Takano-cho, which has been a special production area for apples since
prewar days, is located 500-600 meters above sea level, and its average yearly
temperature is around 10 degrees centigrade. These conditions are very suitable
for apples. Following Takano-cho (Shobara City), Tojo-cho (Shobara City) and
other towns are becoming new full-scale production places.
 In 1909, the agricultural association of former Hiba-gun distributed twenty young
trees, without charge, to former Shimotakanoyama Village (Takano-cho,Shobara
City) to encourage fruit production.
 Students of the Prefectural Shobara Vocational School (later Hiroshima
Prefectural Shobara Vocational Senior High School) first planted seven varieties,
including Iwai, Asahikogyoku, Golden Delicious, Indo and Kokko, on 5,000
acres of reclaimed land in the Shimonde area on the Takanoyama experimental
site in 1935. However, in 1940 the trees were transferred to local farms because
of the war.
 Local farmers took over and eagerly continued to raise them. The orchards grew
to 12 hectares in 1959. Tsugaru of the early-ripening variety and Fuji and
Golden Delicious of the late-ripening types are the main varieties.