Aichi, situated in the center of Japan, is home to Nagoya and Chubu Centrair International Airport. The region is also blessed with a temperate climate and an abundance of water.
Several types of delicious fruits, including citrus fruits like the mandarin orange, persimmons, grapes, pears, peaches, figs, and more are cultivated in Aichi, allowing people to be able to enjoy various types of fruit pickings in each season.

Strawberry

  • Strawberry Season: December − May

    Strawberry cultivation in Aichi began in the nineteenth century. Nowadays, greenhouses are used to cultivate mainly four varieties of strawberries that are produced and shipped from winter to spring. These four varieties are the Yumenoka, developed by the prefecture in 2005, Akihime, Benihoppe, and Tochiotome strawberries.

The Features of Delicious Strawberries

  • They have a fresh, red color with a glossy sheen.
  • The seeds on the strawberry are defined.
  • The calyx (leaf) is fresh and has a dark green color.
Varieties Traits
Yumenoka A strawberry developed in Aichi with a great balance in sweetness and acidity
Akihime It has tender skin with little acidity
Benihoppe Like its name, it has a delicious flavor with a strong sweetness and slightly strong acidic flavor
Tochiotome Has a strong sweetness with little acidity

Grape

  • Season: June − July (Greenhouse Cultivation), August − September (Outdoor Cultivation)

    Aichi is a place for prosperous grape cultivation. The place that established the technology to produce seedless Kyoho grapes, a large and purplish black grape variety, was actually in Aichi.
    In recent years, all kinds of grapes have been cultivated in the prefecture that are both pleasing to the palate and the eyes. These include the transparent light green Shine Muscat and the vividly red Queen Nina grapes.

The Features of Delicious Grapes

  • They have a thick, green stem.
  • The grape is evenly coated with a white powder (fruit bloom).
Varieties Traits
Kyoho This firm, purplish black variety is very sweet and very juicy
Shine Muscat Has a high sugar content around 20 degrees Brix with a light green color, low acidity, and a thin skin. As a result, this variety is characterized by the fact that every part of its skin can be eaten
Queen Nina A bright red grape with little acidity and a strong sweetness

Mandarin Orange

  • Season: June − September (Greenhouse Cultivation), November − January (Outdoor Cultivation)

    In Aichi, you’ll find mandarin oranges cultivated in greenhouses that are harvested from early summer to autumn as well as those cultivated outdoors harvested from autumn to winter.
    Greenhouse mandarin oranges are grown with indoor heating and can be harvested early in the summer. Varieties such as Gamagori Greenhouse mandarin oranges from Gamagori and Mihamakko mandarin oranges from Mihama are famous in Japan. Compared to the mandarin oranges cultivated outdoors, greenhouse oranges have thin skins, tender flesh, and even a high sugar content that is perfectly balanced with its acidity.

The Features of Delicious Mandarin Oranges

  • Their skin is shiny and firm with an orange color.
  • Their skin is tender with a supple texture.

Melon

  • Season: June − August

    Greenhouse melon cultivation in Aichi began its trials in the Higashi-Mikawa region around the nineteenth century. Afterwards, cultivation of the fruit expanded along with the popularization of protected horticulture.
    In modern times, the areas that make up the country’s leading producing areas are centered in the Higashi-Mikawa region. Earl’s Melon, a representative greenhouse melon variety, is called the king of melons and are grown only one fruit per rootstock under thorough cultivation management. Juicy varieties loved by consumers, such as the Takami or Yellow King melons grown outdoors, are also produced in the prefecture.

The Features of Delicious Melons

  • The fruis are beautiful with an even netting (melons with netting on its rind).
  • The color of the rind is bright and glossy (melons with no netting on its rind).
  • It is ripe once its fragrance becomes stronger and the base feels tender to the touch when you press it with a finger.
Varieties Traits
Earl’s Melon Also called muskmelon, this variety has a strong fragrance, is juicy, has a smooth texture, and a subtle sweetness
Takami Its flesh is a lovely yellow-green that is filled with juice with a velvety taste
Yellow King It has an unnetted yellow rind and is filled with juice with a light sweetness

Persimmon

  • Season: September − October (Fudegaki), October − November (Jirogaki)

    Persimmons have been cultivated since long ago as one of Japan’s representative autumn fruits. The fruit has been referred to in Japanese classics from around the seventh to eighth centuries such as “Kojiki” and “Man’yoshu.” It even goes by “kaki” overseas in Europe and other countries.
    Aichi persimmons are sixth place in the country for its cultivation size with Toyohashi being its chief producing area. The main variety is Jirogaki while Fudegaki, given the name for having a shape similar to the point of a calligraphy brush, is a local specialty cultivated in Kota.

The Features of Delicious Persimmons

  • The fruit has glossy, firm skin that is entirely tinged in a reddish color up to its calyx.
  • The calyx is a vivid green with no gaps between it and the fruit.
  • The fruit has weight.
Varieties Traits
Jirogaki Characterized by a flavorful sweetness and a firm, chewy consistency
Fudegaki Small, but has body and sweetness. It has a shape that is similar to the point of a calligraphy brush

Fig

  • Season: May − July (Greenhouse Cultivation), August − October (Outdoor Cultivation)

    Figs have been widely known since ancient times, such that the fruit appears in the Bible.
    Fig cultivation went into full swing in Aichi following 1965 and has now become Japan’s number one fig producing areas. Figs are sweet with a unique flavor and contains dietary fibers, vitamins, calcium, and several types of minerals such as iron. They are said to be good for beauty and health.

The Features of Delicious Figs

  • The fruit have a shiny, purplish red color.
  • The breakage of the fruit’s apex isn’t too large.
  • The fruit is plump and its flesh isn’t too hard.

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Fruit Picking Maps