The Olive Trees of Gunma and Their Oil

Italy, Greece, Spain, Croatia, yes, but Japan??? The answer is an unequivocal “Yes.” The subject is olive oil. That Japan can produce high-quality olives and the oil therefrom does not surprise me. I have been eating Japanese olives off and on for roughly fifteen years. I did not have the opportunity to taste Japanese olive oil until now. The occasion was at JFEX Winter (2025) when I tasted some of the offerings of Jungle Delivery Co., Ltd., an award-winning firm based in Gunma Prefecture. I subsequently tasted three of their infused oils offsite, and the sensory evaluations appear below.

I am delighted that the country is producing them. Actually, almost anything edible would be fine with me, as Japan has a frighteningly low level of food self-sufficiency. Furthermore, should someone ask me what I want put on my toast, I will almost invariably answer “olive oil” or “lightly salted butter.” No margarine or buttery spreads, whatever that means.

I tasted three oils, pairing each with the bread pictured here and a mozzarella-like cheese from Shizuoka Prefecture. The three infusions were basil, Japanese pepper, and yuzu. I started with basil, the most conventional, and ended with yuzu. I did not add sea salt, as I customarily do when consuming olive oil. It should be noted that all of these are made from Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Basil: There is the unmistakable flavor of basil, but it is not obtrusive. The greenness of the oil—that tingling in the throat—is there, and that is a good thing. The oil enlivened the relatively bland cheese, proving to be the perfect complement. It went well with the bread, too.

Japanese Pepper: This is one of my favorite spices. It can numb the tongue, but the pepper in here is subdued. It went better with the cheese than with the bread.

Yuzu: The aroma of yuzu arises from the plate. There is the subtle flavor of citrus fruit. It went exceedingly well with the bread, not in a jammy sense mind you: it just added more complexity to the bread-eating experience. Jungle’s yuzu won the Silver Medal in 2025 at the London International Olive Oil Competitions.