世界の果物 - The fruits of the world

Today’s vocabulary course is about the fruits of the world.

Below is a selection of the most famous fruits. The list is much longer than usual, there are at least thirty-three words to remember. But above all do not leave! As usual, there is nothing complicated. You have to learn all these vocabulary words by heart and everything will be fine.

Again, a lot of fruit names are borrowed from English, that will make things really easier for you. And a few others are purely Japanese. You will see it in the list, words like "apple", "peach", "plum", "grape" have purely Japanese equivalents.

Note that the Japanese very often use English words to designate flavors, for example ice cream flavors. But here what interests us are the Japanese words.

Finally, before you begin, be aware that very often, as with animal names, fruit names are written in hiragana or katakana because kanji are very complicated to remember, even for Japanese people. For example, the word "apple" in Japanese is almost exclusively written in katakana today. However, if only for your general knowledge, I think it would be interesting for you to know, at least by sight, these kanji.If you ever come across them somewhere, at least you’ll know what they are and how they read. If you really want to push it further, you can practice writing them down as well.

林檎 . リンゴ . the apple
梨 . なし . the pear
西洋梨 . セイヨウなし . the western pear
ミラベル . the mirabelle
酸塊 . すぐり . the currant
西洋酸塊 . セイヨウすぐり . the western gooseberry
黒すぐり . くろすぐり . the blackcurrant
ビルベリー . the blueberry
桃 . もも . the peach
梅 . うめ . the plum
葡萄 . ブドウ . the grape
桜ん坊 . さくらんぼ . the cherry
バナナ . the banana
オレンジ . the orange
蜜柑 . ミカン . the mandarin
レモン . the lemon
柚子 . ゆず . the yuzu
苺 . いちご . the strawberry
ストロベリー . the strawberry
木苺 . きいちご . the raspberry
ラズベリー . the raspberry
黒苺 . くろいいちご . the blackberry
ブラックベリー . the blackberry
杏 . アンズ . the apricot
アプリコット . the apricot
無花果 . いちじく . the fig
西瓜 . スイカ . the watermelon
メロン . the melon
パイナップル / パインアップル . the pineapple
ココナッツ . the coconut
マンゴ . the mango
キウイ . the kiwi
デーツ . the date

If in Western countries fruits constitute a basic food financially accessible to the greatest number; in Japan, the relationship that the Japanese have with fruit is very different. Fruits have a special place in the market and in Japanese society. And it's really a typically Japanese characteristic that you won't find in neighboring countries like China, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia or the Philippines. Not at all! When it comes to fruit, Japan is truly a country apart. Let's explore together this very special culture that Japan maintains around its fruits.

Unlike France where buying fruits, if it is in season, does not cost too much, in Japan it is a luxury practice. There it is almost impossible to satisfy the injunction to eat five fruits and vegetables a day. Want to buy three or four apples? Five or six tomatoes? As for the strawberry punnet, do you think of buying one for five or six euros at the most? Think again! In Japan, it will take at least 1.80 euros for an apple, 9.55 euros for three tomatoes and 25 euros for a dozen strawberries. And for a wooden box containing twenty beautiful and large grapes, seeded the size of a ping-pong ball, you will get sixty-five euros, or about 8,800 yen. Suffice to say that for the same price, a box of sushi will fill your stomach and give you your dose of omega three.

And to end on a high note with the examples, the melon is the fruit that breaks all records with a price that can go up to 165 euros, or about 24,000 yen. Yes, 165 euros per melon. We are a far cry from the melon you could buy in any supermarket in the West for just over a dollar and pennies. And yet, melons in the West are far from having an infamous taste. Some varieties of these same typical Japanese fruits sell for even more. Thus, on the Japanese archipelago, it is possible to attend fruit auctions! And the prices can easily go up to a million yen. Imagine a variety of Yubari melon sold individually for 1.4 million yen, or around 10,150 euros. And to quickly come back to grapes, at auction the Ruby Roman grape variety can easily fetch the same price as Yubari melons. Unthinkable in the West! Well, for the grapes, it's not 1.4 million yen per unit. This is the price per bunch but this same price is enough to make you fall from the clouds.

