Seeking the finest peaches nurtured by the people and nature of Fukushima

Fukushima Prefecture is known as one of the nation’s leading fruit kingdoms. Among the fruits of Fukushima Prefecture, peaches are probably the most representative of the prefecture. Fukushima City and Date City are famous for peach production, but this time, Hidetoshi Nakata went to Koorimachi, Date County. The town’s peaches have been selected as a gift to the Imperial Household for 25 consecutive years.

Peach fields stretch along the Abukuma River. At the farm of Mr. Masahiro Minami, located in the corner commonly called “Peach Road,” peaches such as “Tamaki” and “Hikawa Hakuho,” which bear fruit early in June and early July, were ready for harvesting.
Hidetoshi Nakata, who has visited Fukushima many times, was surprised to learn that Fukushima ranks second in Japan in terms of peach harvest and shipment (according to the statistics released on January 23, 2008 by the Statistics Department, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries).
Why has peach cultivation flourished so much?”
After World War II, as sericulture declined, many farmers switched to fruit cultivation. Mr. Minami explains the historical background of peach cultivation, saying that the rich soil and basin climate of the Abukuma River basin were particularly suited to peach cultivation.
My family has been growing peaches since my grandfather’s generation, which is now 60 years ago.
Minami-san’s farm grows about 500 peach trees of 16 varieties, and a variety of peaches are harvested from the end of June to September, but the main variety is “AKATSUKI,” a brand name representing Fukushima.

The origin of the name “Akatsuki,” a brand-name peach, comes from a shrine

The “Akatsuki” variety, named after the “Shinobu Sanzan Akatsuki Mairi” festival held at the Shinobuyama Haguro Shrine in Fukushima City, was registered as a variety in 1979, and is usually harvested from early to mid-August (depending on the weather. It is a peach that is usually harvested from early to mid-August (this year, it is expected to be from the end of July to early August). Because it was a small-bodied variety, it was not widely grown throughout Japan. The peaches were not widely grown in Japan because they were small in size, but growers in Fukushima took notice of their flavor and devised a cultivation method to increase the size of the fruit, resulting in the development of a superb brand peach with dense, sweet flesh.
From the growers’ point of view, it is also an easy peach to cultivate. The fruit is plump and abundant and looks good, making it a popular variety for gift-giving,” says Mr. Minami.
Peaches produced in Kuori have been selected as imperial gifts for 25 consecutive years. Only “Akatsuki” peaches, which are selected for their sugar content, firmness, size, and coloring, are presented to the Imperial Household. The best peaches are gathered from each farm, and the best peaches are selected from among them.
Mr. Nakata leaned forward as he listened to the story.
How many peaches of the same grade as the Dedicated Peach are harvested at your farm?
About 300 peaches, or 2 to 3% of the harvest,” Mr. Minami said.
Mr. Minami said, “About 300 peaches, which is 2 to 3% of our harvest. Now I am enjoying growing peaches. He spoke to us in a straightforward manner about his life after the earthquake.

Recovery from the Earthquake

Due to harmful rumors about the nuclear power plant accident, sales and prices of peaches in the prefecture dropped sharply. They were so determined to make sure that people could eat their carefully grown peaches with peace of mind that they thoroughly decontaminated each and every peach tree. They continued to grow peaches silently, replanting trees weakened by the decontamination process. Now, seven years after the earthquake, sales prices have recovered to the previous level. Exports to Asia and other overseas markets have also increased, which has been encouraging, according to Minami. We are also receiving positive feedback on our efforts to ensure food safety and security,” says Minami. Whenever we receive comments about how delicious our products are, we feel as if we have been rewarded.
Nakata-san left the farm with a smile on his face as he told Minami-san with a shy smile that he was looking forward to eating “AKATSUKI”.

