Seven Fukushima Islands

On Niijima, where the soil is not suitable for rice cultivation, small, sweet white sweet potatoes known as "American potatoes" have long been cultivated throughout the island as an important food source. In other areas, they are known as Shichifuku or Shiroimo, but today they are rarely grown outside of Niijima and Shikinejima. In 2012, these American potatoes were given their official name, "Shichifuku," and were reborn as a source of pride for the Shichifuku Islands. One of the distinctive features of Tokyo's Shimazake is that they also use barley koji in their sweet potato shochu. This shochu is rich in the aroma of barley koji and the sweetness of American potatoes.