Sake Company Harvests Rice from Tokyo Rooftop Rice Paddy; Growth Delayed due to Bad Weather but Recovered Thanks to Summer Weather

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:21 JST, October 31, 2024

About 20 employees from Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co. harvested rice on the roof of the company’s Tokyo office in the Ginza district on Wednesday.

The rice, which will be used to make sake, was harvested using sickles.

The company planted about 1,700 plants of the rice variety Hakutsurunishiki, which was developed specifically for its sake, in the 110-square-meter rooftop rice paddy in May.

The growth of the rice plants was delayed this year, mostly due to bad weather right after they were planted. In the summer, the rice grew well as a result of the high temperatures, and the company was able to harvest them at about the same time as an average year.

Hakutsuru Sake Brewing expects to harvest about 50 kilograms from the rice paddy.

Sake made from the rice will be sold in department stores and other shops around June next year.