Fruits for Every Season in Japan

Winter
(Mandarin Oranges)

This fruit symbolizes the arrival of New Year in Japan. Known as mikan, you can buy them in plastic bags of 10 to 12. It is sweet, juicy, seedless and easy to peel apart. You will find many adorning the top layer of kami-mochi (rice cakes used for worship during New Year) .

Spring
(Strawberries)

Japan is currently known as the largest producers and consumers of strawberries. In the rural strawberries producing regions of the country, farms offer strawberry picking for a small fee. You can pick and eat as much as you can without time limits. In Tokyo City, there is a small but very popular fruit stall in Shinjuku area boosts skewers of strawberries for 100 yen each as their most well-known sales item.

Summer
(Watermelons)

Summer will not be complete with a "Smash the watermelon blindfolded" game on the sandy beach. Watermelons has become a symbol of japanese summers and are consumed with a sprinkle of salt. Ever seen a square watermelon? You will, in Japan.

(Melons)

There are a variety of low to mid range melons available, with the high range musk melons which are only grown in Japan costing over 10,000 yen each. Not everyone can afford this luxury item in the fruit department all of the time, a large price tag that is not quite in proportion to its size.

(Cherries)

Most delicious during the early summer months, they are as fresh as the day they are harvested. Shops tend to lower the prices near closing time so it can be a real bargain in price and a slight discount in freshness if you get your cherries during those hours.

(Peaches)

In season, this fruit contains an amount of juice you never thought possible. Bite into one of these and watches as the sticky sweet nectar ooze out of the corner of your mouth and through your fingers.

Autumn
(Pears)

Thirst-quenching, this fruit has a sandy textured skin but really smooth flesh. A few varieties worth checking out, they are round in shape rather than the traditional pear shape the West are accustomed to. The most common variety available outside Japan would be hosui or kosui pears.

(Persimmons)

This much coverted fruit appears near the end of autumn. Fuyugaki is soft and sweet, Jirogaki is firm and crispy. Many regions would have a variety of persimmons local to them, and the best way to sample them would be to pick up hoshigaki (dried persimmon). These are made of bitter tasting persimmons which are dried by heat. An abundance during its seasonal appearance, you will see a lot of tibits made from it as well as its original form at many grocers.

(Apples)

Aomori is probably the largest and most well-known apple producing region in Japan and Fuji apples variety accounts for almost half of Japan's apples production. the Fuji variety has appeared from many countries but to taste the sweetness of a true Fuji apple, it still has to come from Japan.