Hidaka Kombu Kelp is a specialty of the Pacific coast area of the Hidaka region. The process of sun-drying the kelp has begun, with the rows of drying kelp forming a striped pattern across the coastline.
The open season started in late June. Since then, the fishermen have been blessed with good weather and are enjoying good harvests. The jet-black kelp is laid on the ground and covered with white gravel to bathe in the sun.
At a drying ground in Shinhidaka Town, the families of the fishermen carefully laid the kelp strips on the graveled drying ground one-by-one. The boats that departed at 5:00 a.m. harvested the kelp and unloaded it at the port. The harvesting will continue until October.