Azaraimy HH in Tokyo

In the heart of the endless concrete jungle of Tokyo stands a multi-storey warehouse belonging to the Ozu Corporation situated in Chiba prefecture. The business began over 350 years ago during the Edo Period in 1653 as a wholesaler of traditional paper known as washi.

It looks like a normal building, but in the middle floor lies nothing less than, well, a farm! Row upon row of perfect lettuce grows from these multi-storey shelves with no signs of soil or dirt.

Ozu faculty supervisor, Mr Yuichi Kaneko, said that Ozu produces close to 2000 bundles of lettuce per day from the sterile environment of these ‘Plant Factories’ all across Japan.

Is this the future of food? I thought to myself, while Mr Yuichi Keneko explained the software of the technology involved.

I viewed it all as the next generation of hydroponics with added features such as a sterile computerised environment. It made regular greenhouses pale in comparison.

Here at the birthplace of what I have coined ‘Lettucemation’ (lettuce and automation) – an answer to both the global food crisis which coincidentally also happens to be a very healthy and fresh food supply.

The Japanese are always emphasising the importance of healthy and nutritious food with a top-notch taste, a holistic food concept the Japanese refer to as ‘Oishii’.

Oishii is easily achievable by any country willing to spend a lot of money to obtain and develop the technology. According to researcher and scientist, Mr Shigeharu Shimamura, who is the President of Mirai Co, the technology was a result of 20 years of research and development and is still being updated and improved upon.

In a perfectly controlled and totally sterile environment – uncontaminated by dirt, insects or fresh air – Mr Shigeharu Shimamura and his team of scientists are developing a new way of growing vegetables.

Mr Yuichi Kaneko said the Chiba plant produces a variety of vegetables, including lettuce, “sangchu” lettuce, “mizuna” greens, arugula rocket salad and basil. Situated at the back of the ‘Green Flavour vegetable store’, seven layers of shelves occupy the factory’s 70 square-metre floor space.

About 400 fluorescent lamps beam down on the plants grown on the shelves in the Chiba facility. The company says the vegetables are fed a nutritious liquid and are grown completely free of chemical fertilisers. They are also unaffected by the weather.

Now members of the Japanese expedition based in the Antarctic at the Showa Base, where the green room’s growth technology was installed last year, can cultivate and consume fresh vegetables all year round, despite temperatures plunging to minus 40. “The explorers were amazed and delighted because they didn’t think they could eat fresh crispy vegetables,” said Mr Shigeharu Shimamura. He said “they were truly very impressed”.

Temperatures are set at a fixed level in the Chiba Green Room, which is practically airtight. The period of time the fluorescent lights are on and the amount of non-chemical fertilisers given to the vegetables are adjusted to conform to their growth.

Mr Shigeharu Shimamura said he actually monitored the plants remotely from the antarctic. He said that the growing process is very delicate, and the software invovled is able to control the atmosphere in the room, and he will be readily on hand if there are slight changes. “You can see the technology sounds a bit complicated, but it really is not,” he said. I asked how easily can the technology be transferred to others, and he replied that the expertise required is at a very high level and the software involved forms a big part of the process.

I found it very interesting when he said the process is like your Microsoft Operating System, that requires update patches, this technology also requires update patches and that is where Mirai Co comes in. Mirai works as a provider and consultant for the technology, because they are the only one who knows how it works.

Dr Toru Maruo, an Associate Professor familiar with Mirai Co, said growing vegetables in such a secure place, without unwanted chemicals – gives people peace of mind.

The produce from these factories are still a bit more expensive than the produce from your average farmland due to higher operating costs, but the Japanese are people who value quality and are willing to pay for that quality. He said that currently their produce is transported to around 80 restaurants nationwide and sold at high-class supermarkets.

Associate Professor, Dr Toru Maruo at Chiba University said the artificial lighting used is conveniant as it goes hand-in-hand with the technology utilised to allow for constant growth night and day resulting in a speedier harvest.

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