'Noto no Taiyo Vitamin Chikuwa Curry' Released on 4/15: Co-developed by Noto's Sugiyo and Nagano Elementary Students for Recovery Support
Sugiyo will release the 'Noto no Taiyo Vitamin Chikuwa Curry' on April 15, 2026, a retort curry co-developed with elementary students in Nagano Prefecture to support the recovery from the Noto earthquake.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 14, 2026 at 22:10
- 🔍 Collected: April 14, 2026 at 13:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 17:04 (123h 32m after Collected)
Development Background
The Noto Peninsula Earthquake struck on January 1, 2024. Children from Omachi Nishi Elementary School in Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture, who had received a food education class themed on Sugiyo's 'Vitamin Chikuwa' the previous year, worried about Sugiyo in Noto and took action to support the recovery.
They thought about what they could do now, sending messages of support, fundraising, and holding banners saying 'Please support Sugiyo's Vitamin Chikuwa' at storefronts after the chikuwa factory resumed operations at the end of May. In October 2024, they visited Noto for the first time since the earthquake, spoke directly with shop owners in temporary shopping streets and representatives of inns, and realized the need for 'sustainable support' after seeing the townscape remain unchanged more than 9 months post-disaster. To achieve this, they came up with the idea:
'We want to make a retort curry using Vitamin Chikuwa.'
At Sugiyo, there was an idea to commercialize a retort curry during the 70th-anniversary project for Vitamin Chikuwa in 2022, but the product was abandoned due to high hurdles such as the production system. However, encouraged by the children's voices, they decided to take on the challenge once again.
Why Curry?
Omachi City is the gateway on the Nagano Prefecture side to the Kurobe Dam. During the construction of the Kurobe Dam, 'Vitamin Chikuwa Curry' was eaten once a week at the lodgings in Omachi City. It was the No. 1 popular menu item, and former workers, now in their 80s, all spoke of their memories of it. The children, having learned the history of 'Vitamin Chikuwa Curry' connecting Noto and Omachi City through food education classes, decided to entrust their feelings of recovery support from Omachi City to the curry.
It will be released on April 15, coinciding with the start of tourist operations at Kurobe Dam.
The Journey of Co-development
The students first thought about the product's concept. Based on ideas like 'Support recovery by eating,' 'Omachi and Noto,' and 'Together, connected, from now on,' they created package design proposals. They tasted prototypes and made promotional posters. The students named the product 'Noto no Taiyo (Sun of Noto) Vitamin Chikuwa Curry' in reference to 'The Sun of Kurobe'. It contains the wish that 'We hope this curry becomes the sun for the disaster-stricken area.'
Sugiyo repeatedly prototyped the curry, designed the package based on the students' opinions, and advanced development while exchanging opinions with them.
In February 2025, it was produced in a small batch, and the students sold a limited 50 units at an event in Omachi City. A line formed before the sale, and it sold out in 15 minutes. Receiving the voice from the students at that time saying, 'We want to sell it at supermarkets too,' they moved towards mass production and decided to release it to the general public this time.
Product Overview
Product Name: Noto no Taiyo Vitamin Chikuwa Curry
Contents: 190g
Release Date: April 15, 2026
Price: Open *Selling price varies by store
Sales Area: Nagano Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture (Joetsu City)
Retailers: Ogizawa Shop at Ogizawa Station, the gateway to Kurobe Dam on the Nagano side
Supermarkets, souvenir shops, Sugiyo direct stores (Shokusai Ichiba), Sugiyo Rakuten Shop, vending machines, recovery events, etc.
Product Features
Vitamin Chikuwa has been manufactured in Noto, Ishikawa for over 70 years. 70% of its production is eaten in Nagano Prefecture. In the past, it was difficult to transport meat to the Kurobe Dam construction site, so it is said that long-lasting chikuwa was used in curry. Also, since meat was precious, 'chikuwa instead of meat' was used in ordinary households as well.
Fish broth comes out from the chikuwa, and students commented that 'it tastes like seafood curry.'
In addition, it uses bunashimeji mushrooms made at Misuzu Life's Noto Factory (Anamizu Town, Ishikawa). The Noto Factory survived the disaster and sold 'Miracle Bunashimeji' from the surviving fungus beds.
Closure of Omachi Nishi Elementary and the Last Vitamin Chikuwa Class
In March 2026, Omachi Nishi Elementary School closed its 150-year history.
