HARVESTER YAKUMO

HARVESTER YAKUMO (ハーベスター八雲) is a farm and restaurant located in Yakumo, Futami District, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by JC Comsa. It sits on a scenic site overlooking Uchiura Bay (Funka Bay) and is officially recognized as the birthplace of Japanese herb chicken (国産ハーブ鶏発祥の地). The restaurant serves original-spice fried chicken, stone-oven-baked pizza, and dishes using vegetables and seafood sourced from nearby contract farmers. In winter, on weekends and holidays, it offers a buffet-style dining experience. The establishment began in 1988 as an experimental farm created by Takeshi Okawara, a founding member and third president of Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan, who wanted to secure a domestic supply of chicken for KFC outlets in Japan. Inspired by Colonel Sanders' natural farm in Kentucky, Okawara designed the farm buildings with motifs from his family home's Baikei Bunko library and the house in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. The farm pioneered free-range chick rearing using a poultry dog, and when the chicks began pecking at herbs, this led to the development of herb chicken—chickens raised on herbs, resulting in meat with less subcutaneous fat and odor. With the cooperation of feed manufacturers, the product was commercialized, and Harvester Yakumo became the birthplace of domestic herb chicken. Today, Harvester Yakumo operates as a restaurant and retail brand. Its smoked chicken, chicken curry, and pizza are sold at Hakodate Airport, Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, and roadside stations such as Nanairo-Nanae and Misogi-no-Sato Kikonai, as well as online through Rakuten Ichiba, Amazon.co.jp, and Yahoo! Shopping. The brand also engages in local community activities related to food safety, local production for local consumption, and landscape conservation; its conservation efforts contributed to the establishment of the adjacent Hokkaido Prefectural Funka Bay Panorama Park. The restaurant is accessible by a 2-minute walk from the Yakumo Parking Area on the Dōō Expressway, about 10 minutes by car from JR Yakumo Station, and about 70 minutes by car from Hakodate.

Harvester Yakumo began in 1988 as an experimental farm established by Takeshi Okawara, a founding member and third president of Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan. Okawara wanted to ensure a stable domestic supply of chicken for KFC restaurants in Japan, so he started his own poultry farming operation. He was inspired by Colonel Sanders' natural farm in Kentucky and designed the farm buildings with motifs from his family home's Baikei Bunko library and the house in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. The farm introduced free-range chick rearing using a poultry dog, a first in Japan. The chicks began pecking at herbs, and it was discovered that chickens raised on herbs had less subcutaneous fat and less odor. With the cooperation of feed manufacturers, Okawara worked to commercialize "herb chicken." This made Harvester Yakumo the birthplace of domestic herb chicken in Japan. The facility developed into a farm-restaurant offering original-spice fried chicken, stone-oven pizza, and dishes using local vegetables and seafood. It continued to engage with the local community on food safety, local production for local consumption, and landscape conservation. Its landscape conservation activities led to the creation of the adjacent Hokkaido Prefectural Funka Bay Panorama Park. Today, Harvester Yakumo is operated by JC Comsa. It sells smoked chicken, chicken curry, and pizza at Hakodate Airport, Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, and roadside stations, as well as online through major e-commerce platforms.

• 1988

  Takeshi Okawara establishes an experimental farm in Yakumo, Hokkaido, which later becomes Harvester Yakumo.

• Free-range chick rearing using a poultry dog leads to the discovery that chicks peck at herbs, initiating the development of herb chicken.

• With cooperation from feed manufacturers, herb chicken is commercialized, making Harvester Yakumo the birthplace of domestic herb chicken.

• Landscape conservation activities by Harvester Yakumo contribute to the establishment of the adjacent Hokkaido Prefectural Funka Bay Panorama Park.

Farm restaurant and food brand specializing in herb chicken and stone-oven pizza, emphasizing local ingredients and scenic dining.

• Herb chicken

  Chicken raised on herbs, resulting in less subcutaneous fat and odor, juicy and mild flavor.

• Stone-oven pizza

  Authentic Neapolitan-style thin-crust pizza baked in a stone oven with fresh ingredients.

• Smoked chicken

  A signature product available for takeout and online purchase.

• Chicken curry

  Available for takeout and online purchase.

1. 1【公式】ハーベスター八雲｜八雲町にある空と海のレストランharvester-yakumo.com
2. 2ハーベスター八雲 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
3. 3HARVESTER YAKUMO - Wikidatawikidata.org