We interviewed a farmer who grows delicious vegetables in Tako-cho, Katori-gun, Chiba Prefecture!
Photographed by a team member.
I received permission to publish the photo.
Mokkori Farm
Director
Director Takao Sugasawa Director's wife Hiroko
Thank you for taking the time to interview me.
おPlease tell me about the town you live in and your agricultural work.
When did you start farming?
I started farming 25 years ago, since I graduated from high school at the age of 18.
Have you ever wanted to try another job?
I've been doing manzai since high school, and I wanted to do it in the future.
It was interesting to talk to you. I thought he was really a comedian.
Why didn't you choose that job?
My partner who was putting together a comedy skit was going to university, so instead of
being a
manzai, I decided to aim to become a farmer who could invite comedians.
What is the appeal of being a farmer?
It's a feeling similar to raising a child, seeing the vegetables you've grown take shape.
There's nothing wasted in vegetables, and even if they're in bad shape, the taste doesn't
change.
I'm so happy that everyone tries it and says it's delicious.
Also, I run a direct sales store in front of my house, and I'm very happy when customers
come from
far away to buy vegetables and greet me.
There were a lot of fresh and various vegetables lined up, and the direct sales stand was
handmade,
which I thought was original and very nice.
I want to go every day!
May I ask your wife as well?
First of all, I find it very strange that such a small seed can grow into such a large
vegetable.
Planting seeds and watching them grow feels like raising a child every year.
It's really fun because if I didn't marry a farmer, I wouldn't know unless I grew
vegetables.
When I run a direct sales store, people ask me, "Don't you have this vegetable?" I'm doing
my best
to respond to that.
Also, when I plant sweet potatoes, the view in the morning before planting is completely
different
from the view in the evening after planting, which is really fun.、Ah, I feel a great sense
of
accomplishment knowing that I planted so many sweet potato seedlings.
sweet potato seedlings
How to plant
After planting
It has grown!
Go to the direct sales office!
I didn't know that sweet potato seedlings could be planted quite deep.
By the way, could you show me the small seeds you mentioned earlier?
This is a turnip seed
Click on the image to enlarge
(The photo was taken by a team member
and permission was given to post it.)
This is sunny lettuce
Click on the image to enlarge
(The photo was taken by a team member
and permission was given to post it.)
Wow, it's so small!
It's strange that this can be turned into lettuce or turnips!
May I ask the origin of the name Mokkori Farm?
A customer from Fukushima who came to the direct sales store said to me, ``Brother, are you
feeling
Mokkori?''
The name Mokkori Farm seems to have the meaning of rising, and it has a great impact, and it
also
has the meaning of going one step further.
A name you'll never forget! It has a big impact!
When people buy vegetables that you have grown yourself, how do you want them to eat them?
After all, I want people to eat it without seasoning.
Also, I would like families to enjoy conversations while talking about vegetables.
For example, I think it would be fun to come up with a menu as a family, such as, ``We have
potatoes
today, but what would you like to have for dinner?''
I hear that working as a farmer is difficult. Is your job difficult?
Harvested vegetables are transported in containers, but they are quite heavy.
I think it's difficult for women
It also depends on the weather
A typhoon, all the
rain, or no
rain at all.
Have you ever wanted to live somewhere different from Tako Town?
Not really.
It's where I was born
That's right
For those who were born and raised in Tako-machi, what is the appeal of Tako-machi?
We are holding various events.
The Tako Rice Championship, the Tako Rice Side Dish Grand Prix, and the Hydrangea Festival.
If you are interested, please try participating.
Vegetables are very expensive at my supermarket these days due to rising prices.
Are there any plans to raise the price of vegetables?
I don't want to raise the price
With a bag full of vegetables, I want people to think, ``Are they this good?''
I'm very happy that you like it
I'm using a slightly smaller bag than I used to, but I'm
really happy that everyone enjoys eating it.ｘ
Lastly, could you tell us about the source of your many events and activities?
The other day, I handed out roasted sweet potatoes at an event at a welfare facility.
When I saw the smiles on so many people's faces with my baked sweet potatoes, I realized that
this is what I wanted to do when I received those smiles.
I wanted to become a comedian because I wanted to see people smile. Agriculture also brings
smiles to people's faces.
I couldn't become a celebrity, but I think I could have become an interesting farmer.
I wanted to not just grow vegetables, but alsoroasted potatoes and make people smile.
I love sweet potatoes and became a farmer, so I wanted to make ``roasted potatoes.''
Being able to enjoy my favorite roasted sweet potato in the same time and space as being
delicious.
And is it a source that allows us to imagine the future a little further in the future?
I guess you could call it imagination or image.
A future where we will definitely do this
I'm so happy when people smile and say it's delicious.
Being able to see the future a little further in the future gives me more energy to work
hard.
If you think what to do if you are told it's bad, it's a lack of effort.
I don't want to imagine a future filled with anxiety.
I will do my best to maintain perfection.
It's not a promise I made to anyone, it's a promise I made to myself.
Because that's my life, to make everyone smile a lot.
I believe that the activities carried out by the director of Mokkori Farm are activities that
create connections between people, which is the most important part of regional
revitalization.
I think it's a great activity.
The subtitle of this site is ``Agriculture connects people,''
and we would like to create a site that quickly conveys the appeal of farming and connects it to
regional revitalization.
A word about the local area
(We received permission to publish the video over the phone from "Shinmachi House (welfare
facility)" shown in the video.)
A team member took the video and received permission to post it.
～We showed you some of the vegetables we grow～
Photo taken by team members, permission was granted to post the photo.
Click on the image to enlarge
Photographed by a team member. Permission to post received via email
After the interview
This time, we looked for people who could meet us in person and asked them to cooperate with our
interview.
The vegetables are so fresh and delicious that customers come from all over the country to visit the
farm's direct sales store.Mokkori Farm's director and his wife are both very nice people.
Although it is an unmanned direct sales stand, it has also become a community place like a roadside
station.
Several times a year, they hold events in the middle of the fields with singers and crepe vendors, and
it seems that many fans come from outside the prefecture for these events.
I thought that creating a flow of people to Tako Town through the farm and creating opportunities
to learn about Tako Town through vegetables would lead to regional revitalization of Tako Town.
Before I interviewed them, I had negative preconceptions about being a farmer, such as how difficult
it is and how there are no days off all year round, but when I actually talked to them, they were
very proud of their profession as farmers. I thought it was wonderful to be able to enjoy growing
vegetables every day like a child, but at the same time, my preconceptions that farmers were just
hard work were overturned.
We hope that this site will help convey the charm of Mokkori Farm in Tako Town.