There are several reasons for the sky-high fruit prices: the high import taxes, the scarcity of arable land or the strong selection of products which leads to the discarding of fruits considered to be « ugly ». Japanese market gardeners are trained to cultivate their fruits with care and love, and to select the most beautiful according to criteria... which some would say subjective. The color of a fruit, more or less bright for example, is a selection criterion. The perfectly round shape without the slightest unevenness or roughness on the skin is also a selection criterion. Without forgetting its sugar content. Even though it has always been demonstrated, scientifically, that the appearance of a fruit is absolutely not representative of its nutritional quality, for the Japanese it is mainly the external appearance of the product that counts. Added to this is the scarcity of arable land which therefore increases the value of this same land, as well as the cost of labor, all for an ultimately low production and a selection, as we have said, incredibly severe. All this contributes to high prices. As for imports, Japan protects its domestic production and imposes high taxes on fruit from abroad. Oranges, for example, are taxed at more than 30%. Add to that the equivalent of VAT and you get insane prices.

This particularity specific to Japan is so unique that it is regularly the subject of articles in the Japanese and foreign press. Every year, in blogs talking about Japan, its people and its culture, an article mentions the most spectacular fruit auctions.

The Japanese are therefore a people who consume a lot of rice, fish and vegetables. Fruit consumption for the middle class of the population remains rare, compared to the rest of the world. The Japanese consume 50 kilos of fruit per capita per year compared to more than a hundred kilos in many Western countries. It should be noted, however, that the Japanese consume more fruit than before... without it costing them more. If we take into account the quantity of fruits considered defective which end up in jam or as an ingredient for desserts or quite simply on displays with enticing promotions, the fruits therefore remain financially accessible to the greatest number. And to lower costs even further, more and more Japanese are now buying their fruit directly from farmers.

The origin of this practice is unclear. According to some historians, this custom of offering fruit dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868). The fruits were considered « water cakes » because some of them like the melon are particularly juicy. For others, it dates back to earlier times. The fruits would have been used as offerings to the deities. In Japan, we therefore honor the recipient of a luxury fruit, perhaps in the same way that we honor a deity by making offerings of beautiful fruit. However, this is all just speculation. We will probably never be sure of the origin of this tradition.

At least in manga and anime now you know why characters are visiting loved ones or getting ready to sign a big contract with a future business partner with a melon under their arm.

Despite the scarcity of arable land, Japan is still famous for the production of some fruits which are considered as true Japanese specialties and which sell for exorbitant prices. Among the most luxurious fruits of the archipelago, we can mention the square or cubic watermelons. Intended to fit more compactly in refrigerators and to be cut more easily (without rolling). They were invented by graphic designer Tomoyuki Ono (小野 友之) in 1978. Melons are grown in boxes and take on the shape of the container, and tend to appeal to affluent or fashionable consumers. In 2001, square watermelons sold for ¥10,000 in Japan (about $80), two to three times the price of regular watermelons in Japanese stores.

A variant of the same fruit but round-shaped this time, the black-skinned watermelon from the Densuke brand, is also the darling of lovers and specialists of juicy and sweet fruits. Exclusively grown in the north of the archipelago on the island of Hokkaido, its price is explained by its atypical color and the fact that Japanese farmers only produce 60 to 65 per year. This exceptional commodity is very popular and only the most privileged but especially the luckiest can afford it, given its great rarity. Occasionally sold at auction, the most expensive of these watermelons was sold for 6,100 euros, or about 870,000 yen.

Also in Hokkaido, the Cantaloupe (カンタロープ) melon variety named Yubari King (夕張メロン) from the Yubari brand. The melon became the city's flagship local product following the "One village, one product" promotional campaign initiated in 1980 and its cultivation has helped to maintain economic activity there when the region had been hard hit by the coal crisis of the previous decade. During the first auction of the season, a record sale usually takes place. In 2008, two Yubari melons were sold for 2.5 million yen, i.e. more than 18,000 dollars, in 2018, 3.2 million yen (25,000 dollars), in 2019, 5 million yen (43,000 dollars) and in 2021 2.7 million yen (20,000 dollars). In December 2015, the Japanese government announced that Yūbari melon, like Kobe beef, would now be protected by a label, equivalent to the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) used in Europe.

