Hamanaka Town, Akkeshi District, Hokkaido. This small town of about 6,300 people produces some of the best milk in Japan. In 1981, it established Japan's first dairy farming technology center and began digitizing raw milk data. As a result, it was discovered that some milk had a milk fat content exceeding 4.0%, indicating that it was possible to produce extremely high-quality milk. Not only the raw milk, but also the pasture grass used as feed and even the soil in which the grass grows are analyzed. And when Häagen-Dazs entered the Japanese market, it was the only milk that was approved. Currently, Hamanaka Town is the only place where Holstein milk can be produced year-round with a milk fat content of 4.0%, and even then, it is only produced by a limited number of dairy farmers, mainly seven dedicated households, and is sold as "Hokkaido 4.0 Milk" by Takanashi Dairy Co., Ltd.


Visiting the producers

Even within Hamanaka Town, which produces some of the highest-quality raw milk in Japan, there is a dairy farming family that has been consistently producing high-quality raw milk for a long time. They are Masaki and Haruko Nihei. Generally, dairy farming is strongly associated with milking, but in reality, it encompasses a wide range of activities from breeding to feed production, and milking is merely the result. Many factors are involved, including managing the health of the cows, to produce milk with a high milk fat content. Mr. Nihei is very particular about his work, for example, the feed he gives to his cows. While many dairy farmers in the Kanto region use a lot of grains, Mr. Nihei is particular about pasture grass, using grains only as a supplement. In human terms, it's similar to using grains only as a supplement. Pasture grass can be harvested in two stages, first and second cuts, with first cuts being high in carbohydrates and second cuts being high in protein. He uses data obtained daily from the technical center to determine which first and second cuts to use.


Roll-shaped feed. Two rolls are consumed per day.

"Good raw milk can only be produced from healthy cows. If 4.0 milk is made by forcing cows to be raised unnaturally, then I have no intention of producing 4.0 milk," says Masaki. He believes that the health of the cows is paramount. Even among dairy cows, it takes about two years from birth to giving birth and becoming able to be milked, and good milk cannot be produced unless they are carefully raised until then. Generally speaking, it is difficult to produce milk with a milk fat content of 4.0 or higher, but when we visited Mr. Nihei in January, there were days when his raw milk had a milk fat content exceeding 4.7. This seems to be an astonishing figure.


Haruko giving milk to a calf

Haruko said, "It is said that in 20 years, the population of Hamanaka Town will fall below 4,000. We want to continue to produce delicious milk steadily and diligently to revitalize Hamanaka Town, even just a little." *At the cafe inside Isetan x Lupin III "Le Panissimo in ISETAN," you can enjoy cafe lattes and other drinks made with milk produced by Ms. Nihei.


Interview cooperation: Hamanaka Town Hall Commerce and Tourism Division, Hamanaka Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry, JA Hamanaka Town, Takanashi Dairy Co., Ltd.

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