In Kawanishi City, Hyogo Prefecture, the harvest of the city's specialty "morning-picked, fully ripened" figs has begun, and local farmers are busy from early morning with picking and shipping. To let everyone enjoy Kawanishi's figs at their very best, farmers pick the fully ripened fruit before dawn so it can reach markets by early morning. This year's annual fig sale event returns on Friday, August 14, at Aste Kawanishi (アステ川西), 25 Sakaemachi, Kawanishi City.
Kawanishi's Figs Enter Peak Season
Blessed with a mild climate suited to suburban farming, Kawanishi's figs are grown by more than 80 farming households across about 10.4 hectares of fields, centered mainly on the Kushiro (久代), Kamo (加茂), and Sakane (栄根) districts in the southern part of the city. The harvest volume ranks second in Hyogo Prefecture, with about 300 tonnes shipped each year, mainly to the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe (Keihanshin) region.
Known by the nickname "Asadori no Megumi" (朝採りの恵み), Kawanishi's figs are harvested before dawn, with each reddened, ripe fruit picked carefully by hand. The figs are then boxed and shipped out together. Since freshness matters most, the figs gathered at the collection center reach store shelves the same day, delivered to household tables along with their sweet, fully ripened aroma.
Within the city, the figs are sold at the JA Hyogo Rokko (JA兵庫六甲) agricultural co-op market "Shiki no Sato" (四季の郷, Tadasakuragi 2-chome) and the Kawanishi Nanbu Agricultural Produce Direct Sales Stand (川西南部農産物直売所, Kushiro 1-chome), as well as at supermarkets. Outside the city, they can also be purchased at the JA Hyogo Rokko Farmers Market "Smile Hanshin" (スマイル阪神, Kitahoncho 3-chome, Itami City).
At the field of fig farmer Yasuhiro Tada (多田安宏, 61), who grows figs in Kushiro 1-chome, Kawanishi City, about 100 fig trees stand, filling the air with a sweet fragrance. At the peak of the season, he begins harvesting around 4:00 AM and continues working until collection around 6:00 AM. This year's harvest began on August 1 and is expected to continue until around October.
"Since the rainy season ended this year, we've had a run of sunny, hot days, so the figs have turned out very sweet with a beautiful red color," Tada said. "We work hard to pick our fully ripened figs fresh every morning, and I don't think there are any fresher figs out there, so I really hope people will give them a try."
Fig Sale Event
The sale event is held around this time every year so that more people can enjoy the city's specialty figs.
- Date and time: Friday, August 14, 10:00 AM to noon. Numbered tickets will be handed out starting at 8:00 AM on the day (first-come, first-served), and the event will end once the figs sell out.
- Location: Pipu Plaza (ぴぃぷぅ広場), 1st floor of Aste Kawanishi
- Organizer: City Specialty Products Event Executive Committee (市特産物イベント実行委員会)
