High Standards and Careful Cultivation

Whether you want to say thank you or congratulations, inevitably, not just any old fruit will do. Gifted fruit is generally expected to be close to perfect. Consequently, an incredibly high standard of fruit is kept by farmers across the country. In Miyazaki Prefecture, for instance, the regional mangoes (known as Taiyo-no-Tamago, which translates to egg of the sun), are often grown at a maximum of 1-2 per tree. Each mango must hit a minimum weight of 350 grams, and a “Brix sugar level” of 15%, which is dutifully measured by farmers with a tool called a “refractometer,” that determines the sucrose levels in the fruit.

 The Aomori Prefecture Sekai Ichi apples, a name suitably translated to “the world’s best,” grow in harvests of only 1,000 a year, with prices beginning at a minimum of ¥3,000 (about $20). Despite their price though, you do at least get bang for your buck with these Tohoku treats. A single apple weighs around 1 kilogram, with an average circumference of around 1 foot. In order for Ishikawa Prefecture’s Ruby Roman grapes to hit the mark, each individual fruit must be at least 3 centimeters wide, with a Brix sugar content of at least 18%.