Tochigi Prefecture Product Testing (Group C)

This group is being run by food-related businesses in Japan's Tochigi Prefecture with the aim of developing and improving products targeted at the US market and gaining a greater understanding of their needs.

Participants will be asked to sample six products from Futaba Foods, Yashu Takamura and Matsuya Flour Mills and complete a short survey of around 60 questions regarding their opinions of the taste and efficacy of these products, as well as any ideas they may have for selling them in the US.

And we are also looking for participants for Groups A and B. Applications to multiple groups are fine, so if you're interested in one of the other groups as well, please do apply!

You will be required to sample all the foods provided and answer the survey. Before applying, please read the product descriptions carefully to ensure there are no products you can't eat due to allergies or other dietary restrictions.

Please note that any images and survey responses you provide may be used on websites, social media and printed materials that are managed by either Japan Spark or the client.

Tochigi Prefecture is about 100km north of Tokyo and can be reached in just fifty minutes via shinkansen.

It boasts a number of attractions that can be enjoyed throughout the year, such as the Nikko Toshogu Shrine, which is a registered World Heritage Site, and hot springs found in places like Nasu and Kinugawa. From spring to early summer, you can also enjoy taking in beautiful cherry blossoms, wisteria and azaleas.

Not only that, but there are many famous agricultural products to be found in this rich, natural environment. Tochigi's strawberries, especially the "Tochiaika" variety, are popular throughout Japan, with a high rate of production that Tochigi is justly proud of!

Tourist Information Site "Visit Tochigi" ：https://www.visit-tochigi.com/
Facwebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064302147126
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visit_tochigi_official2/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ3Je8LUTxuSwo8ki9QWrkg

We use chestnuts that have been harvested in Italy - the home of marron glacé - and soaked in molasses over an extended period of time. After that, the chestnuts are vacuum packed to lock in the flavor and fresh taste for you to enjoy.

No special preparations necessary. Just take it out of the bag and enjoy it as-is!

These fruit jellos are made from domestically-sourced juices and have an elegantly sweet taste and delicious fruit flavors, all packed into a tall cup.

We will send you the following four flavors:
① Amanatsu (Japanese orange)
② Grape
③ Peach
④ Melon

No special preparations necessary. Just take it out of the bag and enjoy it as-is!

AMANATSU (Japanese orange) JELLO:
Sugar (produced in Japan), concentrated amanatsu juice, apple puree, table salt/setting agent (polysaccharide thickener), flavorings, pH modifier, acidulant, antioxidant (vitamin C), carotene coloring

GRAPE JELLO:
Sugar (produced in Japan), concentrated grape juice, apple puree/setting agent (polysaccharide thickener), acidulant, pH modifier, flavorings, purple carrot coloring, antioxidant (extract of rosemary)

PEACH JELLO:
Sweetened peach puree (white peach, sugar and high fructose corn syrup mix) (produced in Japan), sugar, peach juice concentrate/setting agent (polysaccharide thickener), acidulant, pH modifier, antioxidant (vitamin C), flavorings

MELON JELLO:
Sugar (produced in Japan), melon puree, sweetened peach puree (white peach, sugar and high fructose corn syrup mix)/setting agent (polysaccharide thickener), acidulant, antioxidants (vitamin C, extract of rosemary), paprika coloring, flavorings

AMANATSU (Japanese orange) JELLO: Apple
GRAPE JELLO: Apple
PEACH JELLO: Peach
MELON JELLO: Peach

Futaba Foods delivers new kinds of fun and joy to our customers. We combine our excellent traditional values with state-of-the-art technology to provide attractive, high-quality products that conform to food safety regulations. We believe that this is the true appeal of Futaba Foods!

Website: https://www.futabafoods.co.jp/
EC: https://futabafoods.shop/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DANDY.ice/
X(Twitter): https://x.com/FUTABA_SACRE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futabafoods/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9vgOQG3ZdI

Bekko candy is a golden-colored candy that people have been making in Japan for a long time.

We've now developed a bekko candy in the wildly popular yuzu flavor. Using the same traditional open-fire cooking methods from long ago, candy artisans have also created cute Japanese shapes!

The five shapes are "Lucky Cat," "Daruma Doll," "Sakura," "Sumo," and "Mt. Fuji." You're sure to enjoy the refreshing sourness of domestically produced yuzu, especially when combined with the candy's smooth texture and subtle sweetness!

Please consume promptly after opening.

Be careful to avoid choking on the candy.

These cute, animal-shaped sakura (cherry blossom) flavored candies have been made using carefully selected ingredients to create the perfect balance of gentle sweetness and a subtle cherry blossom fragrance.

Please consume promptly after opening.

Be careful to avoid choking on the candy.

Established in 1975, we're a Japanese candy producer who has been providing OEM services, honing our skills and delivering consistently high-quality products for the last fifty years. We developed our own products to convey the wonders of Japanese candy culture to as wide an audience as possible.

Our products are crafted with special care to please our customers. Please enjoy the cute shapes (popular with a wide range of ages!) the smooth texture that results from an exquisite balance of carefully selected ingredients, and last but certainly not least, the gentle sweetness of the flavor.

Website: https://yashu-takamura.co.jp/
EC: https://shop.yashu-takamura.co.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amer.candy/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoPpEmHqV1HF9U9Dt6xsKcA

This soba noodle is called Sarashina, and is an unusual salt-free variety of soba noodle. This means that even those on low salt or salt-free diets can enjoy it without worrying! Sarashina is a smooth, whitish soba noodle made with 50% buckwheat flour.

① Put the soba noodles in a good amount of boiling water and stir gently.
※ At least 2 liters of hot water is required per 200g bag.

② Boil for about five minutes and thirty seconds. Do not let the water boil over.

③ Once boiled, transfer the noodles to a colander, rinse thoroughly with cold water and drain away any excess liquid.

If you're eating it cold, simply dip it in the soup and enjoy!

If you're eating it hot, dip it in hot water and then pour hot soup over it.

These dried soba noodles are made using buckwheat husks that were sourced from Nikko City in Tochigi Prefecture, which is unusual for dried noodles. The flour is ground with the husks, giving the soba a rich flavor and slightly darker color, and the product is made with 50% buckwheat flour.. Although the noodles are dried, the taste is very similar to fresh handmade soba.

① Put the soba noodles in a good amount of boiling water and stir gently.
※ At least 2 liters of hot water is required per 200g bag.

② Boil for about six minutes. Do not let the water boil over.

③ Once boiled, transfer the noodles to a colander, rinse thoroughly with cold water and drain away any excess liquid.

If you're eating it cold, simply dip it in the soup and enjoy!

If you're eating it hot, dip it in hot water and then pour hot soup over it.

The story of Matsuya Flour Mills Co. begins in the late Edo period (around 1848-1855) when the company first began milling flour with a waterwheel along the river in what is now Utsunomiya in Tochigi Prefecture. As Japan modernized, the company expanded its factories and now operates a state-of-the-art soba flour mill in Kaminokawa, located in the Kawachi district of Tochigi Prefecture.

・In 1958, the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Co., Ltd. following an investment.

・In November 2020, the company obtained JFS-C standard (sector: E)

Website: https://www.matsuyaseifun.co.jp/

Did you understand the product description, ingredients, etc.?

(If you have any concerns about the product — for example, you want to check that it doesn't conflict with allergies or other dietary restrictions, etc. — please contact us.)