Apple journal
When your spouse works at an orchard in Nagano, you get to eat all different kinds of local apples! For free! The only downside is that you get over a dozen at a time.
I haven’t eaten all the apples grown in the Shinshu1 region yet, but I thought I’d document all the different apples we ate (in large quantities) so far:
Akibae（秋映 あきばえ）
Hybrid of: Senshū & Tsugaru
Harvest season (at the farm Kevin works at): Late September
Color: Deep, dark red
Flavor: Tart, but also “deep”
The Akibae (pronounced “ah-key-bah-eh”) is known as one of the three “Apple Brothers” in the Shinshu region. Out of the Shinshu original apples, it’s the most tart. Great to eat as is, but my favorite way to eat Akibae is baking. This is Kevin’s favorite Shinshu apple.
Shinano Sweet （シナノスイート）
Hybrid of: Fuji & Tsugaru
Harvest season: October
Color: Red
Flavor: VERY SWEET
The second of the three “Apple Brothers” is the Shinano Sweet. The name is descriptive — it is very sweet (and not tart at all, which I found surprising)! Since I have a sweet tooth when it comes to apples, this is my favorite Shinshu apple.
Shinano Gold（シナノゴールド）
Hybrid of: Senshū & Golden Delicious
Harvest season: Mid-October
Color: Golden yellow, freckled
Flavor: Well-balanced
The last of the three “Apple Brothers” is the Shinano Gold. As you might expect, it has a beautiful golden yellow color. Great for eating as is, baking, or juicing.
Gunma Meigetsu（群馬名月 ぐんまめいげつ）
Hybrid of: Fuji & Akagi
Harvest season: Early November
Color: Greenish yellow with red tint
Flavor: Rich; the sweetness is most dominant
The Gunma Meigetsu (pronounced “goon-mah may-gets-oo”) is famous for having honey inside, and maybe that's why it has such a… rich… flavor (words are hard). Apparently this apple is one of the rare kinds.
Sun Fuji（サンふじ）
Hybrid of: Kokkō & Delicious
Harvest season: November/December
Color: Red
Flavor: Well-balanced
The Sun Fuji is a Fuji apple but uncovered so it’s sweeter than a regular Fuji. I learned that it is very challenging to get the coloring just right; the farmers need to trim the leaves and turn the apples around so each side gets equal sun exposure.
Aika no Kaori（あいかの香り）
Natural hybrid seedling of Fuji
Harvest season: November
Color: Red
Flavor: Well-balanced (similar to the Fuji but less tart)
Aika no Kaori is another Shinshu original apple. The flavor is similar to a Fuji apple, but it’s BIG. The Aika no Kaori apples weigh around 400-500g (100g more than the Fuji).
Moon Rouge（ムーンルージュ）
Hybrid of: Fuji & Irodori (Kōgyoku & Pink Pearl)
Harvest season: October/November
Color: Yellow/red
Flavor: Well-balanced
I call the Moon Rouge a “shiny pokemon” apple for two reasons: 1) it is rare, and 2) the outside is mainly yellow but the flesh contains pink/red (the red you see on the skin is actually the red of the inside that you can see through the skin). It’s very juicy, so have kleenex ready!
“Shinshu” is a more traditional way of saying Nagano. Most Nagano locals will call Nagano “Shinshu” instead. “Shinano” is also an older name for Nagano as well.