Harvesting work has begun in earnest this year in Takinoue Town, Hokkaido, which produces the largest amount of peppermint in Japan.
The town of Takinoue on the Sea of Okhotsk has been producing peppermint for over 100 years, and currently accounts for over 90% of domestic production.
At Hiroshi Segawa's farm, which cultivates peppermint in a field of 4 hectares, last week, flowers began to bloom, signaling the timing of harvest, and this year's harvest work began in earnest.
The variety called JM23, which has been harvested since the 30th, has a gentle, stimulating scent peculiar to mint, and is used in milky lotions and sweets.
At the farm, mints were harvested in bundles and hung upright to dry in the sun for future oil extraction.
Mr. Segawa, the producer, said, ``This year, it has grown taller and has a lot of leaves, so we can expect the best oil in the last few years. .
The harvested mint will be distilled and processed into "mint oil" at the end of this month.