interview

The skies are blue in Iwaki. The weather in Hama-Dori, Fukushima Prefecture, is fine on many days, even in winter.

“Sun is what matters most to tomatoes,” said Motoki, 44, as he welcomed us with a smile at a corner of Mori-no Marché at Wonder Farm. In the store were processed foods such as tomato juice, tomato miso (paste), tomato dressing, and other local vegetables and foods, including gift sets of assorted colorful cherry tomatoes.

Motoki, from Okuma Town, Futaba-Gun, Fukushima, grew up in an ordinary white-collar family. He studied electrical- and electronic-systems engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Fukushima College, after which he joined the East Japan Railway Co. in Tokyo. Agriculture was the furthest thing from his mind.

On weekends, he returned to Fukushima, where he often enjoyed surfing at a nearby beach. “From the time I entered the company,” he said, “I wanted to work in my hometown someday.”

Tomatoes were his turning point. His wife’s parents were farmers, primarily growing rice in Yotsukura Town, Iwaki City, but who wanted also to cultivate tomatoes on a large scale. Motoki was surprised when his father-in-law sounded him out about being named his successor, something that is required to incorporate the tomato business, something not commonly done in Japan at that time. Motoki then quit his railway company in 2002 and returned to Fukushima.

The two men worked on establishing an office and constructing greenhouses, and in 2003, launched the large-scale tomato farming operation known as Tomatoland Iwaki.

“It was a succession of failures,” Motoki said. “I took the initiative, introducing Dutch-style equipment and facilities not yet seen in Japan, but I knew little about agriculture. Naturally, our harvests were disappointing.”

Merely continuing to operate was difficult in those early years. It was only after four or five years that harvests began to approach the levels that had been planned. Then, just as it seemed they were going to turn the corner, the giant earthquake struck.

Looking Back at the Earthquake

Damage was great. The frames of the greenhouses survived, but not the glass, and the heating pipes needed for the tomatoes were also destroyed. With the nearby nuclear accident, an evacuation order was given to the Hisanohama area, which is now the northern part of Iwaki City, and many residents in adjacent Yotsukura Town evacuated to other places voluntarily. Motoki and his father-in-law remained.

“We were single-minded. We wanted only to repair the greenhouses. We kept a radio nearby, listening to the news, and were ready to leave on a moment’s notice.”

Without heating, the tomatoes still grew well in the spring. But distribution functions had been completely suspended. Soon, reports of radioactivity issues began. Employees gradually returned, but just as they were ready to harvest, it all came to a halt, as the crop, they were told, would not be accepted. Radioactivity in the tomatoes measured 20Bq/kg at the highest—substantially less than the just-reviewed 100Bq/kg reference value for food. Nevertheless, the market would not accept them, and they could not ship. Eventually, as physical distribution was restored, they were able to ship within the prefecture. “We could sell them only at giveaway prices—for a song at JPY10 each—instead of the normal JPY60 or 80.” They still could not send them to Tokyo, and ended up dumping several tons of tomatoes a day, all harvested from the huge facility.

Fortunately, with the support of people nationwide, Tomatoland Iwaki weathered its storm. It still undergoes monthly inspections for radioactive materials, but suffers less from unfounded fears and rumors.

“Our buyers sometimes ask what kind of inspections we do and what the results are, and are generally satisfied with what we tell them. The questions rarely affect our deals anymore.”

Wonder Farm had been doing well when it was damaged by Typhoon No. 19 in October 2019. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. They decided to review the entirety of restaurant operations. It has been closed since last October, and is now working toward a renewal opening this coming April (2021).

The original buffet, which used an abundance of tomatoes and local vegetables, was popular. With the pandemic, however, when the restaurant reopens, service will be from an a la carte menu, and solid COVID-19 countermeasures will be in place. A friend of Motoki’s runs several restaurants in Tokyo, some of which are now closed. Some of his employees, including chefs, will come to Fukushima. Everyone is trying to figure out how to survive the pandemic. Given the current business environment, for the renewal work, Motoki is thinking of seeking supporters via cloud funding.

“I reminded myself that I must convey the meaning of being here, and I determined to revitalize the Hama-Dori area through ‘food’ over the coming decade.”

Local areas tend to be thought of as bases for food supply for Tokyo and other urban areas. In Hama-Dori, there are many good local seafood dishes, but, when it comes to agricultural products, including tomatoes and meat, Motoki thinks local food culture has not been adequately nurtured. Young chefs from Tokyo and local producers will work together to create a “place” linking the local and urban communities—beyond just a restaurant. Motoki told us of his plans for the future, saying that not only traditional local dishes but new menus using local vegetables would be created, and that better ways to enjoy them would be offered.