In Japan, cherries are at their peak right now.
Yamagata Prefecture in the Tohoku region is famous for its cherries.
A variety of cherries called Sato Nishiki produced in Yamagata Prefecture was famous for its sweet and delicious taste.
This year, however, cherries produced in Aomori Prefecture in the same Tohoku region are the talk of the town.
It is the Juno Heart, a new variety of cherry bred by Aomori Prefecture over a period of 16 years.
Each Juno-Heart is larger than a 500 yen coin and shaped like a heart.
https://www.umai-aomori.jp/junoheart/
It fetched a high price of 150,000 yen per box (15 pieces = 10,000 yen per piece) at the first auction.
Of the Juno hearts, those with a diameter of 3.1 cm or larger are called “Aomori heart beets” and fetched 600,000 yen per box (15 pieces) at the auction. It became a luxury fruit priced at 40,000 yen per piece.
Japanese tip
Cherry are called “Sakuranbo” in Japanese.
In Japan, the word “cherry” means American cherry.
If you are interested in learning more about Aomori Prefecture, please see this post.
