In the fields of Hoshinoya Taketomi Island, you will experience harvesting Taketomi potatoes with the staff who are familiar with the island’s farm culture. You will not only enjoy digging potatoes, but also learn about the island’s unique farm culture, such as the island lifestyle where potatoes were the staple food and the island’s festivals that were born from agriculture. Nowadays, the number of people engaged in agriculture is decreasing, and the only fields where Taketomi potatoes are harvested are those of a few grandfathers on the island and those of Hoshinoya Taketomi Island.

Hoshinoya Taketomi Island received the seed potatoes from his grandfather in 2017 and continues to cultivate them. This is an experience to harvest with your own hands a traditional crop that is closely related to the island, and to further increase your interest in the island not only through the Taketomi sweet potatoes themselves but also through the field work.

Using the harvested Taketomi sweet potatoes, we will make traditional sweet potato sweets called “nunui” (sweet potato dumplings) and “birro” (sweet potato kudzu-mochi) with the islanders. The place for making sweets is a dining room surrounded by nature.
Ngannui” is made by mixing pureed sweet potato with freshly ground flour by hand and kneading until the mixture is completely dry. In the old days, islanders used to carry it as a substitute for rice balls.

To make bilroe, put the sweet potato scraps and water in a pot and heat. When the mixture is just about to boil, the heat is lowered and a thorough stirring is done. The smooth texture made it easy to eat even when one was not feeling well. You can also hear stories from the islanders about their ingenuity in living when potatoes were the staple food, and about the island’s food culture, including potatoes.

On Taketomi Island, an event called “Hanchimei no Wish” is held on Chou-you-no-Sekku, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. The ceremony consists of drinking chrysanthemum wine in a cup made of luminous shells and eating a feast of taro and other offerings to the gods. In this program, sake in yokogai cups and Taketomi sweet potatoes made into chips will be prepared. Taketomi imo will be paired with a condiment made of ingredients familiar to Yaeyama. It is time to open the window of the guest room and enjoy the Taketomi sweet potato while taking in the pleasant autumn breeze.

Overview of “HANCHIMEI STAY”

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