Aomori Prefecture produces about 70 percent of all garlic cultivated in Japan and boasts a staggering market share. But it is faced with a rise in production costs and an offensive from low-priced imports.
Garlic production thrives in the village of Temmabayashi, population 9,000, near the city of Aomori. But growers there, such as Teruo Tashima, 52, are worried about their future.
"There will be no garlic producers in the village if the present situation continues," he said.
Aomori farmers first began growing garlic in line with a government policy to cut back on the amount of land devoted to rice to check a surplus of the grain.