I am not a big fan of winter time here in Japan.  In fact, I would be the happiest if the temperature here would be springish all year round.  I like wearing coats, and scarfs, and preparing myself for the cold weather.  That being said, in general I prefer mild temperatures that accompany spring and early autumn.

The best gift that we receive in the winter time is the abundance of the mikan fruit.  Sometimes they are referred to as satsuma oranges or mandarin oranges.  They are a close varietal to tangerines, yet their flavors are not quite the same.  They tend to be a bit more squared on the tops and bottoms, and their skin is rather loose and easy to peel once you get one of your fingers popped into the air gap between the skin and the flesh.

The one in the photography came from a friend of my wife’s family from the rural part of Chiba prefecture.  They are much larger than the mikans that I can usually find in the store.  They are less perfect.  They are bumpy.  They have green spots across their dimpled skin.  Because of their imperfections, they are more prefect to me.  These are probably what the first variety of mikans were like before they were farmed on a massive scale.

Enjoy this mikan in its natural state.  The best part about winter in Japan.  The simple fruit in its own packaging.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 5th, 2011 at 3:12 am and is filed under Photography Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.