Tidings of Autumn Fruits - Seasoning the Seasons | NHK WORLD-JAPAN

In Japan, fruits that line storefronts remind us of the seasons. As the season changes from summer to autumn, every fruit bears a story. On a remote southern island, merchants gather at a fruit store enjoying a chat. They bring seasonal flavors from their own fields. In the north, fields of akebia are plenty. A local unique custom involves sending the souls of the deceased on an akebia boat. In this episode of Seasoning the Seasons, join us on a journey of fruits from all corners of Japan.

Yurihama, Tottori Prefecture, is a pear-growing region. One pear orchard is located on the hills surrounding Lake Togo. Japanese pears are characterized by their round shape and crispy texture. Each variety has its own taste, but one pear stands out for its refreshing tartness. The variety "Nijusseiki," means "20th century." Discovered at the end of the nineteenth century, this variety was named "20th Century" in the hope that it would become the king fruit of the new century.

Nakatsugawa in Gifu Prefecture is an old inn town along the highway connecting Tokyo and Kyoto. It has long been known for its chestnut production. "Kuri-kinton" is a mashed chestnut sweets eaten during New Year's in Japan. But in Nakatsugawa, the kuri-kinton is a little different: the chestnut is hollowed out and sweetened and reshaped into a chestnut. September 9th is the Choyo Festival in Japan which celebrates good harvests and longevity. In Nakatsugawa, it is called the Chestnut Festival, and confectioners gather to pray for a bountiful harvest and prosperous business.

Katsunuma in Yamanashi Prefecture, with its sandy soil, is not suitable for growing rice. Instead, grapes grown on the hillsides have supported the lives of the locals. Daizenji Temple was founded about 1,300 years ago by the monk Gyoki. Its enshrined deity, Yakushi Nyorai or Medicine Buddha, which is unveiled only once every five years, holds a bunch of grapes in its hand. Legend has it that the monk Gyoki brought grapes to this area after they were introduced from the Asian Continent together with Buddhism.

Exploring the four seasons of Japan.

In Japan, fruits that line storefronts remind us of the season.

From summer to autumn, the season changes.

On a remote southern island, merchants gather at a fruit store enjoying a chat.

They bring seasonal flavors from their own fields.

A harvest festival is underway in a grape-growing region.

Grapes have supported people's lives in a land unsuitable for growing rice.

At a local temple, a Buddha holds grapes.

In the north, fields of akebia are plenty.

Tastes like the old days. We used to eat them like this.

A unique custom is undertaken when making offerings to ancestors.

We send the souls of the deceased on an akebia boat.

In this episode of Seasoning the Seasons, join us on a journey of fruits from all over Japan.

In a bustling shopping street about a century old is a store started by the grandparents of Nakamura Taiki.

Kazumiya is a fruit store that has been in business for three generations.

You see fewer fruit stores these days, but I really want to change that.

We're different from grocery stores or supermarkets.

Taiki's grandmother Chizuko was born in a famous fruit-growing region.

I've been here 65 years. I'm the poster grandma.

Sweet peaches. A little bruised, but they taste delicious.

- We enjoyed them so much the other day, too. - Right?

- Who are you taking them to? - To my three girlfriends.

Autumn flavors are beginning to appear in the store.

We have Hosui and Akizuki. Hosui has a rougher texture...

Japanese pears are characterized by their round shape and crispy texture.

Each variety has its own taste, but one pear stands out for its refreshing tartness.

The variety "Nijusseiki," means "20th century."

Nowadays, sweet-tasting varieties are popular, but Nijusseiki pears have been loved for their sweet and tart taste.

Yurihama, Tottori Prefecture, is a pear-growing region.

One pear orchard is located on the hills surrounding Lake Togo.

Nijusseiki pears are more popular in western Japan than in the larger Tokyo region.

Yamada Takao and Hiroko own a pear orchard at the top of a hill.

Hiroko took care of the family farm after marrying Takao, who worked an office job.

After Takao's retirement, the couple have grown pears together.

Nijusseiki pears bruise when exposed to wind and sun.

They require double bagging in spring and early summer.

I like the Nijusseiki pears' green color. It's the king of autumn fruits.

Growing pears is like raising children. They are so cute.

The Nijusseiki pear is an excellent variety, but growing them requires a lot of work and skill.

It's hard work, but it's worth it when we get good produce.

Shipping Nijusseiki pears lasts only three weeks from August to September.

Three hundred and sixty thousand pears are gathered per day at the fruit-sorting plant.

Hiroko is an old hand at growing pears, and is put in charge of grading.

this variety was named "20th Century" in the hope that it would become the king fruit of the new century.

- Shall we pick this area? - This one or that one looks good.

