Dadachamame ( だだちゃ豆)
Tsuruoka, Yamagata is a small and beautiful town in Northwest Japan. The town is filled with incredible history and the region is surrounded by natural beauty. Mountains surround the town as they flow down into the Sea of Japan. The Shonai Region of Japan is up there within the most beautiful regions of Japan which I have been to. Shonai holds a special place in my heart as I lived and worked there for a time experiencing the community through a unique lens.

Telling the story of Dadachamame can only happen by telling the story of the people who take such pride in it. The people of this region are proud of the area and all that comes from it and their pride in these small edamame like beans is no exception. Essentially if these healthy edamame beans are similar to regular edamame beans then why are they called dadachamame?
Legend has it that when the Lord of the Shonai region was presented with these beans during the Edo Period, he asked which daddy had produced these delicious beans? The name has stuck ever since and as mentioned the region takes great pride in the beans.

The beans are eaten fresh and are also consumed in many different snack forms. Their harvest period is normally from July to September and they are generally consumed locally within the region.

On a personal note these small beans touched me more than I could have ever anticipated. During my early stages of living within the Shonai region I was renting a kei car (small Japanese vehicle) to get to and from work. I must admit I likely looked pretty silly in the car as my head nearly always hit the ceiling, but I enjoyed driving throughout this beautiful region such a great deal that none of that was ever on my mind. One day when taking my car for a check up within the first few months I was presented with a gift. You guessed it! Bags upon bags of freshly harvested dadachamame beans. I was so greatful to receive the beans and be brought into the community in a unique way. Small acts of kindness can go a long way when living in a foreign place and the Shonai region of Japan makes these acts seem commonplace I noticed within my time there.

If you ever have the opportunity to travel to Japan do not forget to make your way up to this beautiful region and try some delicious dadachamame.