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In general, what do you think of the quality (not price) of fruit in Japan?

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In my personal opinion, a fruit is a fruit, and I personally don't see much of a difference in quality here from when I lived in Egypt or Canada. Price is a whole different matter

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

A lot of the fruit in supermarkets recently is from the US and Mexico etc. Fruit that has to travel is grown from specific varieties that travel well. They don't usually taste as good. I know we are not allowed to mention pricing but there is a huge difference between cheap Japanese fruit and expensive Japanese fruit. Often the cheap stuff is cheap for a reason, taste or lack of.

Japanese mikan, nashi, kaki and kiwi are good, apples so-so and water melon.... OK unless you have eaten water melon in the middle east.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Strawberries and tomatoes are nice. The apples and grapes are horrible, grown for appearance and not taste. Both are watery, sugary and tasteless.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Whether or not I think it is worth it quality is mostly excellent, particularly if they can be grown domestically. Strawberries, apples, plums, peaches. Some of the best I have tried.

Mangoes are a bit underwhelming, not bad but nothing like you can get in southeast asia.

Avocados all seem to be frozen into tastelessness, have only rarely found good ones.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Nice caveat - not mentioning price.

Mangoes: I prefer Indian, Pakistani and Thai. Sweetness isn't the only factor.

Oranges, mandarins, etc: Hit and miss. Small ones can be sweet and juicy, but the big ones, you have to be careful. You could end up with ones that are dry and tasteless. Better to go for Californian navel oranges.

Peaches, pears, apples, strawberries: Very nice.

Other points: The range of fruit is certainly smaller here than in many other countries.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Generally the quality is high.

But have to agree with GBR48 - the system in place to produce quality fruit is wasteful.

It's completely unlike the car system that ZALD mentioned, where waste (time, energy, materials)...) is absolutely kept to a minimum.

The fact that individual fruit are selectively thinned and then intensively coddled with trees often bearing just a small % of fruit compared to production orchards in other countries, is simply a waste. Trees rarely reach their full potential in seasonal produce.

And that a fruit has a perfect shape and no marks doesn't reflect on it's taste or nutritional quality.

Fruit as an "objet" may appeal to some/many but not all.

And the variety is seriously lacking. Where are all the tons of kinds of apples, nectarines, apricots, berries, etc???

And for some reason many of the fruits are Large - way more so than their overseas counterparts. Smaller fruit often have a lower water content and a higher concentration of sugars and flavours.

And finally - again as GRB48 noted - heavy chemical fertilizer, pesticide and herbicide use is wide in Japan. It is always in the world wide top users group of such chemicals.

So the question again re quality. Well there's certainly a lot to consider other than looks.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

What still amazes me is every time I walk into the local Maxxie, I get a big wiff of strawberry’s when in season. They also taste way better then what is grown back home. With all pears wait a week for them to sweeten and soften. I am very pleased with the quality but I like the price per kilo also on the bag then just the price. Yes there a lack of vegs I am accustomed to that not available but other vegs I never experienced are available which I come accustomed to. Also available are better and greater selection of seaweeds and pickles which is a big part of my veg intake when living in Japan. So I see this should also be consider.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

almost tv commercial quality. I haven't seen a banana with a blemish on it in convenience stores, or any fruit that's sold in any store for that matter. as for the taste, it's as good as any other fruit from other countries. I'm going to say that tropical fruits taste blander in Japan, while its temperate climate fruits are great, especially the strawberries.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

-This shows one of Japanese cultures and leads to high quality products such as cars.

Unfortunately it also means a great deal of waste. Fruit (and veg) do not naturally grow to perfection, as anyone who grows their own would know.

Organic is available but is not as mainstream as the West. Japan is still a little too happy to reach for the chemicals. Increasing fertiliser prices may change that.

'Quality' for fruit and veg should not mean 'looks perfect'. It should mean free of chemical residues and with an excellent taste. The taste (and texture) depends upon how ripe it is when you eat it. Fruit is rarely fully ripe when you buy it (or too much would spoil before it was sold). Google what you are buying and, if necessary, wait some time after buying it before eating it. Some fruits (like pears) are simply best straight off the tree when ripe. For that you have to grow them yourself. The crispy pears are Pyrus pyrifolia ('Asian pears' in the West). Western-style pears are Pyrus communis. You can grow both (and most fruit) on dwarfing rootstocks in very little space - even in a container. Morello cherries will grow happily in a container on a North facing wall.

The range of Japanese citrus is particularly good. Yuzu can be had in the UK, often imported from Morocco, but not much else. It would fetch stellar prices if it was exported to Europe, particularly the football-sized Banpeiyu.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I want to say the quality of fruits in Japan is very high, though I've never compared them with other countries'. Moreover, not only fruits but also vegetables in the market can be said very good condition. I've never seen fruits and vegetables even with some scratches on the shelves in a supermarket. Perfectly grown-ups are only accepted as a product, and this notion might be inherently developed in our mind. Of course, there are some areas that sells foods with small damages, which are said "wakeari (=not a perfect condition for some reasons)", at more reasonable price. This shows one of Japanese cultures and leads to high quality products such as cars.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

I think Japanese peaches are wonderful compared to the rock-hard, tasteless boulders that the west has convinced people are so wonderful.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Excellent quality. Great texture, flavor, and looks but that price tag is a killer.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The quality is generally excellent. We got 10kg of apples from Yamagata through the furusato nozei program and although a bit misshapen, they tasted wonderful and Mrs LaCroix made some fine apple pies from them as well.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

It's good most of the days but the same quality can be found in developing countries thrice the less.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

LOL (not price)

I soak the apples in vinegar and water for 20 minutes so I can eat the skins. I don’t like grapes. The smaller orange melons are fantastic, the watermelon is usually good. My father in law has given up on his mekan farming so bummer there, they were always better than store bought.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

In my opinion, very good quality.

I eat at least 3x / week an apple and a banana and they are always delicious.

Kiwis are also very good quality in Japan.

My son loves the strawberries.

There are some special places in Shizuoka, where you can buy really good strawberries directly from the farmer.

Also the みかん (Mandarin in english, I guess), should be very delicious in Shikoku. (Ehime).

So all in all, I am very satisfied with the quality.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

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