Photo: Zhaohui Wu, on the right, helped to build a wall using hemp as insulation material during his trip to Japan.
Zhaohui Wu is the assistant director of industry outreach with OSU’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, housed within the College of Agricultural Sciences, and a professor of supply chain management and industry policy in the College of Business. His work recently took him to Japan to learn about hemp production and hemp’s role in cultural settings.
Where were you?
I was in Nikko and Tokyo, Japan.Nikko is an area that produces hemp as a cultural product used in temples and by royal courts in Japanese history. It has a unique craft-oriented production process.
What languages are spoken there?
Japanese.
What was the focus of your work?
The trip was led by the National Industrial Hemp Association (NIHA) and funded by a grant from the USDA Regional Promotion Program (RAPP). It had two purposes: First, to understand how hemp was processed and used in Japan in the past, along with recent advances in industrial hemp applications in Japan and other countries collaborating with Japanese companies in areas such as the pharmaceutical and textile sectors. Second, to promote the U.S hemp industry and to identify collaboration opportunities between U.S. research institutions and hemp producers (farmers, processors, users) with counterparts in Japan.
The trip went well. Since it was a delegation, actually one of the significant benefits was getting to know many hemp-related industry leaders in the U.S. We also met with Japanese textile companies to understand their supply chains.
When was your most recent trip?
I stayed in Japan for a week in September.
Who are your closest local colleagues there?
We worked with Golden Hemp, a hemp farm. Here’s a video that shows a little of their production process.
What’s the biggest challenge of working there?
It was a delegation, and the trip was well-managed, so there weren’t any major challenges.
What’s the best food you had there?
Sushi.
What’s the coolest thing a local showed you?
We learned how they do “decortication” using traditional machinery and processes, as seen in the Golden Hemp video. Decortication is the process of separating the long bast fibers of hemp used for textiles and paper from the more woody inner hurd fibers used for building materials and plastics. We also learned how to build a wall with hemp as insulation materials.
What’s an important phrase to know there?
I can read Japanese (which is half Chinese), and I can speak some basic sentences for asking directions; nothing special. I think it is more important to understand etiquette and basic behavioral norms than the language.
What’s one thing from your experience that you’ll take back to Oregon with you?
The craft-based workmanship in Japanese hemp textile and cultural products inspires us to think about the cultural attributes of industrial hemp as we continue to develop the product and market sector of hemp in the U.S.
What were you most surprised to learn?
We face similar regulatory hurdles in hemp production, given regulation on cannabis.
What piece of advice would you give others who might travel there?
Off-season travel to Japan in the fall is my favorite strategy — less crowds and more time to appreciate the culture. Nikko and Kyoto are historical cities. They are special, and one needs to slow down to see it and enjoy it. In fact, Kyoto is designed after my home city in China, Xian, during the Tang dynasty; I can see the similarity and differences and old cultural connections.
Photo: Zhaohui Wu, on the right, helped to build a wall using hemp as insulation material during his trip to Japan. Zhaohui Wu is the assistant director of industry outreach with OSU’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, housed within the College of Agricultural Sciences, and a professor of supply chain management and industry policy in the College of Business. His work recently took him to Japan to learn about hemp production and hemp’s role in cultural settings. Read More
