Protected local food
Showa Kasumiso
昭和かすみ草
Baby's breath from Showa village and the cool mountains of Oku-Aizu in Fukushima. It is chilled with stored winter snow before shipping, so it lasts a long time.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 20 July 2023
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 昭和かすみ草
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 福島県大沼郡昭和村、河沼郡柳津町、大沼郡三島町、大沼郡金山町、大沼郡会津美里町の一部（旧会津高田町、旧本郷町）、会津若松市北会津町、河沼郡会津坂下町、南会津郡南会津町（旧田島町）
Japan's summer baby's breath
Kasumiso is baby's breath, the cloud of tiny white flowers in so many bouquets. Showa kasumiso has lots of small florets and lasts a long time in the vase. It is prized as Japan's summer and autumn baby's breath and sells at a premium.
Cooled by snow
Showa village and its neighbours in the Aizu mountains of Fukushima have hard, snowy winters and cool summers, which baby's breath loves. Growers store winter snow and use its cold to chill every shipment, and in midsummer they ship only from the higher, cooler areas to keep quality up.
Good to know
- Showa village is also known for karamushi, a fine fabric woven from ramie fibre.
- The scenic JR Tadami Line runs through this area, with river views that photographers love.
Questions travellers ask
Is this a food?
No. It is one of the non-food products in Japan's GI register.
When is it shipped?
Mainly summer to autumn.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.