Making use of ‘explosive mountains’

DPA

Tadashi Sakamoto yanks a sweet potato out of the loose soil. Dark earth trickles through the farmer’s hands.
“Volcanic ash is ideal for growing sweet potatoes,” says the 57-year-old, squinting in the sunlight towards the nearby Kaimondake volcano.
The 924-metre-high volcano, which last erupted in the late 9th century, rises majestically from the surrounding fields in Kagoshima Prefecture.
It is harvest time here in south-western Japan, where sweet potatoes have been cultivated for hundreds of years.
When asked if he fears that the volcano might erupt again, Sakamoto laughs: “I don’t think about it at all.”
Earlier this year, the Aso volcano, some 200 kilometres away, erupted. Clouds of ash rose 11,000 metres into the sky before settling like a gray paste across the surrounding area, dribbling down from trees, covering fields, houses and cars.
It hit a region that was only just recovering from a severe earthquake at the beginning of the year. The tourism industry in particular fears further losses as a result of these natural disasters.

Everyone in Japan knows the dangers.
But some, like farmer Sakamoto, have learned to make use of the positive effects of these explosive mountains.
“Because volcanic ash allows water to seep through well, it improves the sweetness of the potatoes,” explains the sturdy farmer.
More than half of his home prefecture of Kagoshima is covered with volcanic soil. Thanks to these advantageous conditions, farmers here are able to cultivate around 340,000 tons of sweet potatoes a year – 40 per cent of Japan’s total sweet potato production.
Agriculture is very important for the inhabitants of Japan’s most south-westerly main island of Kyushu.
This also goes for Hiroyuki Kanikawadoko, manager of Ibusuki Shuzo, a shochu distillery. The spirit is produced from sweet potatoes, provided by Sakamoto and other farmers in the region.
“We process around 10 tons of potatoes every day,” explains Kanikawadoko.
Ibusuki Shuzo produces around 500,000 bottles each year, including for export to China, Singapore and the United States.
Other industries on the island of Kyushu also benefit from volcanoes. For instance, hot springs are an ideal place to relax, and are becoming increasingly popular with overseas tourists.
The city of Ibusuki alone has more than 1,000 hot springs. Each day, 120,000 tons of water come out of the ground here, warmed by magma deep underground.
Thanks to the springs, the city of just 42,000 residents attracts around 4 million tourists each year.
This increasingly includes visitors from China, South Korea, Taiwan and other
neighbouring Asian states.
Meanwhile, Hironobu Imamura uses the for springs a different purpose – rearing eels. The fish are also an important to Kagoshima’s economy. The prefecture produces around 8,100 tons per year – around 46 per cent of the national total.
A constant temperature of around 30 degrees centigrade all year round is ideal for rearing eels, Imamura says as he looks proudly at his pools. In other areas of the country, his competition has to burn expensive oil in order to heat the water, he says.
But he can make use of the volcanoes.
“I use the water from the hot springs from November until June,” says the 53-year-old.
Since this means he does not need any heating oil, he saves 100 yen (around 0.90 euros) per kilogram of eels. A lot of money for his small business.
In gratitude for the gifts of nature, Imamura’s father erected a little shrine at the eel farm, dedicated to a protective water deity.