What makes wasanbon toh so different from ordinary
sugar is its ingredients. Although wasanbon toh uses sugar cane
as an ingredient just like that which everybody uses at home, the
type of sugar cane used for wasanbon toh is quite different.
The sugar cane used for wasanbon toh is a kind called "Chikutoh".
Unlike the sugar cane produced in Taiwan, Cuba or Okinawa, it is
short and thin. Even when it is fully grown, it is less than two
meters long including the top part and is only as thick as an adult's
index finger.
Since it is short and thin, it is obviously disadvantageous in
terms of productivity.
The way of cultivating "Chikutoh"
is also quite different from that in tropical areas. When the ripe
"Chikutoh" is harvested in December, it must be completely
uprooted. Sugar cane has small buds at the joints of its stalks.
Some of the harvested sugar cane joints are put aside and cut at
the proper length for replanting in April. The annual schedule for
sugar cane farmers is as follows:
¡ Early April: digging out the seedlings
¡ Early April: planting the seedlings
¡ weeding and watering(several times)
¡ Mid November:preparing the seedlings
for the coming year
¡ Late November
to December: harvest
¡ December: sugar factories receive
the sugar cane |