Food Safety and Security Class for Children, FY2026

[Date of Implementation] Friday, May 15, 2026
[Venue] Nature Life (60-4 Niseko Town-dori, Niseko-cho)
[Lecturer] Mr. Furukawa from Nature Life
[Experience Details] - Make red bean paste using adzuki beans (Kitaroman) Niseko Town.
- Make butter from milk and cream.
- Make taiyaki using the red bean paste and butter you made.

We learned about locally produced goods, using locally grown adzuki beans and wheat from Hokkaido.
During the butter-making experience, everyone enthusiastically shook containers filled with milk and cream, and when a lump of butter finally formed after 20 minutes, smiles all around.
At first, they struggled to get the taiyaki (fish-shaped cakes) just right, but they got better with each subsequent attempt. They seemed to enjoy the process of working together with their friends and felt a sense of accomplishment.
Some participants learned for the first time that red beans are grown in Niseko, and others expressed interest in trying to make taiyaki (fish-shaped cakes filled with red bean paste) at home. Through this experience, we were able to increase their interest in and appreciation for local agricultural products and processed goods.
 

[Date of Implementation] August 17, 2026 (Monday)
[Harvesting Experience] Niseko Crystal Farm (77-4 Niseko Town, Niseko-cho)
[Lecturer] Naoki Nakamura, Niseko Crystal Farm
[Cooking Experience] Niseko Town Center
[Experience Details] - Harvesting cherry tomatoes together with farmers
- Cooking practice using harvested cherry tomatoes
(Cherry tomato risotto, cherry tomato wrapped in meat, Niseko vegetable soup, tomato ice cream)

During the harvesting experience, the children harvested so much that it overflowed their containers, and their satisfied smiles were truly memorable.
After the experience, instructor Nakamura explained that the mini tomatoes they harvested were of the "Horemaru" variety, which is larger and sweeter than typical mini tomatoes. The students asked detailed questions about techniques for growing delicious mini tomatoes, such as cultivation periods and measures to prevent continuous cropping problems, and I was impressed by their inquisitive nature towards agriculture.
During the cooking class, we were able to work together, cutting vegetables and wrapping meat around cherry tomatoes, having fun and chatting. We also learned the importance of cherishing food, as we ate everything, right down to the ice cream for dessert.