Now head to southern Japan on the island of Kyūshū in Miyazaki prefecture where the Egg of the Sun (太陽のタマゴ). In order to preserve the shape and bright yellow color of the fruits, they are each wrapped in a net so that they do not fall to the ground and therefore do not get damaged. The nets also allow light to reach the skin of the fruit from all angles, giving it a uniform ruby red color. Mangoes are grown once they have fully matured. The resulting fruits are absolutely delicious, have very little fiber, are extremely juicy and practically melt in your mouth. The taste is perfectly sweet and tangy with hints of pineapple and coconut.

We continue with Ruby Roman, a large grape variety grown only in Ishikawa Prefecture. Red in color and the size of a ping pong ball, the Ruby Roman (ルビーロマン) grape debuted as a new premium grape variety in Japan in 2008. The new grape variety was named Ruby Roman by public referendum. Each grape is rigorously checked to guarantee its quality, with certification seals affixed to those selected in this way. The Ruby Roman has strict rules for sale; each grape must weigh more than 20g and more than 18% sugar. Additionally, there is a special "premium class" which requires the grape to weigh more than 30 grams and where the whole bunch must weigh at least 700 grams. In 2010, only six grapes qualified for premium status while in 2011, no grapes were cut. The first Ruby Roman grapes went on sale in August 2008 for 100,000 Japanese yen (910 dollars) per bunch of 700 grams, or 26 dollars per grape. They are said to be the most expensive grape variety. In July 2016, a single bunch of Ruby Roman grapes, containing 26 grapes weighing about 700 grams, sold for 1.1 million yen (about 8,400 euros) at the first auction of the year at a wholesale market in Kanazawa.

Finally, we will finish with the orange Dekopon (デコポン) which has a growth on the top resembling a small crown. Unlike the other fruits mentioned above, the Dekopon orange is far from being the most expensive luxury fruit in Japan, and this for a very simple reason: the secrets of its culture have leaked beyond the Japanese borders and have spread all over the world. Thus, countries such as China, the United States, Brazil, Australia and Spain among others have embarked on the cultivation of this variety of orange. Since the Dekopon brand was protected at the time, new names were chosen to avoid disputes. Ironically, this leak of Dekopon cultivation secrets has contributed to its international posterity. While the other fruits mentioned above remain stars exclusively within the Japanese archipelago, the Dekopon orange has spawned a host of derivative products: jellies, juices, syrups and drinks, preserves, dried fruits, pastries, confectionery, candies and bars, toys and figurines, etc.

Tokyo Senbikiya (東京千疋屋) or Shinjuku Takano (新宿高野) are specialty stores where you can buy luxury fruits. In their interior decoration, these stores are more like jewelry stores with vendors in impeccable outfits, hair and makeup, ready to welcome a wealthy clientele and immaculate windows. Except that in the windows, there are no jewels but fruits in richly decorated packaging. Some wings of these stores are entirely devoted to a particular luxury fruit. The Cantaloupe melon, in particular, is entitled to several hundred square meters of space at Shinjuku Takano.

Apart from these luxury fruits, it is of course possible to buy fruits at reasonable prices in Japanese supermarkets. They will of course be much less rare and fanciful than those mentioned above. But Japan, like many other countries, has its own varieties of fruit. Thanks to its unique climate from north to south and the ancestral care given to the cultivation of fruits (a know-how which has led precisely to the existence of luxury fruits), the country can boast of succulent fruits.

In the north, one of the most famous fruits is the Aomori apple (青森りんご), reputed to be the best in the world. In the same family of fruits, we also call the Fuji apple (ふじ), which is exported a lot, and the Nashi pear (梨), emblematic of fruits of Japanese origin, but also the persimmon. Japanese persimmon is a very popular fruit eaten both fresh and dried.

