J a p a n e s e    C u l t u r e

Japanese Apples are big and expensive.

The price tag whited out to obscure producer, but they were shockingly expensive.

Each apple is at least the size of a grapefruit having been nurtured individually by a farmer whose farm is about the size of your back yard.

There is a myth in Japan that foreign produce is more likely to be contaminated with pesticides and herbicides. In fact, as far as I know (and according to a Newsweek or Time article) Japanese farmers, with their labour intensive mini farms producing giant fruit use more chemicals than anyone. I watched farmers of giant grapes (kyohou) from Okayama dip each and every one of their grapes into a solution of some sort of chemical which prevented the grape from creating seeds.

Fruit comes individually wrapped in pink plastic stockings, because it is so shockingly expensive. It may be fair to say that fruit is only eaten as a treat, rather than as a normal part of the Japanese diet.

Labels: japan, japanese culture, nihonbunka, 日本文化