The post Peach Farmer – Mr. Yukihiro Minami, a “Superb Peach” Nurtured by the People and Nature of Fukushima / Kuori Town, Fukushima Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Fruit in Akita

We visited a ”kayuen” or orchard. I mentioned this when we wrote an article on Kazuno Hokugen peaches, but Akita has a high production of apples. Akita also falls in the top 3 for ”akebi” and a rare fruit called ”marumero”. ”Marumero” looks similar to ”karin”, has a strong fragrance, and is often used for fruit liqueur. Akita is also in the top 3 for this as well. In other words, although Akita does not have an image of being a ”kingdom of fruit”, there are actually a large number of fruit that are grown here. At Kagayakaju Orchards, they grow and sell grapes, apples and pears along with various other kinds of fruit. Also, it is a tourist spot where people can experience fruit picking at the plantation.

Debuting in 2013 – “Shusen” Pear

We are taken on a small tour until we reach the tree we of our objective. It is the new brand of pear, original to Akita, the ”Shusen”. The day of the interview was in October. We hadn’t expected pears to be growing in abundance during this season. We picked one from the tree and ate one, and as soon as he took a bite, Nakata murmured out, ”Oh, so juicy”. This is the brand, ”Shusen”. This is an Akita original brand pear that was born in Akita, where pears were grown since the Edo period. It was distributed for the first time in 2013 and therefore is still very new. Shusen was made by crossbreeding the 2 brands, Hosui and Shinsei. What may surprise you is its size. It is double the size of Hosui and Shinsei and one is about 600g to 800g. You may doubt that such a large fruit will only taste bland, but once in your mouth, the superbly sweet.taste will spread in your mouth. It is a pear that is juicy fresh that you will thoroughly enjoy.

Good Pears Even in October!

”Shusen is not the sweetest of pears, but has great balance. I hope to produce more as I promote it to customers, ” Kagaya says.
One of the characteristics of ”Shusen” is its shipping period. Early October is not normally the peak season for pears, and it’s a little early for apples. The defining characteristic of ”Shusen” is that it is at its peak when other varieties are not.
”I love pears and eat a lot every year, but ”Shusen” stands out in taste even among the late ripening varieties. Being able to enjoy delicious pears even in October, that in itself has great meaning.” commented Nakata. ”Shusen” is still new to the market. We look forward to how it does across the country.

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Akita – known for apple cultivation

Kazuno-City Akita is known for its apples. The big temperature difference between night and day makes the apples firm, dark-colored and most of all delicious. Therefore apples have been made for a very long time. It started in the early Meiji period. Soon the taste became widely known, and ”Kazuno Apples” were shipped to not just the neighboring prefectures but to Tokyo as well.
Apples are still one of the leading fruit of Akita. Aomori makes up about 50% of the entire market share, but other than Aomori, Akita stands shoulder to shoulder with Nagano, Iwate, Yamagata and Fukushima.
We spoke with Hajime Sato, a farmer himself, who also makes ”peaches”.

Starting Peach-cultivation

”I was told I’d never be a match to the farmers in the original production areas. ” Sato looks back to when he first began cultivating peaches. It is an all too familiar concept that peaches do not grow at low temperatures. Approximately 20 years ago, Sato went to Fukushima and Yamanashi, locations famous for peaches, for training. Everyone told him, ”It’s not a good idea.” Yet with great determination, he was successful in creating a brand of peach that is highly appraised across the country.
The peaches Sato create are shipped as ”Kazuno Hokugenno momo” or ”Hokugen Peaches”. ”Hokugen” refers to the fact that it is the last peach of the season in Japan, regardless of how it is cultivated.
It is shipped out mainly from early to mid September, and is indeed about 2 weeks later than other regions. Recently, another brand called ”Sakura” is harvested even later in the season, and is shipped as late as October.

Peaches Sweet and Beautiful

Kazuno Hokugen Peaches are not just popular due to its late seasonality. They are truly appraised for its ”taste”. Peaches need to meet size and sugar concentration standards before it can be shipped.
”Akatsuki”, which is harvested in August, is a brand which prides its concentrated sweetness. In comparison ”Kawanakajima White Peach” harvested in September, has a great balance of sweetness and tartness, and its rich flavor attracts the attention of many.
”Generally peaches from the warm regions are sweet. The ones from the north do not become fully ripe so the fruit remains tight and tart, allowing you to enjoy both sweetness and tartness.” Sato explained.
There are more than 20 varieties of peaches cultivated within the JA Kazuno district. You would think that so many varieties would be confusing. However, Sato says, ”They all have their differences in shape, color, and especially their fleshiness.” One of the reasons peach cultivation was incorporated in this region was to provide cover for and improve apples against disease and typhoon damage. Now it is appreciated and recognized around the country simply for its delicious taste.

