Rice Taste Competition Gold Prize.

It offers a soft, pillowy texture with strong stickiness and a pronounced natural sweetness. Its glossy white appearance when cooked is highly prized. Remarkably, the flavour barely diminishes even hours after cooking — making it ideal for bento boxes and onigiri. Grown with organic compost and winter-flooded paddies, it meets strict certification standards for safety and biodiversity.

COMPATIBILITY

○ sushi · onigiri · ochazuke
△ curry · risotto · paella