In the northern reaches of Tokachi, Hokkaido, the Suda brothers — Yuki and Kazumasa — run a fourth-generation farm whose vegetables have quietly become a secret weapon for some of Tokyo's most celebrated kitchens. Their produce, grown in the mineral-rich volcanic soil of Kamishihoro Town, regularly appears on the plates of three-Michelin-starred restaurants, earning a reputation for an almost unnerving depth of flavour.

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Intuition Meets Science: A Sibling Partnership

In Hokkaido, where eldest sons typically inherit the family farm alone, the Suda brothers are an exception. Yuki, the elder, brings an intuitive feel for the land honed since childhood; Kazumasa, the younger, brings the scientific rigour. Together they've built a farming philosophy that balances two seemingly contradictory goals: feeding the nation at scale while chasing the outer limits of taste.

Sixty Years of Soil Science

The secret starts underground. For six decades — since their grandfather's generation — the Suda family has practised kyukan-ryokuhi, a green-manure fallowing technique that devotes entire fields to soil-restoring cover crops for a full year, sacrificing immediate profit for long-term fertility. The result is a living soil teeming with microbes that produce the amino acids and volatile compounds responsible for multilayered flavour. "Farming is science," Yuki says plainly.

Each year, the brothers trial 30 to 50 vegetable varieties — not searching for reliable performers, but for high-risk, high-reward cultivars that, with the right technique, can deliver a 100-point knockout.

The Potato That Stunned Michelin Chefs

The star of the show is Kita-hime, a potato variety typically destined for crisps and considered bland. Grown in Suda soil and cold-aged for several months, it transforms into something entirely different: delicate, deeply sweet, and complex enough to stand alone — steamed, unsalted — or to anchor a Michelin-starred dish. The brothers don't use wholesalers; they send each shipment with a handwritten letter directly to the chefs. That personal touch, combined with the sheer quality, has cemented their reputation.

Visit Tokachi: Hot Air Balloons and Highland Vistas

For travellers, Kamishihoro and the wider Tokachi region offer a glimpse of Hokkaido far from the ski crowds. The brothers point to two unmissable stops: Mikuni Pass, where untouched wilderness collides with panoramic views, and Naitai Highland Farm — one of Japan's largest public pastures, stretching across the horizon like a piece of Mongolia dropped into northern Japan. Kamishihoro itself is known as a hot-air balloon mecca; local farmers lend their empty post-harvest fields as landing sites, a testament to the community spirit that defines the region.

The Suda brothers' story is ultimately about taste — but it's also an invitation to experience a part of Hokkaido where food, landscape and community are still deeply intertwined.