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From “Midagunasu” to the queen of fruits

It also took more effort to grow in comparison to native varieties which added to the farmer’s discontent. However, as the mainstream of fruit consumption changed from canned to fresh fruit, their deliciousness came to be known,

Dairy farming enriched the soil

Yamagata Prefecture has the highest production of the La France pear in Japan. In fact, 80% of La France is produced in Yamagata Prefecture. We visited Kuroda Kajuen, known as one of the producers of the best La France pears, and the winner of the highest award in the “La France Tasting Contest” held by JA Yamagata (Japan Agricultural Cooperative, Yamagata). We interviewed Minoru Kuroda and his son Jun. They started their orchard in Minoru-san’s generation, before which his parents ran a dairy farm. The current orchard was built on the dairy farm grounds.
“The soil is very fertile because cows used to live here.” explained Kuroda. He still emphasizes soil making and periodically inspects the soil. Eighty percent of the fertilizer is organic, and no herbicide is used, so diverse microbes live in the soil. La France is a difficult fruit to grow, and its harvest tends to depend largely on the climate. That is the reason that fewer farmers in native France and Europe grow this brand nowadays. Also, it’s slow growth speed from blossoming to fruiting make it susceptible to typhoon damage. So it takes extra care to grow them. Kuroda Kajuen adopts a rare cultivation method called flat-shelf bagless cultivation.

Born in Yamagata, Benishuho

In addition to La France, grapes and cherries are also grown at Kuroda Kajuen.
When we visited, it was the cherry season. Benishuho cherries were awaiting harvest on the trees. Satonishiki is probably the most famous variety, but Benishuho provides a more stable harvest, he explained. And there is a difference in taste. Benishuho’s sugar content is definitely higher. Satonishiki is more tart, so one can eat more Satonishiki at one time. “It’s like the difference between Kosui and Hosui pears. Depending on the breed, the harvest season and taste are different, and you can enjoy the characteristics of each breed. He also spoke on how freshness affects the taste of cherries.
“Nowadays thanks to overnight courier services, you can eat what was harvested the very next day. The taste is very different. Freshness matters so much. Here, this was picked this morning. It’s crispy and really good.” He said as he handed a cherry to Nakata.
We took a bite of that crispy cherry and were impressed with the taste of Benishuho. At Kuroda Kajuen, cherries are grown by a special method called “Kakine Shitate”. All trees are pruned to the same shape, so the sunlight reaches the very bottom branch uniformly. That’s the secret to growing large red Benishuho cherries with consistent taste.

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Yamagata’s representative fruit, cherries

Yamagata is known for its cherries. Yamagata is so well-known for its cherries that it can be said that cherries are the most representative fruit of Yamagata. Of course, Yamagata ranks first in the nation in terms of both harvest and shipping volume. They account for about 70% of the market share.
Among the cherries of Yamagata, the kingdom of cherries, there is a man who is called a “master”. That is Mr. Kenichi Karube, whom we interviewed this time. The cherries that Mr. Karube grows with great care and attention are simply delicious. He says that there are many cherry farmers all over Japan who are fascinated by the taste and follow the example of his cultivation methods. That is why he is called a master.
On the day of the interview, it was raining. Rain is the natural enemy of cherries,” said Mr. Karube. Just a little exposure to rain can cause the cherries to crack, making them unusable as a product. Now they have a tent to protect them from the rain, but without it, the harvest sometimes coincides with the rainy season, and the farmers are always in a state of fear.

