A long-established farmer in Chiba, Japan’s largest pear producer for over 200 years.
Chiba’s pears are the best in Japan in terms of cultivated area, harvest volume, and production value.
The pears are also called “anari no mi,” which means “pear fruit” in Japanese, to bring good luck.
Chiba, Japan’s Number One Pear Growing Area
When one hears the word “pear,” Tottori and Yamanashi come to mind. However, although it is not well known, Chiba Prefecture is Japan’s largest pear-growing prefecture in terms of acreage, harvest volume, and production value. This is a fact that even Nakata, who says he loves pears the most among fruits, did not know.
In Chiba Prefecture, there is a long-established farmer, Yosayemon, which has been growing pears for more than 200 years. The company has been growing pears for 60 years and won the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award (first prize) in the “Chiba Pear Taste Contest” held in 2010, and grows most varieties, including Kosui, Toyosui, Akizuki, Niitaka, Kaori, and Ohaki. The pear season is from August to October. The ability to grow almost any variety that can be harvested at any time of the year is a skill made possible by Yosayemon’s 200-year history.
Sticking to the Soil and Moving to a New World
We have a special way of growing pears that is different from other pear farms,” says Sokichi Tanaka, the eighth generation owner of the farm.
The conventional method of pruning and pulling was only available to experienced workers, but the “H-shaped four main branches” method invented by the previous generation allows even part-time workers to do the work.
Our house is in Ichikawa, and it takes us three hours to get here and back. So we use this method to shorten the time and labor required for the work, and to produce a better product.
Ichikawa is also famous for pears, right? Why this place and not Ichikawa?
Ichikawa is the birthplace of pear cultivation in Chiba Prefecture with a history of over 200 years, but on the other hand, it is close to the city center and there are many residences. The most important thing in farming is soil preparation, but it is impossible to make compost in Ichikawa. The smell, the dust, and the noise of the machines also disturb the neighbors. That is why we took the plunge and set up our farm here.
Since the time of his predecessor, he has spent 20 years improving the soil in Tomisato’s fields, and has finally come to produce delicious pears.
Nakata also praises the superb pears.
At the Tomisato farm, Mr. Tanaka selected “Hosui” pears for me, and I picked them off the tree and ate them with their skins on the spot.
The taste was delicious!
Every time I bit into a pear, the juice would overflow and drip down to the ground.
Toyosui is said to be a variety characterized by its high acidity, but this pear was less acidic and its flesh was soft and fresh. The soil was carefully selected to ensure that the pears were full of sweetness and nutrients. Nakata praised the pears, saying, “I have never tasted anything like this before.
With the store name of “Yosayemon,” the farmers are proud of their tradition.
With such a long tradition as this, did you easily decide to take over the family business?
He said, “Well, I can’t touch insects yet (laughs). (Laughs.) I have always hated farming, and even as a child I hardly ever went into the fields. When it came to helping out, he would just run around.
I happened to work for an agrochemical manufacturer, and as I went around to producers and talked to them about various things and helped them in ways I had never done at home, I thought, “Farming is great. Looking back, I realized that I knew nothing about my own family. I had never really looked into the work that my father and mother had done.
Since then, he has revived the family name “Yosayemon” as the name of the farm, and has devoted himself to establishing the “Yosayemon’s Pears” brand.
He has not yet found the answer to the question of how delicious they are. I am making pears with the thought that the answer may not be found until the very end.
Nashiya Yosayemon is also particular about the “season” of its pears. Instead of harvesting pears early and shipping them out early, the company picks pears according to the “best time to eat” for each variety. We want our customers to enjoy our pears at their best, which is why we are so particular about “season”.
