Awajishima – Nijigen No Mori- the land of the onions
Since small I have been the biggest fan of onions, they are the perfect addition to most things be it raw or cooked. Onions are a staple of my cooking usually and in Japan this is no different. From onion consommés, to using them in most of my dishes. Onions are second only to my love for garlic and potatoes. When I ventured out to see the whirlpools from Awajishima I noted what looked like a huge onion on top of one of the cliffs. Upon further investigation on the boat heading to the whirlpools, I discovered Nijigen No Mori, onion forest! Awaji island is famous for its onions, the soil on the island is perfect and creates onions with a beautiful taste. They are so famous that across Japan products using the onions can fetch a bit. The onion products are highly sought after. The choice was made to venture to the onion forest after the boat returned to port and little did, I know my world was about to change for the better.
The taxi ride to the place became more dubious when the taxi offered to let us walk the rest of the hill as the traffic was standstill. Taking up the offer the walk to the top was made very slowly as I had my backpack with me. Cars were not moving and it slowly became clear how famous Awaji onions and Onion land was. The first car park which was lower down the hill was full and cars were lining up waiting for a space to become available in this and the top carpark which is by the onion park itself. Cars seemingly waited a good thirty minutes in hopes a space would open. I visited on a weekend so perhaps midweek is less busy, but I can imagine if this was the line for the weekend, holidays must be at least an hours wait.
There are a few different locations one is smaller and by the bridge to Tokushima but the one I ventured to is the main one on top of the hill overlooking the bridge. At the hilltop branch visitors can see giant onion statues and onion shaped seats. Vending machines are decorated in onions and the place itself reminded me of a roadside service station. There are queues for most things so be prepared. The queues to take pictures with the onions are long, but if your creative enough you can take a picture of them from below without being in the image. There is a dog park which is sadly not onion themed. Inside the building is an onion shop selling everything onion, onion crane game where the prizes you guessed it are onions. There is a small science museum which was fun to see and on the upper floor there is a farmers market restaurant selling everything onion. Some of the highly sort after food items include a whole cooked onion wrapped in a crispy shell, onion honey pizza, a whole onion with meat sauce, curry onion and outside the building there is a burger store which sells onion centred products.
The burger stand had a line which was about half an hours wait and lots of products were already out of stock when I visited around 2pm. So, if you want something specific you should endeavour to arrive early. Once you place your order you are given a buzzer and will hear over the Tanoy when your number is called or on the screen in the eating area. In the waiting area there is a photo wall perfect for selfies covered in onions and led shapes. There was a Christmas tree covered in onions and smaller crane games with onion plushies as prizes. After trying one of the famous onion burgers which was very tasty, I ventured into the onion market. The variety of onion products is vast and there are even beauty products which use the islands onions. The local onion consommé is set up so you can taste it before buying it. I had a lot of fun looking at all the uses for onions and bought a few products which caught my eye. The store was bustling and it was amazing to see so many people enthusiastic about onions.
The science museum was very fun, and I enjoyed the interactive displays they also taught guests the science behind the Naruto whirlpools which I enjoyed. I was on a tight schedule but my visit to the onion farm was a fun one. I recommend it to those visiting the island as the island is full of resorts. The island can be reached via bus or ferry. Even if you are not visiting keep an eye out for products around Japan which use the onions from Awaji, they are very flavourful and you will be amazed at how many ways they can be used. Awaji is also another example of a prefecture really getting behind its local produce and making an onion park is very fun and memorable. Be sure to visit onion forest for a unique flavourful experience!