The popular Sato Nishiki and the powerful Beni Shuho

Sato Nishiki is the most famous variety of cherries, but at the time of the interview, the harvest of Sato Nishiki was over and the cherries on the trees were of the Benishuho variety. The Benishuho variety was on the trees. It is a larger variety than Sato Nishiki, and has a higher sugar content.
Mr. Karube picked one from the tree and handed it to Nakata to try. As soon as he put it in his mouth and took a bite, the color of Nakata’s face changed. It was so sweet that he could hardly believe it was a cherry. The sugar content was about 25 degrees, which was as sweet as a peach or melon. The thick flesh of the fruit is also irresistible.
The popular Sato Nishiki and the powerful Beni Shuho,” says Karube. It has a strong sweetness and low acidity. Of course, everyone has their own tastes, but I actually think it tastes better than Sato Nishiki. That’s why I think it’s such a challenging variety to produce as a professional.
Beni Shuho is one of the “Beni Series” varieties created at the Yamagata Prefecture Farm Experiment Station. Even before it was popularized, he fell in love with its taste and put a lot of effort into cultivating this variety.

Pruning cherries is an exciting process!

The most exciting part of cherry cultivation is pruning the cherries. When Nakata was asked what is the most important thing in growing cherries, he immediately replied, “Sunlight. Without sunlight, the cherries don’t taste good and their color doesn’t improve,” Karube replied.
The only work that can be done to ensure sunlight is pruning the branches. Karube says that pruning is the most interesting work because it is the only way to determine the flavor and color of the cherries.
The pruning really makes a difference,” he said. From the shape of the grapes to the taste, of course. That’s why it’s so interesting. I have to be very careful with the scissors so that the sun shines on the grapes. Interestingly, if you prune too quickly, the trees rebel.

Growing cherries with care

It sounded like he was talking to a human being. A cherry tree has a lifespan of about 40 years. Mr. Karube said that is “half the age of a human being. It takes seven to eight years to bear fruit. In human terms, that would make them about 15 years old. It would have been around the time when the tree had reached its prime. From then until the end of their life span of nearly 30 years, they are carefully pruned every year. And every year it produces delicious cherries. The word “nurture” is the perfect word.
Red Shuho cherries carefully grown by a cherry expert. We hope you will try them.

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Fruit Kingdom, Fukushima

Fruit can be roughly classified into two types, warm region and cold region fruits. Fukushima Prefecture is blessed with great climate, so both types of fruit can be grown. Various fruits such as peaches, pears, apples, cherries, grapes, and persimmon are cultivated and shipped throughout the year. Within Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima City in particular is referred to as the ”fruit kingdom”. Delicious fruits, mainly peaches and pears, are delivered to the whole country.

Cultivating pear varieties such as “Asazuki” and “Oshu”

We visited Koichi Haga, who grows pears in Fukushima City. He was originally an agricultural coop employee. After retiring, wanting to use original ”Kayaba” land which had been used for pear production, he tenanted an abandoned pear orchard and planted pear trees such as ”Asazuki” and ”Oshu” for cultivation. Besides pears, he also grows small chrysanthemums.
Following Haga, we entered the pear tree orchard. Pears are mainly harvested from September to October. The day we interviewed Haga was at the end of the harvest period and Haga commented ”You may be a bit too late.” Still, there were many pears left on the trees. Haga looked at them and said ”They’re a little too soft now.”

Pears shouldn’t be peeled for the best taste!

Hearing Haga’s comments, Nakata asked as he looked at the pears, ”How can you tell a delicious pear?” and Haga answered ”It tastes best just after it starts to ripen and the greenness starts to fade.”
Nakata carefully observed the pears, chooses one, and takes a bite without peeling it. There is a great sound as he bites into the pear and chews. He smiles brightly after swallowing and commented ”It’s sweet!”. The pear that Nakata ate is a variety called ”Akizuki”. It is a cross between Hosui and Shinko. It has high sugar content and is juicy. It’s main characteristic is its large size. It’s large enough that you might become full if you ate a whole pear.
..However, since Nakata loves pears, he takes bite after bite. Seeing Nakata enjoy his pear, Haga commented ”You must really like pears.”, squinting his eyes in joy. He then served ”Shinko” and ”Oshu” pears for us to taste.

