Karuizawa Harvest Journal

When your dog won't eat

When Umi was about eighteen months old, she started leaving food. She had always emptied the bowl. All of a sudden, she'd eat about half and walk away. The next day she'd finish it. The day after t...

Broccoli, The Vegetable You Use Less Of

Broccoli is the smallest ingredient by volume in our topper VENISON + APPLE, and the one we spent the longest deciding on.

Sweet potato for dogs: warm, honeyed sweetness

The sweet potato (さつまいも [satsumaimo]) is the main carbohydrate in our topper, VENISON + APPLE. Its warm sweetness sits against the savoury depth of the venison and the lighter, fresher notes of the...

Shinshu Apples: Brightness from the Orchards Below

Apple is one of the four vegetables and fruits that go into our topper VENISON + APPLE alongside the venison, and the main sweet note in the recipe. The fruit rounds out the venison's deep, savoury...

Carrots for dogs: garden flavour and bite

Carrot grounds VENISON + APPLE, our topper. The recipe is Nagano venison, Shinshu apple, and domestic sweet potato, carrot and broccoli. Forest and orchard give the recipe its two big flavours: lea...

Liver is Nature's Multivitamin

Of all the parts of a deer, liver is the one people have prized the longest. In Europe, cooks have turned it into pâté and terrine for centuries. Japan has its own long tradition of レバー [rebā, live...

Heart is a Muscle

If you have only ever met heart on a yakitori menu, it can sound like an odd thing to put in a dog's bowl. It isn't. Heart is the busiest muscle in the animal, and using it is part of a broader ide...

Venison: the wild, lean protein behind our first topper

Venison is the main ingredient in our topper, VENISON + APPLE. Our venison comes from Nagano, where wild deer (ニホンジカ [nihonjika, Japanese sika deer]) live in large numbers.

Venison and Apple: Nagano's Landscape on a Plate

VENISON + APPLE is our first topper for dogs, made with wild Nagano venison, Shinshu apples, sweet potato, carrot and broccoli. Here is each ingredient, and why we chose it.

What Is a Topper?

A topper is a spoonful added to your dog's regular meal. What is it, how much should you use, is it fine to use every day, and how might your dog respond? Karuizawa Harvest explains.

Meet Umi, the inspiration behind Karuizawa Harvest

The story of Umi, the heart of our little family and the inspiration for Karuizawa Harvest.