The sweet and tart taste shared between husband and wife transcends the centuries.

We are in Shimoshima, Amakusa Islands, in Kyushu.

there is an old-fashioned variety that has been passed down from the days of the samurai.

It is a fig that is said to have come from Portugal.

This fig is known locally as "nanban-gaki," which means "a persimmon-like fruit from overseas."

In the latter half of the 16th century, there were Japanese boys who traveled to Rome representing Christian lords of Kyushu.

"I have brought from Lisbon to Japan a seedling of good figs, of which Japan is now replete..."

Mori Toru grows old-fashioned figs that have survived until this day.

My grandma called them Nanban-gaki.

They gradually disappeared and are almost gone now.

I thought it'd be a little sad if these figs, introduced to Amakusa, died out.

So, my hope is to keep them going even if I am the last.

Seven years ago, Toru changed jobs from the transportation industry.

His impetus for farming was his only son, who suffers from atopy.

but after his son's symptoms subsided, he focused on Nanban-gaki figs.

I don't know who to learn from, as this is a different variety.

Other farmers may say it's a good harvest, but I may have a low yield.

Toru is adamant on naturally grown Nanban-gaki figs.

He uses no pesticides or animal compost, and plants herbs for undergrowth.

This is apple mint. Its strong smell keeps the raccoons away.

Toru harvests only when the figs are ripe.

By morning it could be too ripe and spoilt.

Well, let's leave it until tomorrow morning.

Nanban-gaki figs bear less fruit than the commonly sold figs.

Very few farmers grow them as their skin is thin and they spoil faster.

When ripe, the skins break easily, just by touching them.

But the ripe ones always taste good.

As soon as they are picked, the figs are sent to the customer.

The Okamuras are an old family that have enjoyed a lineage of over 400 years.

Toru helps them prune the trees in winter.

It's bearing fruit early this year. But only about one-third.

- In size? - Yes, with all the rain.

But he called this one a 'Nanban,' not a fig.

- It's different in shape from regular figs. - This area is purple.

- It's tastes just like ours. - Hmm.

It's definitely been around since the Edo period.

It's said to be a fig brought to Amakusa from Europe.

The old Namban-gaki fig from the Okamura family is passed on.

Toru received some branches and planted them in his orchard.

About ten young trees have taken root.

Toru wants to cherish the history of the figs.

And someday, he'd like to see them in many fruit stores.

I'd love to see customers come to stores to buy figs labeled as 'Nanban-gaki figs.'

I'd really like many people to know the name Nanban-gaki.

Right now, figs in the stores have no description on them.

Some customers wait for a special kind of food in autumn at fruit stores in Tokyo.

- What is a chestnut? Is it a vegetable? - It's a fruit.

Anything that grows on a tree is basically a fruit.

Nakatsugawa in Gifu Prefecture is an old inn town along the highway connecting Tokyo and Kyoto.

It has long been known for its chestnut production.

Long-established stores and inns from the days of the samurai line the streets in this mountainous town.

This store started as a blacksmith.

Now both stores are Japanese confectioners, known for their chestnut sweets.

"Kuri-kinton" is a mashed chestnut sweets eaten in New Year's in Japan.

the chestnut is hollowed out and sweetened, and reshaped into a chestnut.

This area has always been rich in wild chestnuts.

Until rice was introduced, chestnuts were the staple food of the ancient Japanese.

Farmers pick up chestnuts in a field where the trees are kept low for easy maintenance.

Hara Tadao sells chestnuts to Japanese confectioners every day in autumn.

You leave them too long, and they lose their freshness.

Chestnuts are ready to eat when they fall.

Sometimes you can get a direct hit from the thorns.

This is a variety called Tanzawa, and it's good for making kuri-kinton.

You scoop it out, add sugar and simmer it.

We've made it like that since the days of my granddad.

This is what we'd call kuri-kinton.

In the old days, every home made kuri-kinton, and confectioners started selling them about 150 years ago.

These are good. A nice color and sheen.

Tadao's relative Hara Zenichiro is the fourth-generation proprietor of a Japanese sweets shop, Kawakamiya.

Kuri-kinton, a fresh confectionery, is only available during the chestnut harvest.

Autumn is the busiest time for the town.

Today's goal for this factory is 20,000.

The kneaded chestnuts are squeezed with a tea towel, to form a chestnut shape.

Squeezing them by hand is extra work, but it adds a human touch.

Using a towel to make the chestnut shape gives it a rustic feel.

September 9 is the Choyo Festival in Japan which celebrates good harvests and longevity.

and confectioners gather to pray for a bountiful harvest and prosperous business.

"Kuri-kinton was very much favored."

just as roasted chestnuts were once shared with travelers on steep mountain roads.

