Creating a New Food Culture from Edogawa City!: Edogawa-Methi Promotion Circle Holds Research Results Report Meeting on the Indian Vegetable “Methi”

On October 31, 2025, the Edogawa Methi Research Results Report Meeting was held at Edogawa City Green Palace.

At the meeting, findings were presented from a joint research project conducted by the Edogawa-Methi Promotion Circle (hereafter, the Promotion Circle)—which grows and promotes the Indian vegetable methi (top photo) in Edogawa City—and Aoki Yoko, a full-time lecturer in the Department of International Tourism in the Faculty of International Studies at Bunkyo University.

With around 50 participants in attendance, the program included reports on topics such as methi demand in Edogawa City and its nutritional components, as well as proposals and discussions on how Edogawa methi could be developed into a local brand and how it might be used in efforts to build a multicultural, inclusive society.

Aoki Yoko, full-time lecturer in the Department of International Tourism in the Faculty of International Studies at Bunkyo University. Photo courtesy of the Edogawa-Methi Promotion Circle.

Methi is a legume vegetable with an appearance similar to pea shoots and is characterized by a mild bitterness. In India, where many people follow a vegetarian diet, it is used in a wide range of dishes, including curries and stir-fries.

According to the Promotion Circle, methi is a comfort food ingredient (a taste that evokes nostalgia) for residents with roots in India. However, methi has rarely been cultivated in Japan to date, and this research revealed that there is demand for fresh methi as a fresh vegetable in Edogawa City, which is home to the largest number of Indian residents in Japan.

Takehara Kiyomi, the Promotion Circle’s representative, says one factor behind the group’s launch around seven years ago was hearing Edogawa City residents with roots in India speak of their desire to eat fresh methi.

Takehara Kiyomi, representative of the Edogawa-Methi Promotion Circle (far left). Photo courtesy of the Edogawa-Methi Promotion Circle.

At the report meeting, Aoki discussed the high level of demand for fresh methi among Indian restaurants in the city revealed through questionnaire research, methi’s nutritional components, and its versatility in cooking. She also commented on the possibility of using a comfort food ingredient for people from India within Edogawa City, as well as the importance of linking methi with komatsuna, a vegetable that is especially important to Edogawa City.

By growing high-quality methi in agriculture-rich Edogawa City and promoting local production for local consumption, she suggested that Edogawa methi could become a local brand—and that, as a result, methi could help foster connections among Edogawa City residents with a wide range of backgrounds and roots.

Following Aoki’s presentation, a discussion by the Promotion Circle and students from Bunkyo University’s Faculty of International Studies included comments such as, “It’s refreshing and exciting to think that new comfort foods could emerge as Edogawa City and Indian cultures blend,” and “Stable supply and greater awareness of methi are important.” Participants also expressed expectations for methi’s potential as a comfort food ingredient and for the Promotion Circle’s future activities.

The group plans to continue its research, and through methi cultivation and methi-based cooking in Edogawa City, aims to develop new comfort foods and promote local revitalization in the area.