Tropical Fruits Flourish in Japan Amid Rising Temperatures, But Intense Sunlight Poses New Threat

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: "The whole of Japan has become warm now. Once March passes, the temperatures are almost the same as Okinawa. We can grow bananas now."]

With heatwaves raging and peak temperatures exceeding 39°C (102°F) late last month, the farm is utilizing this weather to cultivate about 30 types of tropical fruits.

Mangoes are also currently in season in Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo.

Parfaits topped with domestically grown mangoes are proving popular.

As average temperatures rise, growing tropical fruits at home is becoming a trend even in Tokyo.

[Customer: "I want to grow them in the yard, pick the fruit, and feel a tropical vibe."]

Particularly popular are relatively affordable potted tropical fruit plants.

[Garden Shop Owner: "This is a papaya. They are on sale starting from around 1,000 yen."]

However, unexpected damage has recently emerged.

Leaf scorch, where leaves are burned by excessively strong sunlight, is spreading.

[Tropical Fruit Farmer: "Look here, the sunlight is so strong that the leaves ended up like this. Normally, they don't burn like this. They're tropical plants, after all."]

The sunlight has become so intense that even mangoes, which originate from tropical regions, struggle to endure it.

When leaves are scorched, discoloration occurs, lowering the quality of the fruit.

Farmers are struggling to minimize damage by covering each mango individually with paper.

[Tropical Fruit Farmer: "We've overcome everything so far. We'll be able to get through this too."]

As increasingly scorching weather reshapes Japan's fruit cultivation map, tropical fruits may soon become a familiar sight even north of Tokyo.

(Reported by Moon Jun-mo | Produced by Lee Seyoung | Video by Moon Hyun-jin | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.