TOKYO - A dry rainy season has led to the massive growth of vegetables, with prices significantly lower than usual, offering a double benefit for consumers. This week, some stores are selling large heads of lettuce for as low as 54 yen each.
On July 4th, temperatures soared to the highest of the year across various regions, with central Tokyo recording a high of 35.0C, marking the first extremely hot day of the year.
Visitor from Austria: 'Very hot!!'
Teenager: 'It's hot. Really hot. So hot. It's unbearable, it's the end. I can't survive August.'
Amid the heatwave reminiscent of the end of the rainy season, fresh, juicy heads of lettuce were priced at a surprising 54 yen each at a supermarket in Sumida Ward, Tokyo.
Even on the 27th of last month, the price was already a low 83 yen per head, but within a week, it dropped another 30%.
Shopper (40s): 'At 50 yen, I'd like to buy more, but I don't have enough space to store them. If it's still 50 yen tomorrow, I'll come again.'
'50 yen for lettuce is unbelievable. It's great to eat now that it's hot, for dishes like cold shabu-shabu or salads. It's very helpful.'
Other vegetables also saw significant price drops, with thick green peppers priced at 106 yen for three, and cabbage at 106 yen per head. But why are prices dropping so much?
Izumi Supermarket President, Mamoru Gomi: 'The weather has been favorable, resulting in a very good yield, with more than double the usual shipment volume, leading to these prices. It's a great opportunity right now.'
It's not just the prices that are impressive; the sizes are too...
President Gomi: 'We usually pack 18 heads, but today, due to their large size, we packed 12.'
'Because they are so large, we can't fit more. Customers are very pleased. They say the heads are about twice the usual size. And at this price!'
**Giant Eggplants and Green Peppers: Why Such a Bountiful Harvest?**
We visited a farm growing summer vegetables in Chiba Prefecture, near Matsudo City, where the temperature reached 34.5°C on the 4th.
In the fields at harvest time, eggplants were found to be at their best. Normally harvested at around 15 cm, they had grown close to 20 cm.
Tobari Farm Owner, Yasutaka Tobari: 'We are harvesting green peppers every other day, and they keep growing larger.'
The green peppers had grown to 1.5 times their usual size. You might think they would be less flavorful due to their size, but the freshly picked green peppers tasted...
TV Asahi Announcer, Maya Ki: 'They are really juicy! With every bite, more and more moisture bursts out. There's very little bitterness.'
Farm Owner Tobari: '(Q: Do green peppers contain this much moisture?) Yes, it's partly because they are freshly picked, but also because the soil conditions are good, resulting in such juicy peppers.'
Fresh green peppers are recommended to be eaten raw with miso or mayonnaise.
The reason for the growth of such large summer vegetables lies in the soil.
Farm Owner Tobari: 'We have maintained just the right amount of moisture this year. Without proper nutrition reaching the roots, vegetables wouldn't grow this well.'
June saw only 10 days of rain, the least in the past 10 years, creating soil conditions perfect for summer vegetables.
Additionally, the current temperatures are contributing to the bountiful harvest.
Farm Owner Tobari: 'Unlike midsummer, the temperature drops at night, creating an environment with daytime highs around 30°C and nighttime lows below 25°C, which is ideal for the current state of the eggplants.'
Source: ANN
