At Hitotsuya Dyeing and Weaving Farm in Iga, Mie Prefecture, a slightly unexpected new member joined us this spring. Some of you may have looked at the photos and thought, “Wait… what?” Yes! These are banana plants.
▼ Akebi banana plants purchased online in spring 2026
Growing bananas, a tropical plant, here in Iga… 🤔 Of course, these are not ordinary bananas. This variety is called the Akebi banana — also known as the pink banana or velvet banana, with the botanical name Musa velutina. It is a small wild banana native to the Assam region of northeastern India. When the fruit ripens, the skin splits open like an akebi fruit, revealing small, charming pink bananas with a simple sweetness. One of its notable characteristics is that it is considered more cold-hardy than ordinary bananas and, under suitable conditions, can withstand temperatures of around -5°C.
However, we are not growing it mainly for its fruit. What caught Hitotsuya’s attention was its fiber.
▼ Akebi banana plants transplanted to Hitotsuya Dyeing and Weaving Farm in late April.
▼ The plants were still small, and there were some cold days, so we were a little worried about their growth.
When it comes to textile products made from banana fiber, Okinawa’s famous bashofu, woven from the fibers of itobasho, a relative of the banana, is well known. However, here in Iga, Mie Prefecture, we found it difficult to cultivate it and had to give up on that idea.
Later, while researching other possibilities, we learned that in the islands of the South Pacific, fibers have long been taken from the stem-like parts and bark of banana plants, then beaten and stretched into something like paper or cloth, known as tapa cloth. It seems that Akebi banana fiber may also have the potential to be used in a similar way.
So, Hitotsuya is now beginning a new challenge: creating new products using banana fiber.
▼ The plants looked weak in spring, but once the rainy season began, they suddenly started growing larger.
We hope you will enjoy watching these bananas grow in the soil of Iga, and seeing the new story that may come from them.
If things do not go well, we will simply eat them as bananas――😅