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Winning 2 Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Awards

When Nakata asked, ”Was your family originally pear farmers?”
Takashi Akiyama responded ”Actually, no.”
As a pear farmer, Akiyama is the only two time winner of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award at ”Chiba’s Best Tasting Pear Contest.”
So naturally, we thought he was born and raised on a pear farm, but actually, he was born in Fukushima, and was set on becoming a professional baseball player until he was 18.
”I was dreaming of becoming a professional baseball player, but I had to give up. Afterwards, I got a job in Tokyo but lived in the area, so after I got married, I started to seriously study about pear cultivation.”

While listening to Akiyama’s story, we walk through an area where the branches of the pear trees have been spread out like a low hanging ceiling.
It looks a bit like an abstract space and is beautiful to look at, but the low height makes it difficult to walk.
”Why are the branches so low?”
”If it’s too high, it’s difficult to prune. At first, we set up the shelves at about 180 cm. Similar to grape shelves. When the fruits grow, they weigh it down to about 1 meter 70 centimeters. Pear fruits are actually quite heavy.”

New varieties competing for taste and popularity

This area has been producing Twentieth Century pears since the Meiji era.
Akiyama also planted only Twentieth Century pears in the beginning. After 3 years, he heard that ”Hosui is good”, so he grafted Hosui to the Twentieth Century trees, and it’s been 35 years since.
He also grows Kosui and Shinko pears.

According to Akiyama, in the world of pears, many varieties are introduced and then disappear.
”Many varieties are created, but none of them can compete with Hosui or Kosui.”
The new varieties that Akiyama has high expectations for are ”Shurei” and ”Akizuki”.
”Shurei” is an especially sweet variety among the Aonashi strain, and is so popular that it sells out quickly. Nakata, who is a pear lover, also praised it highly saying ”Oh, this is good!!”.
The taste is a little different from normal pear. ”It tastes like sweet persimmon rather than a pear.”
We could not try ”Akizuki” since it was too early in the season, but they are the best quality variety mixing Japan’s Three Great Pears – ”Kosui”, ”Hosui” and ”Shinko”. The characteristic of the fruit is that it is soft, sweet and juicy without much acidic taste.

The taste of healthy Hosui

”What is important for pears to become delicious?” asked Nakata. Akiyama responded
”Make good quality soil using organic fertilizer, and grow healthy trees.”
”The taste must be evaluated by the customers. So I ask my regular customers to share their honest impressions.”

When we visited, Kosui season was ending, and Hosui was soon going to be harvested.

Akiyama asked Nakata with an expression of both pride and concern, ”How is our Hosui?”
”It is good. But still a little hard. If I wait a little, it might become softer and more delicious. I predict that after a little while, the acidity and sweetness will balance each other out, and that would make it taste very good.”

It was a little too early, but during the peak season, it will probably be a delicious pear for sure.

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Allowing the fruit to ripen on the tree

Entering a narrow road that runs through a residential area, it opens up into a field and at the end is the direct retail store of ”Sakurai Farm”.
In the 2007 ”Chiba Pear Tasting Contest”, Sakurai Farm won the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award (first place), the first for Yachiyo city.
This shop is like a hideaway, yet many customers gather, hearing of their reputation.
We spoke to Masahiro Sakurai of Sakurai Farm.

”Being sweet isn’t good enough for a pear to be considered declisious, right? What is important?”
”Sweetness is an important factor, but the timing of harvest is also important. They have to be ripe before they’re picked. Most often the fruit is picked when they are still green, and when they arrive at the grocery stores 3 days later, they have some color, but they don’t taste good. So recently, most of our pears are direct retail..”
They allow the fruit to become ripe on the tree, then harvest them to be boxed, and the pears arrive at the customer’s home the next day. That is the best timing to eat delicious pears.
The important thing is the color of the fruit when it’s picked.”

Being attentive to the timing

Sakurai who places importance on the peak of the fruit prefers to pick in the morning.
”Once it passes noon, the sunlight is high in the sky and hits the pears directly. It makes the color of the pear too dark. So we try to pick between 6 am to noon.”
”So there is an optimal time for picking.”
”Timing is important. Timing for picking, timing to add fertilizer. Everything is about timing.”

