No help from adults! Elementary school students get hands-on with mochimugi harvesting: Announcement of "Mochimugi Harvesting & Cooking Experience Class" on May 16
Maruyanagi Oguraya Co., Ltd. and the Katō City Mochimugi Utilization Council will hold a "Mochimugi Harvesting & Cooking Experience Class" for elementary school students in Katō City, Hyogo Prefecture on May 16, 2026. The event aims to promote food education and regional revitalization through mochimugi harvesting and cooking experiences.
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Maruyanagi Oguraya Co., Ltd. (Kobe City, Higashinada-ku; Representative Director and President: Yuji Yanagimoto), a manufacturer of steamed beans, boiled beans, and tsukudani, along with the Katō City Mochimugi Utilization Council (composed of Katō City Mayor Masashi Iwane, JA Minori Representative Director and President Chihiro Takeuchi, Hyogo Prefectural Hokuharima Prefectural Bureau Director Takao Umeda, and mochimugi producers in Katō City), will hold a "Mochimugi Experience Class" for elementary school students in Katō City, Hyogo Prefecture on Saturday, May 16, 2026. With the cooperation of students from Hyogo Prefectural Yashiro High School (Principal: Tomonori Hashimoto), participants will experience harvesting mochimugi cultivated in Katō City and cooking "Tenshinhan with Mochimugi" using mochimugi.
Scenes from the 2024 "Mochimugi Experience Class" *The 2025 event was canceled due to rain.
"Mochimugi Experience Class" Overview
The Katō City Mochimugi Utilization Council annually provides elementary school students with an opportunity to learn and enjoy the local specialty "mochimugi," which is harvested in late May, through authentic agricultural experiences and cooking classes. This year, local Yashiro High School students will lead the mochimugi harvesting experience, followed by a cooking class where elementary school students will prepare "Tenshinhan ~with Mochimugi Senbei~," the winning menu from last year's cooking contest.
Experience Content: ① Gut Health Seminar ② Mochimugi Field Harvesting and Threshing Experience ③ Cooking Class (Mochimugi Tenshinhan, Mochimugi Senbei Making)
Date and Time: Saturday, May 16, 2026, 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM
*In case of rain, the harvesting experience will be canceled.
Meeting Place: JA Minori Takino Branch (2426 Kami-Takino, Katō City)
Participation Fee: 500 yen (to be collected at the reception on the day)
Capacity: 24 people
Application Method: Please enter the required information via the URL or QR code.
[Application URL] https://x.gd/sgIpT
Application Deadline: Until Sunday, May 10
(Reference) Towards a Town of Health and Longevity: Food Education Learning from Specialty Mochimugi
On the day of the experience class, a gut health seminar will be held, utilizing the booklet "The Secret to Health is in the Gut," published in February this year. This seminar will teach the importance of dietary fiber, including mochimugi, and gut environment. By developing "Shokusenryoku" (the ability to choose what one eats) from childhood, the ultimate goal is to contribute to the creation of a town of health and longevity. This booklet is also planned to be placed in Katō City Hall, community centers, various schools, hospitals, supermarkets, and roadside stations. The aim is to further promote awareness activities regarding gut and health in Katō City, encourage the intake of dietary fiber, including the local specialty mochimugi, and contribute to regional health promotion.
(Reference) "Mochimugi Experience Class" Event Report
The "Mochimugi Experience Class" held on Saturday, May 18, 2024, included a harvesting experience and mochimugi onigiri making. First, participants learned about mochimugi growth and dietary fiber in a lecture, then moved to the field for the harvesting experience. Currently, harvesting is mainly done by machine, but on this day, children used sickles to experience farming. Although initially hesitant, the children quickly became adept at harvesting, proudly showing large bundles to their parents. The day was blessed with fine weather, and despite the sweaty work, comments included, "Threshing was difficult, but harvesting by myself was fun." Learning the joy of harvesting through hard work, the day ended with the biggest smiles and shouts of "It was fun!"
About Katō City Mochimugi Utilization Council
To increase the production and brand value of "mochimugi," a specialty product of Katō City, Hyogo Prefecture, the "Katō City Mochimugi Utilization Council" was established in 2019 through collaboration between Katō City, JA Minori, producers, Hyogo Prefectural Hokuharima Prefectural Bureau, and Maruyanagi. Through regional PR activities and food education events, the council is working on "regional revitalization," "agricultural promotion," and "health promotion" utilizing mochimugi.
