Japan's Best Medium Tomato Decided! "Miyama Ruby / Oita Prefectural Kusu Miyama High School" from Kusu Town, Kusu District, Oita Prefecture Wins the Highest Gold Award!

The Japan Vegetable Sommelier Association (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Eiji Fukui, hereafter "the Association") held the "5th National Tomato (Medium) Championship" (hereafter "this Championship") on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, as a competitive event for fruits and vegetables aimed at further improving the value of agricultural products. Out of 45 medium tomatoes boasting deliciousness gathered from all over the country, vegetable sommeliers acting as evaluators tasted them while hiding all information such as origin, variety, and producer. They judged the taste and determined the most delicious "tomato." For the first time in the National Fruit and Vegetable Championship, a tomato grown by high school students won the Highest Gold Award! It was a very high-level competition. List of Results (Award Category / Product Name at Sale / Farmer/Organization Name / Production Area) Award Category Product Name at Sale Farmer/Organization Name Production Area Highest Gold Award Miyama Ruby Oita Prefectural Kusu Miyama High School Kusu Town, Kusu District, Oita Prefecture Gold Award Ginmaru Sunroad Yamaguchi Tomato Farm Obu City, Aichi Prefecture Silver Award Super Fruit Tomato (Terute-hime) NKK Agri Dream Co., Ltd. Chikusei City, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture Silver Award KOGATOMATO Koga Tomato Farm Saga City, Saga Prefecture Silver Award Wazumi Tomato Nature Co., Ltd. Wakamatsu Ward, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture Bronze Award Source of Longevity (Choju no Minamoto) Hanai Tomato Farm Kisosaki Town, Mie Prefecture Bronze Award Shichihenge Nasu Farm Hyuga City, Miyazaki Prefecture Bronze Award Fruit Tomato Hiroshima Farm Usa City, Oita Prefecture Bronze Award Deep Sea Water Tomato Hikari Farm Oyabe City, Toyama Prefecture *For other awardees, please see the list of results. d110263-160-3c96766a82af34acb93d01e890912a7e.pdf <> Miyama Ruby / Oita Prefectural Kusu Miyama High School (Kusu Town, Kusu District, Oita Prefecture) - Looking at the cross-section, you are drawn in by the beautiful contrast between the bright red color of the fruit and the green of the seeds. When you eat it, an elegant sweetness spreads, and you want to eat more and more. This alone is a dessert. - The flesh is very soft, the skin is crisp, and the difference in texture was good. The sweetness is strong, but you can definitely taste the umami. It melts smoothly in the mouth. - The thin skin that pops open with a fruity, brilliant sweetness! The juicy freshness that spreads in the mouth is also excellent. Our school's "Miyama Ruby" is a tomato cultivated by students in the regional industry course (vegetable category) using low-temperature stress cultivation that utilizes Kusu's winter environment while also considering the environment. Aiming for high quality (high sugar content, high nutritional value) and safety/peace of mind, we have continued our research aiming to create "a tomato that even people who dislike tomatoes want to eat," and we have cultivated it with all our hearts. <> Ginmaru Sunroad / Yamaguchi Tomato Farm (Obu City, Aichi Prefecture) - Strong sweetness that makes you mistake it for a fruit. The umami is also strong, and it's a taste you want to eat again. - The beautiful redness whets the appetite. The moment it entered my mouth, juice overflowed. It has a very rich taste, and I want to eat many of them just as they are. - A tomato that directly conveys a condensed, rich umami. The gentle acidity and the sweetness of the flesh are a perfect match! We are a small tomato shop farming in the Kinoyama district of Obu City, Aichi Prefecture. We aim to produce high-sugar tomatoes, but we are working hard every day to create a tomato that allows you to taste the original deliciousness of old-fashioned tomatoes with acidity and richness, not just sweetness. We would be happy if you could try it at least once. Thank you very much. https://share.google/MWp20KeIuzqRVNYNt <> Super Fruit Tomato (Terute-hime) / NKK Agri Dream Co., Ltd. (Chikusei City, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture) - The uplifting feeling when you take a bite is wonderful. The balance is particularly good. The umami is strong, making it the ultimate tomato. - When you taste only the juice, you feel the umami first, but when you fill your mouth at once, you feel the sweetness. A delicious tomato that is well-harmonized and has a clean aftertaste. Using a cultivation method uniquely developed over many years, we have created an unprecedentedly large, rich-tasting, and sweet (sugar content of 9 degrees or more) tomato that overturns the common sense of small fruit tomatoes. Packed with flesh and less jelly, the texture is also very satisfying. All tomatoes are measured for sugar content and shape by the industry's top-class sorting machine before shipping. We deliver delicious excitement, peace of mind, and smiles to your dining table! https://kekmarche.jp <>