Spring fruits such as peaches, cherries, strawberries and apricots have their heyday not only in markets but also in Japanese pastry shops. Some species of these fruits only exist in Japan, such as the large white peaches « Hakuto » and « Shimizu », or even the « fraises blanches » or the satonishiki cherry grown in Yamagata prefecture.

In southern Japan, a lot of citrus fruits are grown. One of the best-known Japanese citrus varieties are mikan mandarins (蜜柑 . ミカン). The islands of Kyushu and Shikoku are the land of many unique Japanese citrus varieties such as kabosu (臭橙 . かぼす), the famous yuzu (柚 . ゆず) or kumquat.

Fresh fruit pastries have become increasingly popular in recent years. One of the best-known wagashi (和菓子 . わがし) pastries is the strawberry daifuku (大福 . ダイフク): we put a whole strawberry in the middle of the traditional daifuku. The strawberry has a romantic connotation, which makes the daifuku particularly suitable for a gift for your lover. Nevertheless, other daifuku recipes are being developed and there are some with small whole tangerines inside for example! We are therefore full of ideas to enhance these wonderful fruits, so appreciated by the Japanese in all circumstances.

Of course, some pastries can be extremely expensive if one of their ingredients is a fruit like Cantaloupe melon. These pastries will cost less than the fruit individually but still, you will have to pay a pretty small sum.

Well. So this list was quite long, but I hope you will have learned some very useful things again. Okay, you don’t have enough to shop in a Japanese market yet, you still need a vegetable vocabulary course but don’t worry, it will be coming very soon.

A little commentary on the word "apple" which is written like this in kanji, 林檎. The second is little known in writing by the Japanese but, if you learn to write this word, it is also a good initiative.

Now that this lesson has been completed, I would like to draw your attention to one thing. Do you remember your vocabulary course on "The Coffee"? I hope so because you have to memorize the vocabulary that I give you. The very first word of this course was :

コーヒーの木 . コーヒーのき . the coffee tree

So, in your opinion, how do you say in Japanese "the apple tree", "the pear tree", "the peach tree", "the mango tree", "the banana tree"... It’s very simple, you follow the example above that you already know, which gives us :

林檎の木 / りんごの木 . リンゴのき . the apple tree
梨の木 . なしのき . the pear tree
桃の木 . もものき . the peach tree
梅の木 . うめのき . the plum tree
バナナの木 . バナナのき . the banana tree
オレンジの木 . オレンジのき . the orange tree
蜜柑の木 . ミカンのき . the mandarin tree
レモンの木 . レモンのき . the lemon tree
マンゴの木 . マンゴ のき . the mango tree
杏子の木 . アンズのき . the apricot tree
ココナッツの木 . ココナッツのき . the coconut tree
無花果の木 / イチジクの木 . いちじくのき . the fig tree

Finally, to say "the cherry tree", there are two words in Japanese. The best known is of course 桜 . さくら. You’ve certainly heard it more than once, it’s a great classic. And the other is :

桜ん坊の木 / サクランボウの木 . さくらんボウのき . the cherry tree

And so, logically, how do you say in Japanese "the fruit tree" ? It’s very simple !

果物の木 . くだもののき . the fruit tree

That is all !

I think I’ve told you before, Japanese is a very logical language, and that’s what makes it very simple... if we except learning to write kanji which made more than one angry ! ([]-[]). Once you understand how one language works, the rest gonna be a piece of cake.

This gives you a few more words to learn and they are very easy to memorize, it is simply [name of fruit] + particle の + 木. Of course, not all fruits grow on trees, especially watermelon, pineapple and melon. Finally, some fruit trees have a kanji word of their own. I advise you to look them up in the dictionary.

Finally, maybe some of you were expecting to find the tomato, the olive or even the avocado, these three foods for which the border between fruit and vegetable is rather blurry. I didn’t put them in the end, you will find them in the next vocabulary course on vegetables.

I wish you good luck in your revisions, learn all your kanji well, both new and old... and above all eat five fruits and vegetables a day !