IHI Carries Out Sugita Plum Conservation Activities at Yokohama Headquarters Representative’s Office
IHI is engaged in conservation efforts aimed at protecting the Sugita Plum, a species of plum indigenous to Japan.
The Sugita Plum, a rare species that has not undergone selective breeding, is named after the Sugita area of Yokohama, Kanagawa. The Sugita area used to be home to a grove with 36,000 plum trees. During the Edo era, it was famed for its plums, but due to fires, salt damage from winds coming off the bay, and residential land development, the grove has almost completely disappeared. Recently, Sugita Plum trees were discovered growing in the Soga Plum Grove in Odawara City. Volunteers are now working to bring the Sugita Plum trees back to the Sugita area and grow them over a wider area.
The IHI Yokohama Headquarters Representative’s Office, which is located in the Sugita area, is collaborating in these restoration and expansion efforts. In January and February 2025, it conducted various Sugita Plum conservation activities and events.
In January, Sugita Plum trees were planted in a green space on the grounds of the Yokohama Headquarters Representative’s Office. This event, now in its third year, was held to use the roughly 3,000 m2 of empty space on the Headquarters Representative’s Office grounds to raise young Sugita Plum trees. This year, despite poor sapling growth, volunteers managed to plant 10 new trees. There are now roughly 40 trees at the site. The trees planted last year have started producing new branches, and there were blossoms on some of the trees planted two years ago.
Plums from Sugita Plum trees can be used to make plum liqueur or pickled plums, so employees are watching over the plants and taking care of them, regularly watering and trimming them, and looking forward to when the trees start bearing fruit.
Furthermore, on the weekend of February 15 and 16, 2025, the “Plum Town Sugita” Executive Committee for the Revitalization and Restoration of the Legendary Sugita Plum Grove, which is made up of volunteers from the local community, held the Sugita Plum Festival. IHI was one of the sponsors of the event and took part in its planning and operation as a member of the Executive Committee. Even now, there remain old Sugita Plum trees on the grounds of Myohoji Temple, the festival site, and 100 grafted saplings have been planted. The event was attended by a total of roughly 6,000 people.
On February 12, inspired by the Sugita Plum Festival, the Yokohama Headquarters Representative’s Office held the Yokohama Headquarters Representative’s Office Sugita Plum Festival. Roughly 260 IHI employees attended and were served foods and drinks made with plums. The event, filled to overflowing, was a tremendous success. There was a report on the biodiversity activities of the Yokohama Headquarters Representative’s Office, a presentation on the history of the Sugita Plum, a Sugita Plum quiz contest, and more.
The IHI Group will continue to work to protect biodiversity by conducting environmental protection activities in concert with local communities and companies.