This is my essay.








A savory muskmelon was planted at a storefront of the flower in Jinbocho district. As it was the first time for me to see the planted muskmelon, I was so attracted by the flavor, color and shape. It was more than 10 years ago, when the Iwata City of Shizuoka Prefecture invited me as a lecturer. After finishing my lecture, they presented me a wooden box as a souvenir. When I went back to my house, I opened the box. There was a wonderful muskmelon in it. They even indicated when the best timing for me to eat it was. As it was the bubble economy days, every thing was so expensive. The price of this kind of muskmelon in the carton box was maybe from 10,000 yen to 30,000 yen, which was US$ 80 to 260. Although I took it, of course the taste was the sweetest and the most delicious, but nothing more than that. A melon was a melon.

I observe that the agriculture of Japan seems to going to a wrong way. The farmers try to do their best for making nice-looking and sweetest fruits or vegetables and selling them in high prices. Most of their success stories are more or less these kinds of ones. After I had stayed in oversea, I believed that this thinking of mine was very right. Firstly the price of agricultural products in oversea is mostly about 10% of that in Japan. However the outlook of oversea agricultural products is no good and their tastes are not so nice. But that is enough for fulfilling our daily need for foods. For example, the watermelon of Japan costs at least 2,500 yen (US$ 20). However in the Southeast countries, it is only 20 yen (US$ 2) or so. Of course their tastes are not as sweet as the watermelon if Japan. But we can enjoy their wild taste and we can enjoy taking them at any time. To begin with, cheap and abundant foods are necessary for people's daily life. However in Japan, the price of industrial goods are the lowest in the world. To the contrary, the price of agricultural products are the extremely highest in the world. This means that the Japanese industries have been successful in the world-wide competition, but the Japanese agriculture has been protected by the Government and failed in innovate himself.

And one more thing that I wanted to point out is that fruits and vegetables of the foreign country are more human than these of Japan. For example, tomato that I took in my childhood was grass-like flavor and taste. However it was impossible for us to find such tomato. Most of the tomatoes nowadays are the brand name of "Momotaro". This tomato looks big, nice-looking and fresh all the time. It can last longer up to one week after its harvest. This is a very important factor for the distributing point of view. In the case of the conventional tomato, it would last only a few days since its harvest. So you would know how meaningful for distributors this difference is! However there is good and bad in such a story. When we compare with nutritious ingredients, Momotaro contains only one third of the conventional brand. In another words, Momotaro will be produced through only out-looks and convenience of distributors, at the expense of nourishment.

If this story would be true, same kinds of these stories might occurred in all kinds of agricultural products in Japan. When I was a small boy, my mother sometimes gave me a sour mandarin orange in summer. It makes me remind of an acid taste, my young mother and the midst of summer. However this kind of sour mandarin orange has disappeared completely from the market. To take up the example, nowadays we often find the sweetest grape, named as Kyohou. I think this is not a grape but the container of sugar. This grape is very sweet like that. I am afraid that Kyohou would be not so good for our health, if we would keep taking it.

Of course to reduce pesticide and to make "organic agricultural goods" are important, but to stop these kinds of unnecessary "improvement of breed" is more important. Or is this the phenomena limited in some big cities such as Tokyo or Osaka? I would like to research some days on this points.

(August 3rd, 2005)




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Essay of My Wonderful Life

(c) Yama san 2005, All rights reserved