24/5/2025 Ami
At the local greengrocer, you can find all kinds of fruits and vegetables at lower prices than in supermarkets. The one near my house has produce displayed from inside the store all the way out to the sidewalk, and the narrow aisles make it hard for people to pass each other. But I actually like this kind of chaotic atmosphere, and I often go there to shop. For me, the greengrocer is also a place where I can feel the changing seasons. In summer, watermelons line the front of the store; in autumn, it’s persimmons. These seasonal displays make shopping something to look forward to.
With the advancement of agricultural technology—like greenhouses—there are now many fruits and vegetables you can enjoy all year round. As someone who loves tomatoes, I’m honestly thrilled that I can eat delicious tomatoes every day. Still, there are some things that only appear in stores during certain times of the year. One fruit that really stands out for me is my beloved mandarin orange.
One cold season, I went back to my parents’ house and noticed there wasn’t a box of mandarins sitting on the stairs like there used to be every winter. When I asked my mom, she told me they stopped buying them by the box because ever since I moved out, they would just go bad before anyone could finish them. That made sense. I remembered how I used to grab ten or so mandarins from the box, thinking I was helping the whole family, then settle into the kotatsu in the living room and eat them while watching TV—sometimes not even realizing I’d finished them all until I was left with just a pile of peels.
These days, some supermarkets sell mandarins even outside of winter. I once saw them and thought, “Wow, what a nice surprise!” and bought some. But when I tasted them, I had to admit—they were good, but it just didn’t feel like the right time. Japan has four distinct seasons, and I imagine that in the days before modern farming methods, people mostly ate whatever foods grew best in each season. It’s a sign of how far we’ve come that we can now enjoy many things regardless of the time of year. But at the same time, I feel like we may be slowly losing our appreciation for the seasons.
Then one day, I went to a café and saw a seasonal strawberry dessert on the menu. It looked delicious, so I ordered the strawberry bavarois. It made me realize that even now, there are plenty of seasonal offerings—on signs, in advertisements, and on menus everywhere. I just hadn’t been paying attention. Despite the progress in agriculture, the idea of “enjoying seasonal foods” is still deeply rooted in our culture.
By the way, did you know that mandarins are rich in vitamin C and are said to help prevent colds and have antioxidant properties? They really are the perfect winter fruit. And here’s a fun fact: the name of the Japanese mandarin, Unshū mikan, is written with the characters for “Wenzhou,” but it’s pronounced unshū. Did you know that?