At a farm in Gunma Prefecture, located north of Tokyo, greenhouses are filled with tropical fruit trees such as mangoes, bananas, and papayas.
[Tropical Fruit Farmer : It has become warm all across Japan now. Once March passes, the temperatures are almost identical to Okinawa. We can grow bananas now, too.]
Late last month, searing heatwaves hit the area with high temperatures exceeding 39 degrees Celsius (102°F), and farmers are taking advantage of this weather to cultivate about 30 different types of tropical fruits.
In Ibaraki Prefecture near Tokyo, mangoes are also currently in season.
Parfaits topped with locally grown mangoes are enjoying great popularity.
As average temperatures rise, growing tropical fruits at home has become a growing trend even in ordinary households in Tokyo.
[Customer : I want to grow them in my yard, pick the fruit, and feel a tropical vibe.]
Particularly popular are relatively affordable tropical fruit potted plants.
[Nursery Owner : This is a papaya. They are on sale starting from around 1,000 yen.]
However, unexpected damage has recently emerged.
Leaf scorching, where leaves are burned by overly intense sunlight, is spreading.
[Tropical Fruit Farmer : Look here, the leaves ended up like this because the sunlight was too strong. Normally, they wouldn't burn like this, considering they are tropical plants.]
The sunlight has become so intense that even mangoes, native to tropical regions, struggle to endure it.
When leaves are scorched, it causes discoloration and lowers the quality of the fruit.
Farmers are struggling to minimize the damage by wrapping individual mangoes in paper.
[Tropical Fruit Farmer : We have overcome whatever challenges came our way so far. I am sure we will get through this, too.]
As increasingly hot weather rewrites Japan's fruit cultivation map, growing tropical fruits may soon become a familiar sight even north of Tokyo.
(Video Journalist : Moon Hyun-jin)
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