EXCLUSIVE ONLINE REPORT

Noguchi Isao on Heirloom Seeds
Why do old-style vegetables taste much better?!
And why are they safer?

An interview by Martin J. Frid

Noguchi Isao, now 65 years old, was born in the seed shop that his grandfather started in Hanno, in rural Saitama, northwest of Tokyo. Fascinated by the world of manga and animation since elementary school, he moved to Tokyo and dropped out of college to work for the famous animation company run by Tezuka Osamu. But when he turned 30, he quit Mushi Production Co. to enter his family’s seed business.
           
In 2004, TV reporter/actor Watanabe Fumio contacted Noguchi’s seed shop, saying he wanted to eat “old” style vegetables with names like Hanshiro kyuri (a half-white cucumber that was popular in Tokyo in the Meiji era) and Izumi mizunasu (water eggplant from the Izumi area of Osaka which is particularly suitable for pickling). 

Of course, as the old sayings go, “Seeing is believing,” and “A picture is worth a thousand words.” In Japan, Noguchi explains, the saying is “Hyaku bun wa hitokuchi ni shikazu” or, loosely translated: “One bite is worth a hundred words.” He sees it as his mission to educate people about the great taste of “old” varieties of vegetables, and the importance of using local varieties that are well-suited to the climate, the geological features, and the soil.

To read entire article, download as PDF file (136KB)

Martin Frid was born in Sweden, currently lives in Japan. Worked for over a decade in the NGO sector as a food and trade policy expert in Brussels and London, before moving back to Japan in 2003.

He runs a very informative blog: Kurashi: News from Japan
("Kurashi" is a Japanese word that can mean lifestyle, sustainable living, and livelihood)

This excerpted interview with Noguchi Isao originally appeared in full on the excellent Consumers Union of Japan site, here.

www.nishoren.org/en/

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