Japanese Sagahonoka Strawberries
In another episode of expensive Japanese produce, here are some Sagahonoka strawberries from the Saga prefecture. These things were so fragrant that you could smell them from a distance. Unfortunately, the taste didn't do anything for me, as it was so mild that I didn't feel it was that different from a normal box of strawberries. I was hoping for something punchier.
I don't know how much these were as they were a gift, but they certainly couldn't have been cheap. And with such a premium, I would have expected them to aesthetically look a bit better, but a lot of these were pale and blemished. Well, the pale color might have been intentional - when you bit into it, the flesh inside was consistently white.
And yes, that was another Japanese melon in the background. This one was also from Shizuoka...and cultivated in a greenhouse, if I read the label correctly. I may not have gotten that excited about the mild taste of those strawberries, but the sweet juicy tenderness of the melon was just unbeatable.
Noh mask replicas — popular souvenirs. Symbolic of a seemingly impenetrable society?
