Yamaai Village Natural Pork Thigh (Sliced)

"Natural pigs raised in Yamaai Village" by Mr. Muto from Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture. About an hour's drive from Kikuchi city, deep in the mountains, lies Yamaai Village, a farm run by Muto Katsunori. Yamaai Village is a vast site the size of several mountains, and as its name suggests, it is located deep inside a mountain path. It is an experiential farm with rich nature and many animals, reminiscent of a rural village. Muto is the second-generation mayor and manager of Yamaai Village. Since his father's generation, the mountain has been cleared and the site has been expanded little by little, and he is now the main manager of the farm.

The cows grow up healthy and thrive on a vast expanse of land carved into the mountains, where they are allowed to graze all year round.

A "paradise for pigs" created by clearing the mountain
The vast grounds are dotted with free-range chicken coops, log-grown shiitake mushroom farms, fields, rice paddies, orchards, and a pig farm that makes use of the natural mountains. The farm is so large that it is necessary to move around in a light truck. We were immediately shown to where the pigs were, and the sight made us exclaim, "Wow!" There, we could see pigs running around, grooming themselves, taking naps, and all of them looking very happy and free to do whatever they wanted.

The pigs sleep soundly in the shade of a tree. At Yamaai Village, which is based on free-range grazing, there are no pig sties, but 30 open spaces for the pigs are scattered across the premises. Each space is about 10 ares (100m x 100m), and only 15 pigs are raised there. This is an overwhelming amount of space compared to typical pig sties, where pigs are kept crowded together in an environment where they cannot move around. "This is what we came up with, as we aimed to create an environment where each pig could live freely," says Muto.

The pigs have become very attached to Mr. Muto.

Because he was raised in a stress-free environment, he has a very calm and gentle temperament.

Natural grazing without reliance on antibiotics or medicines <br>Muto's pigs are raised with a policy of not relying on or administering antibiotics or medicines. As a result, some of the pigs catch colds. "When the cold season comes, some of the pigs catch colds. But basically we leave it to nature and just watch over them. Because they are growing up freely in an environment close to nature, they almost always recover on their own (laughs)." When grazing without antibiotics or medicines, pigs are more likely to get sick if they stay in the same place all the time, so the pigs actually spend their time in only around 10 of the 30 areas. They are rotated between areas with pigs and areas without pigs at regular intervals to prevent them from getting sick.

Anyway, he is surprisingly friendly!

The food is homemade vegetable scraps and rice scraps.
They feed their pigs a balanced diet of non-GMO semi-mixed feed, homemade vegetable scraps, rice scraps, and organic vegetables from neighbors. They say that when they thought about the pigs and the people who eat them, they naturally came up with this type of feed. It must be very difficult to create such an environment for 150 pigs, but they also told us that they hope to eventually provide all the feed themselves.

They are fed a diet of non-GMO feed, vegetable scraps from local farmers, and homemade vegetable scraps.

The staff are chased by the pigs (lol)

"I want to spread the word about cheap, safe and delicious food."
Muto, who also works in the youth division of the agricultural cooperative, hopes that Yamaai Village will lead to an increase in the number of places that can provide livestock that is as cheap as possible and of a safe standard. He also hopes that consumers will see more places like this. "Seeing = choosing," so he hopes that as more consumers choose, demand will increase and more producers will get involved. I felt that Muto's kind hearted desire to "produce something that is as cheap, safe, and delicious as possible" will ultimately lead to pig farming that values ​​pigs, and ultimately have a positive impact on the global environment.

Purely's CEO, Hango and Yamaimura Muto, have a strong desire to provide "cheap, safe and delicious food."

Points to note before purchasing : Thighs are a healthy cut with a fine texture and little fat. All pork currently being sold that is labeled [Sliced] is 1.5mm thick. It is slightly thicker than the cut for shabu-shabu, so it can be used for shabu-shabu and is ideal for hot pot dishes. It cooks well and is suitable for meat rolls, stir-fries, and nikujaga (beef and potato stew). It is soft and easy to chew, making it ideal for households with children or the elderly. Please note that it is not suitable for shogayaki (ginger pork) as it is thick.