Japanese students celebrate sweet potato harvests

Children at local schools in Japan have celebrated the autumn harvest by growing and eating sweet potatoes.

At Futaba Nursery School in Date, 17 senior students harvested approximately 20 kilograms of ‘Beniharuka’ sweet potatoes. The seedlings were received from local residents in June, and the children participated in weeding the fields to ensure a successful crop. The harvested potatoes are scheduled to be served as roasted sweet potatoes to all students at the nursery next month.

Similarly, at Kamihama Elementary School in Joetsu, 58 students participated in a sweet potato event. After planting ‘Beniharuka’ seedlings in the spring and harvesting them in early October, the students held a roasted sweet potato party. They roasted 200 sweet potatoes using rice husks and shared them with volunteers. The remaining potatoes are intended for sale at a future learning presentation.