Sotetsu 2
(Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo on Jul.11)
The photograph shws a female tree of Sotetsu. Today Japanese sago palms are planted as ornamental trees to produce a tropical atmosphere, but in the old days they were encouraged to plant for famine in such places as Okinawa.
Since Sotetsu has a lot of starch with its seeds or stem, it can be food for emergency. However its seeds, stem and leaves are poisonous, so you should cook them very carefully.
Okinawa suffered from financial difficulties with the slump of sugar prices at the Great Depression since its main industry was producing sugarcanes.
People in Okinawa were so poor at the time as they had to satisfy their hunger with the poisonous Japanese sago palms,
so they call the plight the hell of Sotetsu. Sotetsu became important food even in the following the second World War.
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