• last year
Peaches from Fukushima

Japanese peaches are famously sweet, soft and juicy. We visit the town of Koori, in northern Fukushima, an area with the ideal soil and climate for peach growing. Koori peach exports, which suffered greatly due to the great earthquake of 2011, are today even greater than before the disaster, thanks to their well proven safety. Koori peaches are such high quality that they are selected every year to supply the Imperial Palace. We interview peach farmers and visitors enjoying their orchards.

VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN

Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe

Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net

Follow us:
Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook
Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram
Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter
DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion

Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital

Check out our Podcasts:
Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify
Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts
Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic
Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer
Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher
Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein

#TheManilaTimes
#Japan
#Fukushima
#peaches
Transcript
00:00 [Music]
00:09 [Music]
00:11 Japan has over 100 varieties of peaches.
00:15 Generally quite large and perfectly round.
00:20 They're sweet and famed for their soft, juicy flesh.
00:26 [Music]
00:31 Fukushima, in the Tohoku region, is a major fruit growing area.
00:35 Its peach harvest is Japan's second largest, and much has always been exported.
00:41 The 2011 earthquake and disaster dealt a severe blow to the area's peach exports.
00:52 However, today, these fruits are confirmed to be completely safe, and sales are booming again.
00:57 In addition, thanks to leading-edge inspection equipment using optical sensors, Fukushima peaches are even higher quality.
01:08 Export volumes are greater than before the disaster, driven by high demand from Southeast Asian and European markets.
01:19 [Music]
01:24 The town of Kori produces Fukushima's best peaches.
01:28 There are over 350 orchards here.
01:31 A road called the Kori Peach Line takes you right through most of the town's peach groves.
01:48 This one belongs to Tomosuke Minami and his son.
01:51 Tomosuke has been a peach farmer for nearly 60 years.
01:57 My dream is to grow the best peaches in all Japan.
02:04 The more people who want to buy my peaches, the prouder I'll be.
02:08 Kori's well-drained soil and warm temperatures make it ideal for peach cultivation.
02:16 Yes, this is the perfect place to grow really sweet and delicious peaches.
02:21 One of the varieties the Minamis grow is the Akatsuki.
02:27 The Akatsuki's high sugar content makes it especially sweet.
02:33 It's a very juicy fruit, and because it's easy to grow, this Fukushima peach is now cultivated nationwide.
02:39 It's the best.
02:44 It's so good, the Akatsuki is the peach supplied every year to the imperial household.
02:49 From a crop of 120,000 peaches, optical sensors select the best 600, judged by conditions such as sweetness and size.
03:02 Next, a panel of experts picks out the 180 with the most perfect color and shape.
03:10 The chosen peaches will be shipped to the imperial palace.
03:13 On a tour of Fukushima after the 2011 disaster, the emperor and empress made a point of visiting the Minami family orchard to thank them personally.
03:25 There's no greater honor than to be chosen to supply the emperors' peaches.
03:34 As you cut the fruit, be careful not to drop it. At this popular event, you can pick your own peaches and enjoy them fresh from the tree.
03:43 I got a good one. It's so fresh, so sweet and good, and very juicy.
03:51 Safe and incomparably tasty.
03:59 Whichever way you choose to serve a Fukushima peach, you can be sure it will bring delight.
04:06 Fukushima Peach. You can be sure it will bring delight.
04:11 [Music fades]
04:13 [Silence]
04:19 [Mouse click, then ding]
04:21 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Recommended