The week before the closure, Sugiyo held the 'last Vitamin Chikuwa class' at the school. The students, who were in the 3rd grade during the first class, were now finishing their 5th grade.
They looked back on their activities together, and Sugiyo directly conveyed its gratitude.
The Noto Peninsula Earthquake struck on January 1, 2024. Children from Omachi Nishi Elementary School in Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture, who had received a food education class themed on Sugiyo's 'Vitamin Chikuwa' the previous year, worried about Sugiyo in Noto and took action to support the recovery.
They thought about what they could do now, sending messages of support, fundraising, and holding banners saying 'Please support Sugiyo's Vitamin Chikuwa' at storefronts after the chikuwa factory resumed operations at the end of May. In October 2024, they visited Noto for the first time since the earthquake, spoke directly with shop owners in temporary shopping streets and representatives of inns, and realized the need for 'sustainable support' after seeing the townscape remain unchanged more than 9 months post-disaster. To achieve this, they came up with the idea:
'We want to make a retort curry using Vitamin Chikuwa.'
At Sugiyo, there was an idea to commercialize a retort curry during the 70th-anniversary project for Vitamin Chikuwa in 2022, but the product was abandoned due to high hurdles such as the production system. However, encouraged by the children's voices, they decided to take on the challenge once again.
Why Curry?
Omachi City is the gateway on the Nagano Prefecture side to the Kurobe Dam. During the construction of the Kurobe Dam, 'Vitamin Chikuwa Curry' was eaten once a week at the lodgings in Omachi City. It was the No. 1 popular menu item, and former workers, now in their 80s, all spoke of their memories of it. The children, having learned the history of 'Vitamin Chikuwa Curry' connecting Noto and Omachi City through food education classes, decided to entrust their feelings of recovery support from Omachi City to the curry.
It will be released on April 15, coinciding with the start of tourist operations at Kurobe Dam.
The Journey of Co-development
The students first thought about the product's concept. Based on ideas like 'Support recovery by eating,' 'Omachi and Noto,' and 'Together, connected, from now on,' they created package design proposals. They tasted prototypes and made promotional posters. The students named the product 'Noto no Taiyo (Sun of Noto) Vitamin Chikuwa Curry' in reference to 'The Sun of Kurobe'. It contains the wish that 'We hope this curry becomes the sun for the disaster-stricken area.'
Sugiyo repeatedly prototyped the curry, designed the package based on the students' opinions, and advanced development while exchanging opinions with them.
In February 2025, it was produced in a small batch, and the students sold a limited 50 units at an event in Omachi City. A line formed before the sale, and it sold out in 15 minutes. Receiving the voice from the students at that time saying, 'We want to sell it at supermarkets too,' they moved towards mass production and decided to release it to the general public this time.
Product Overview
Product Name: Noto no Taiyo Vitamin Chikuwa Curry
Contents: 190g
Release Date: April 15, 2026
Price: Open *Selling price varies by store
Sales Area: Nagano Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture (Joetsu City)
Retailers: Ogizawa Shop at Ogizawa Station, the gateway to Kurobe Dam on the Nagano side
Supermarkets, souvenir shops, Sugiyo direct stores (Shokusai Ichiba), Sugiyo Rakuten Shop, vending machines, recovery events, etc.
Product Features
Vitamin Chikuwa has been manufactured in Noto, Ishikawa for over 70 years. 70% of its production is eaten in Nagano Prefecture. In the past, it was difficult to transport meat to the Kurobe Dam construction site, so it is said that long-lasting chikuwa was used in curry. Also, since meat was precious, 'chikuwa instead of meat' was used in ordinary households as well.
Fish broth comes out from the chikuwa, and students commented that 'it tastes like seafood curry.'
In addition, it uses bunashimeji mushrooms made at Misuzu Life's Noto Factory (Anamizu Town, Ishikawa). The Noto Factory survived the disaster and sold 'Miracle Bunashimeji' from the surviving fungus beds.
Closure of Omachi Nishi Elementary and the Last Vitamin Chikuwa Class
In March 2026, Omachi Nishi Elementary School closed its 150-year history.
The week before the closure, Sugiyo held the 'last Vitamin Chikuwa class' at the school. The students, who were in the 3rd grade during the first class, were now finishing their 5th grade.
They looked back on their activities together, and Sugiyo directly conveyed its gratitude.