Tokiwa Eggs are fresh brown-shelled eggs produced by Tokiwa Yokei, a poultry farm based in Fujisaki Town in southern Aomori Prefecture. Known for their firm, springy egg whites and yolks, these eggs are produced with an emphasis on careful poultry management, food safety, and the natural qualities of the egg.
The laying hens are a purely Japanese breed called Goto Momiji. They are raised in open, floor-based poultry houses rather than confined to cages, allowing the chickens to move around freely in a more natural environment.
Goto Momiji is a robust domestic breed developed to suit Japan’s climate and environment. Because the chickens are naturally well adapted to local conditions, they can be raised without relying on medications such as antibiotics.
The hens are given additive-free, specially formulated feed prepared by the farm. Particular attention is also paid to the safety and hygiene of their drinking water and living environment.
In the open-style poultry houses, the chickens are allowed to live and move freely. The resulting brown eggs have a gentle, natural appearance that reflects the colors associated with the corn and grasses used in their feed.
One interesting point about eggs is that the nutritional value of an egg is not determined by the color of its yolk. Yolk color can vary depending on the color of the feed eaten by the chicken.
For Tokiwa Eggs, no artificial coloring ingredients are used to create the yolk color. The feed includes 20% rice produced in Aomori Prefecture specifically for use as chicken feed, helping give the yolks their naturally gentle color.
The feed rice is grown locally by making use of previously unused or fallow rice fields. In this way, local agricultural resources are put to practical use while contributing to the production of distinctive regional eggs.
Tokiwa’s locally produced feed rice has also given rise to another specialty known as Kometama. The name combines the Japanese words for “rice” and “egg,” reflecting the distinctive way these chickens are raised.
Kometama eggs come from chickens fed a specially formulated feed containing 68% feed rice. Because of this rice-rich diet, the yolks have a characteristic pale yellow, lemon-yellow color.
This is another example of how the color of an egg yolk can naturally change according to what the chickens eat, without the need for artificial coloring.
Tokiwa Eggs offer more than simply a fresh egg. They reflect an approach to poultry farming that emphasizes domestic chicken breeds, free-moving hens, additive-free feed, careful hygiene, and locally produced agricultural resources.
For travelers interested in Aomori’s local food culture, these eggs provide an interesting taste of how the region’s farms connect poultry production with local rice cultivation. The distinctive red shells and naturally colored yolks make Tokiwa Eggs a memorable specialty from Fujisaki Town.