A sweet and soft gift enjoyed only in autumn.

The town of Ujitawara, south of Kyoto, is known for its Uji green tea production.

Among the tea fields are persimmon trees.

November is the season of dried persimmons.

The local dried persimmons are rare and unique.

Shimooka Kiyotomi is the fourth-generation owner of a large tea estate.

I don't know how old these trees are. Was the tea estate first or the persimmon tree?

Bitter persimmons grow in the tea fields.

For generations local tea farmers have made dried persimmons from these trees in their tea fields.

These particular dried persimmons are called "Koro-gaki."

Koro-gaki production starts just before the persimmons are fully ripe.

The variety is "Tsurunoko," one of the smallest in Japan.

Harvesting is done in the old-fashioned way.

Persimmons have been eaten since ancient times.

Did the farmers imitate the way how monkeys pick the fruit?

Where they can't reach, the farmers drop them with a bamboo pole.

A sheet spread over the tea field gently catches the fruit.

- Did you pick most of them? - Yeah.

His octogenarian father is still a master at his work.

that connects the 2 ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto.

Some say these dried persimmons were the first green tea sweets.

Koro-gaki is produced in autumn, when tea farming is at a standstill.

It is a source of winter income for tea farmers.

the dried persimmons were taken to the capital along with tea.

Dried persimmon and tea complement each other in flavor.

If it's any sweeter, it interferes with the tea's flavor.

based on the sweetness and hardness of dried persimmon.

Shelves called "kakiya" are set up in harvested rice fields where persimmons are peeled and dried.

The more work we put in, the whiter they get.

The ripened persimmons are sweetened by sieving them in early winter.

When they are covered in a white crust, they are ready as the best companion for green tea.

It is Autumn, the season when grapes begin to bear fruit.

In Katsunuma, Yamanashi Prefecture, preparations begin for a ritual to honor the spirits of ancestors.

in which a bonfire is built in the shape of a "torii," a Shinto shrine gate.

Today it is part of the autumn harvest festival, which takes place in two weeks.

Students from the local Katsunuma Junior High School climb this slope to prepare wood for the Torii-yaki ritual.

At the foot of the hill, vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see.

The area has been known as a grape-growing region since ancient times.

After the students finish stacking the wood, they came to visit a temple locally known as 'the grape temple.'

Daizenji Temple was founded about 1,300 years ago by the monk Gyoki.

Its enshrined deity, "Yakushi Nyorai" or Medicine Buddha, holds a bunch of grapes in its hand.

It is believed that the monk Gyoki saw the Buddha in his dream and carved the statue himself.

Inoue Tesshu is the 41st chief priest of Daizenji temple.

The mountain where the Torii-yaki is held was once the temple's territory.

We've finished preparing the wood piles, now we have to make the Grape Festival a success.

Please climb up one step at a time, and remove the dirt from our hearts.

Carry the torches and hope for a bountiful grape harvest.

after they were introduced from the continent together with Buddhism.

It's a Medicine Buddha holding grapes. That's why it is called 'Grape Buddha.'

It holds grapes instead of a medicine jar.

This thousand-armed Avalokitesvara statue holds something interesting.

It's a grape, a sign of a good harvest.

The grape trellises that stretch along the approach to the temple are a vineyard owned by Daizenji.

Tesshu, the chief priest, grows the grapes himself.

This grape is a variety called Berry A and is for red wine.

These are Koshu grapes, used to make Koshu wine.

This must be the grapes the Buddha is holding.

Katsunuma, with its sandy soil, is not suitable for growing rice.

Instead, grapes grown on the hillsides have supported the lives of the locals.

Daizenji Temple makes its own wine every year.

The white wine they press is the oldest grape variety in Japan.

It is the same grape held by the deity of the temple.

Tesshu oversees the wine-making process.

The wine is offered to worshippers of the temple.

When the wine is made, it's time for the harvest festival.

On October 1st, selected students will carry torches to the Torii-yaki.

- We're at the front? - The very front.

The Buddha holding the grapes and a monk growing grapes.

This is the cornerstone of the 'Grape Temple.'

With torches in hand, the students climb up the slope past the vineyards.

and with thoughts of departed loved ones to whom we raised a glass of wine.

Fireworks in full bloom like grapes paint the night sky, adding a final touch to the festival.

Grapes usher in the autumn season at the fruit store in Tokyo.

- Which one tastes best? - Your wife always buys one of these.

My kids love these, so it's a souvenir for them.

My daughter and granddaughter are visiting.

A small bit of luxury to share with your loved ones.

And maybe think about the land and the people who grew the fruit.

Beautiful Shine Muscats for 1,000 yen.

Another day, and another blessing of the land hails in a new season in local fruit stores.