SORABYCO | Life in Japan

If someone asks me to name my favorite fruit, I never need time to think. My answer is always Kyoho grapes.  I loved them long before moving to Japan, but living here has completely changed the way I shop for fruit. Back home, I rarely paid attention to grape varieties. In Japan, supermarket shelves start filling with Kyoho, Pione, Shine Muscat, Nagano Purple, and other beautifully packaged grapes from late summer into autumn. At first, I assumed every grape had to be peeled. Then I saw people eating Shine Muscat grapes with the skin still on. I remember standing in my kitchen with the first bunch I bought, wondering whether I was really supposed to eat the whole grape. After rinsing one and trying it, I understood immediately. The skin was thin, crisp, and easy to chew. So, can you eat grape skins? Yes, but some Japanese grape varieties are much easier to eat with the skin on than others. Shine Muscat and Nagano Purple are commonly eaten whole, while many people still peel thicker...

When I was growing up in Korea, pears often appeared on the table after barbecue. My mother would say, “Eat some pear. It’s good after a heavy meal.” I never thought much about why. I was simply happy to eat something cold, sweet, and full of juice after grilled meat. Years later, after moving to Japan, that memory came back to me in an unexpected way. I now live in Chiba Prefecture, just east of Tokyo, one of Japan’s best-known pear-growing areas. Every summer, small roadside farm stands begin to appear along local roads. Some are open only during the harvest season, with handwritten signs and baskets of freshly picked pears arranged on simple tables. The first time I stopped at one of these farm stands, I wasn’t even sure which variety to buy. I had assumed Japanese pears were all more or less the same. They are not. Kosui, Hosui, Akizuki, and Niitaka all have different levels of sweetness, acidity, juiciness, and texture. So, which Japanese pear is the sweetest, and how can you choo...