Harvest Season Arrives for Japanese Plums in Gunma

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:18 JST, June 2, 2023

A worker picks Japanese plums from a tree in the Misato Plum Grove of Takasaki on Thursday at the start of the harvest season in Gunma Prefecture for the main variety of the fruit, known as “Shirakaga.” Gunma is second only to Wakayama Prefecture in production of Japanese plums in the country. This year’s harvest is expected to be larger than usual, probably due to mild weather during the pollination period in March, according to the Misato plum association of JA Hagukumi. Shirakaga plums feature a sweet aroma and bright green color, and producers tenderly pick them off the trees one by one.