About Maruyanagi Oguraya Co., Ltd.
With the main theme "Passing on the wonder of traditional ingredients to the next generation," we are committed to proposing new food experiences that leverage the health value and deliciousness of traditional ingredients such as kelp, beans, grains like mochimugi, and vegetables, and to firmly pass them on to the next generation.
[Company Overview]
Company Name: Maruyanagi Oguraya Co., Ltd.
Headquarters: 4-9-21 Mikagezuka-cho, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City
Representative Director and President: Yuji Yanagimoto
Business Activities: Manufacturing and sales of steamed beans, tsukudani, and boiled beans
Founded: December 26, 1951
HP: https://www.maruyanagi.co.jp/
Scenes from the 2024 "Mochimugi Experience Class" *The 2025 event was canceled due to rain.
"Mochimugi Experience Class" Overview
The Katō City Mochimugi Utilization Council annually provides elementary school students with an opportunity to learn and enjoy the local specialty "mochimugi," which is harvested in late May, through authentic agricultural experiences and cooking classes. This year, local Yashiro High School students will lead the mochimugi harvesting experience, followed by a cooking class where elementary school students will prepare "Tenshinhan ~with Mochimugi Senbei~," the winning menu from last year's cooking contest.
Experience Content: ① Gut Health Seminar ② Mochimugi Field Harvesting and Threshing Experience ③ Cooking Class (Mochimugi Tenshinhan, Mochimugi Senbei Making)
Date and Time: Saturday, May 16, 2026, 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM
*In case of rain, the harvesting experience will be canceled.
Meeting Place: JA Minori Takino Branch (2426 Kami-Takino, Katō City)
Participation Fee: 500 yen (to be collected at the reception on the day)
Capacity: 24 people
Application Method: Please enter the required information via the URL or QR code.
[Application URL] https://x.gd/sgIpT
Application Deadline: Until Sunday, May 10
(Reference) Towards a Town of Health and Longevity: Food Education Learning from Specialty Mochimugi
On the day of the experience class, a gut health seminar will be held, utilizing the booklet "The Secret to Health is in the Gut," published in February this year. This seminar will teach the importance of dietary fiber, including mochimugi, and gut environment. By developing "Shokusenryoku" (the ability to choose what one eats) from childhood, the ultimate goal is to contribute to the creation of a town of health and longevity. This booklet is also planned to be placed in Katō City Hall, community centers, various schools, hospitals, supermarkets, and roadside stations. The aim is to further promote awareness activities regarding gut and health in Katō City, encourage the intake of dietary fiber, including the local specialty mochimugi, and contribute to regional health promotion.
(Reference) "Mochimugi Experience Class" Event Report
The "Mochimugi Experience Class" held on Saturday, May 18, 2024, included a harvesting experience and mochimugi onigiri making. First, participants learned about mochimugi growth and dietary fiber in a lecture, then moved to the field for the harvesting experience. Currently, harvesting is mainly done by machine, but on this day, children used sickles to experience farming. Although initially hesitant, the children quickly became adept at harvesting, proudly showing large bundles to their parents. The day was blessed with fine weather, and despite the sweaty work, comments included, "Threshing was difficult, but harvesting by myself was fun." Learning the joy of harvesting through hard work, the day ended with the biggest smiles and shouts of "It was fun!"
About Katō City Mochimugi Utilization Council
To increase the production and brand value of "mochimugi," a specialty product of Katō City, Hyogo Prefecture, the "Katō City Mochimugi Utilization Council" was established in 2019 through collaboration between Katō City, JA Minori, producers, Hyogo Prefectural Hokuharima Prefectural Bureau, and Maruyanagi. Through regional PR activities and food education events, the council is working on "regional revitalization," "agricultural promotion," and "health promotion" utilizing mochimugi.
About Maruyanagi Oguraya Co., Ltd.
With the main theme "Passing on the wonder of traditional ingredients to the next generation," we are committed to proposing new food experiences that leverage the health value and deliciousness of traditional ingredients such as kelp, beans, grains like mochimugi, and vegetables, and to firmly pass them on to the next generation.
[Company Overview]
Company Name: Maruyanagi Oguraya Co., Ltd.
Headquarters: 4-9-21 Mikagezuka-cho, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City
Representative Director and President: Yuji Yanagimoto
Business Activities: Manufacturing and sales of steamed beans, tsukudani, and boiled beans
Founded: December 26, 1951
HP: https://www.maruyanagi.co.jp/