While Shodoshima Island is famous for its olive production, Kokubunji is well known throughout Japan as an area that produces bonsai trees. When it began in 1928, Souju too was originally a bonsai garden specializing in pine trees. However, over time they found that some ornamental greens could be turned into bonsai, and apparently that’s how they started growing olives.

In one nook of the greenhouse, there is a really rare olive tree grown in the style of a bonsai. Very Japanese, wouldn’t you say?

And then, using the fruit of the olive trees, products such as preserving salt, oil and other foods, as well as soups and cosmetic oils among other cosmetics are made.

When pressing young olives that are still green, you get very spicy raw oil with a flavor that resembles fresh fruit juice. As it’s really delicious even on ice cream, do have a try.

Every year in late November, the oil is available at dealers within and outside the prefecture as well as at the garden’s online shop.

How about heading over to the Setouchi region in wintertime to search for olives??
Souju Ltd.
Address: 1964-5 Nii, Kokubunji-cho, Takamatsu city, Kagawa prefecture
TEL: 087-813-8387
Official website: http://www.souju.co.jp (Japanese)
Online shop: http://ec.souju.co.jp (Japanese)

Setouchi Finder Photo-writers:
Text: Tomoko Kawai (Dream Network Activity)
Photographs: Takabumi Yanagisawa (Dream Network Activity)