He also says that there is a good timing to pick delicious pears.
”The tree itself can live 100 years or even 200 years, but there is a prime period for every tree, and usually after 25 to 30 years, the tree gradually starts to decline. Beyond that, the tree starts to lose energy. It might not bear large fruit, or the color of the fruit can become dull.”
Many of the pear trees at Sakurai Farm were planted by his father, and since those trees are about 30 years old now, they started to replace the trees when they were about 25 years old.

Enjoying the different tastes from different regions and farms

We went to several pear farmers in Chiba with this project, and surprisingly, even pears of the same variety did not taste the same.
Acidity, sweetness, texture, smell….. Even if they are the same Kosui variety, they taste completely different.
Sakurai Farm’s pear is soft and has a strong sweet taste.
According to Sakurai, pears taste different by farm and region.

Chiba Prefecture is the largest pear production area.
We recommend visiting several pear farms, compare the taste, and discover your favorite.

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Delicious pears” made by a 200-year-old farmer: Sokichi Tanaka, the 8th generation of Nashi… 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…

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Suzuki Pear Orchard, a juicy pear that drips with juice The pear won first place in the 2011 Pear Pride Contest! Hirofumi Suzuki’s field was filled with ripe pears hanging from the trees.They were perfect in color…

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Plums and peaches — juicy and delicious.

The usual plums we see in supermarkets are a little larger than ping-pong balls. However, the plums in Norimichi Tsukuma’s orchard are the size of a baseball, and are quite heavy.

After being shown around the orchard, the first thing we were given to taste was this freshly picked plum. Nakata was very surprised by its size, but it wasn’t until we ate them that we were astonished by its sweetness.

However, the main product in Tsukuma’s orchard are peaches, and he makes over a dozen kinds, considering the harvesting time. When tasting a peach, there wasn’t a knife at hand, so we split the peach in half by hand. As soon as the fingers were pressed into the fruit, juice flowed out endlessly. According to Tsukuma, the average sugar content is 14 to 15, very sweet and exquisite peaches.

Overcoming many obstacles — only a few percent reach the customers!

”What are the things you keep in mind to make delicious peaches?” asked Nakata. ”It’s difficult,” said Tsukuma. ”It’s a question of how much trouble you put into it. The peaches that reach the customers are only a few percent of what would have been fruits on one tree. More than 90% are picked early.”

Already, when they are still buds, they are selected down to one third. After that, they are selected at each stage, when they blossom, when they are young fruits and at bagging, and so on.
”Isn’t that a huge amount of trouble?”
”Yes, it is. Some people say, why not select them all when they are buds. But, the nutrition balance doesn’t go right. So we just have to select in each stages. And in the end remain that most delicious peaches.”

The choicest of peaches, made by Tsukuma.
”So the peaches reach us after so many hurdles, don’t they,” said Nakata.

”Yes, they are actually more elite than Tokyo University students!”

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It can be sweeter than melon. Shine Muscat is a green jewel.

”I’ve really staked my life on Shine Muscat,” said Hidemi Natsuyagi of ”Natsuyagi Noen” in a loud and clear voice. Katsunuma in Yamanashi Prefecture is famous for grapes, and his farm is one of the most long established grape farms in Katsunuma, him being the fourth successor.

Shine Muscat, which Nastuyagi said he staked his life on, is now being grown all over Japan, but the production volume is very small.
Why? Because, ”It’s a difficult fruit to grow large. It takes a lot of work to grow..”

However, Shine Muscat at Natsuyagi Noen is all very big and uniform in size.
”Please eat them, skin and all.” As beckoned, Nakata put a large Muscat in his mouth. ”It’s so sweet.” He was justly surprised, because the sugar content is about 20, some have sugar contents of 23. Even melons seldom have sugar content of 20.

All the efforts do not materialize immediately. Grape making in a long span.

“Natsuyagi used to have no intention of succeeding the farm.
”But once I began, I just couldn’t stop. The more time and effort you put in, the more delicious the fruits will become,’ said he.

He is very particular about the soil, too, and he is mixing cedar chips into the soil. However, it will be a long time until it will take effect.
He is growing grapes in a long span.

Natsuyagi, who staked his life on Shine Muscat has an eye on a new kind of grape that will be available soon. His passion is endless. He will continue grape making, which he ”stakes his life on”.

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