Anpokaki Dried Persimmons: A Winter Specialty from Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
Aired: Feb. 27, 2020
Anpokaki is dried persimmon fruit characterized by its natural sweetness, said to have first originated in the city of Date in Fukushima Prefecture. For a certain period following the nuclear accident during the Great East Japan Earthquake, producers of Anpokaki voluntarily stopped production. However, efforts were made to establish a system to ship only products which are tested and proven to be safe for consumption. Now, they’re back in business and are taking on the challenge of overseas export.
Viewers’ Voice
Before watching this program, I did not know that Fukushima Prefecture is famous for its Anpokaki or dried persimmon. I enjoyed watching the process of making dried persimmon fruits. It is, in fact, the scenes I most enjoyed watching. I am impressed that Mr. Satoshi Shishido, the manufacturer of Anpokaki made every effort to ensure the quality and safety of the Anpokaki produced by his factory.
From Malaysia
I enjoyed the feature about Anpokaki in Fukushima. Persimmons are not so common where I live but they are one of my favourite fruits. It was interesting to hear about the way in which they are cultivated and dried. I was surprised to see how manual the process and how much work goes into creating the final product. It was also fascinating to see about the work that was done following the 2011 tsunami and the length of time it took for production to go back to normal levels. I hope that they are able to export the Anpokaki to where I live in Australia in the future.
From Australia
I have to say Anpokaki really does look like a delicious treat – this curious looking fruit doesn’t look like anything at all that even exists here around the Mediterranean. The creative way that the segment was filmed really highlighted the tasty nature of this fruit. I have the highest respect for people like Shishido who carefully manage to retain the traditions handed down from their forefathers over the decades; he no doubt has been mostly responsible for keeping alive the Anpokaki tradition around Fukushima.
From Spain
