Ishikawa

Ishikawa has a contrasting topography stretching north to south with the Noto Peninsula and the Kaga Plain, and seasonal winds from the Sea of Japan and snowmelt water from the Hakusan mountain range form the foundation of its agriculture and fisheries. The Noto Peninsula features a continuous complex coastline and calm bays, developing good fishing grounds for marine products such as oysters, sweet shrimp, and snow crabs. Fugu (tiger pufferfish) is also caught off the coast of Wajima and is known as Wajima fugu (pufferfish). The Kaga region expands with the alluvial fan and lowlands of the Tedori River, and traditional vegetable groups called Kaga yasai (vegetables) have been cultivated in the suburbs of Kanazawa for many years. 15 items including Kaga renkon (lotus root), Kinjiso (leafy green), Gensuke Daikon Radish, and Utsugi akagawa amaguri Kabocha Squash are certified as Kaga yasai, distributed as high-value-added agricultural products linked to Kanazawa's ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant) culture. In the paddy field areas of the Kaga and Komatsu regions, the cultivation of original rice varieties such as Hyakumangoku (rice) is also prominent, raising the quality standard of agricultural products as a whole. The Ruby Roman Grape is a large-grain high-grade variety developed by Ishikawa, and high prices at the market's first auction become a topic of conversation.

Source: MAFF Crop Statistics (Reiwa 5 / 2023), JMA historical weather data

A structural feature of Ishikawa's agriculture and fisheries is that two poles, the Kanazawa food culture sphere and the bounty of the Noto sea, coexist within the prefecture. Kaga yasai is not merely a preservation activity for traditional vegetables, but is directly linked to the demand of the high-unit-price restaurant industry of Kanazawa's ryotei and kappo (traditional Japanese restaurants), so an incentive for producers to maintain quality functions continuously. Due to this, a production area structure of small quantities, high quality, and multiple items is established in a direction different from the nationwide scale expansion and standardization of agriculture. On the other hand, in Noto, the geographic isolation of being a peninsula conversely leads to the conservation of the fishing ground environment, and community-based fisheries such as inner bay oyster farming and Wajima fugu fishing remain. The 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake caused major damage to the production areas, but interest in Noto products is rising again amid recovery efforts. Including the development of high-value-added varieties represented by Ruby Roman, Ishikawa can be said to be a prefecture that has built up the brand power of its agriculture and fisheries on the axis of quality over quantity.