Fruits and Fruit Sakes in Japan Japanese Food and Snacks Wiki

(Peach flavored sake)

Californians visiting Japan can be surprised by the price tag of Japanese fruits and how sweet and concentrated the juices are in Japan. The grape juice tastes more like a very sweet and flavored grape soda. It may even be frustrating finding fresh fruits and juices in Japan. It's simply too much of a luxury to enjoy fresh fruits in a country with very limited farmland resources. However, one may be delighted by the delicious varieties of fruit flavored soda, bubble gum and even Suntory sake (yes the alcohol brand from lost in translation the movie) and wine in Japan! There are many varieties of such sweetened drinks!  They can be purchased easily from vending machines at hotels and nearby street corners (the canned or the pet bottled versions). Basically no one will check your ID. Even if they do, the drinking age is much lower in Japan than most of the western world.

One may also be fascinated by how pretty the packaging is! Each small portion of fruits are packaged and decorated to the point that they sparkle! It's also a land where are many "noble" extremely pricey varieties of honeydew melon! The Japanese varieties of melons are more yellow, greener - brighter in color, more fragrant and sweeter. In fact, they are so pricey that they can be presented as a special holiday gift such as for the Japanese New Years. Japan is also the country of square shaped melons.