「レッツゴー キャム！」Cam, Ikuzo! Come follow Camden’s journey! October 2023
更新日：2023年10月5日
Picking “Matsudo Pears”
On the 11th of September I had the opportunity to visit a nashi (Japanese pear) farm, and I experienced nashi-picking for the first time.
When I first ate a Japanese pear (nashi), I was surprised by its features such as the flavor and the crisp feeling it has when I bit into it. Compared to the pears that we eat in America, there were many differences, instead of the round shape, crisp texture, and bittersweet taste, the pears I grew up eating are oval-shaped, and when fully ripe they are soft like a peach and known for their rich sweetness. There is also a new type of nashi in Chiba Prefecture, called “Aki no Hohoemi,” which is said to be strong against diseases that nashi are normally very susceptible to, and came about from the crossing of two other types of nashi. The farm I visited had a lot of these “Aki no Hohoemi” as well as other types of nashi with differing textures and tastes, but all of the nashi I tried were sweet, full of moisture, and because they were cooled before eating it made them perfect for a hot, early fall day.
Robert Takata, Ambassdor the Dominican Republic to Japan (left), visits Matsudo to observe a nashi farm and is joined by Shigeru Tanaka (right), a researcher and grower of eastern pears.
Even though I know working on a farm is very hard work, the quiet life and carefree atmosphere of the nashi farm is something I admire, and I had a very fulfilling and relaxing time there.
Matsudo City has had exchange with the Dominican Republic through the cultivation of nashi since 2016, and for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Matsudo City became the “host town” for the Dominican Republic. And in 2022, the “Local Specialty Japanese Pear Cultivation in La Culata Project” was started and is still ongoing. La Culata is a town located in Constanza, Dominican Republic which has a climate that is suited for the cultivation of nashi, and experts on nashi have been dispatched from Japan to this town where they have been sharing techniques and information related to the growing of nashi with the local farmers. Thanks to this project, the “Matsudo Pear” will become known in places outside of Japan, so as a citizen of Matsudo City it is something I am quite proud of.
The nashi season is nearing its end, so as October begins I think there are fewer and fewer places where you can go nashi picking, so please take this last chance to try nashi picking!
「まつどの梨」の梨狩り
今回は9月11日に松戸市の梨園を訪れる機会があり、初めて梨狩りを体験しました。
日本の梨を初めて食べて驚いたこととして梨の味、歯応えなどの要素です。アメリカでよく食べる洋梨と異なる点が多くあり、甘酸っぱくシャキシャキとした食感で丸い形をしている日本の梨と違い、洋梨はひょうたんのような形をしていまして、完熟だと濃厚な甘さが特徴で、桃みたいにとても柔らかいです。千葉県の新しい梨の種類である「秋のほほえみ」は別の2種類の梨を掛け合わせたことで生まれ、梨が感染しやすい病気に強いと言われ、訪れた梨園にはこの種類が沢山ありました。種類によって食感と味が異なるのですが、今回食べてみた梨の種類は全て甘く、水分にたっぷりで梨を冷やしてから食べたので暑い初秋の日に最適でした。
梨園の視察のために松戸に来てくださったロバート・タカタ駐日ドミニカ共和国大使（左）と東洋梨育種研究家の田中茂氏（右）
梨園での作業は大変な努力が必要である反面、その場所の静けさとのんびりとした雰囲気に心が癒されながら梨園で充実した時間を過ごしました。
松戸市はドミニカ共和国と2016年から梨の栽培を通じた交流があり、東京2020オリンピックでは松戸市がドミニカ共和国のホストタウンになりました。2022年からは、「日本梨をラ・クラタ地区の特産品にする産地形成プロジェクト」が行われるようになりました。気候的に梨栽培に適しているドミニカ共和国のコンスタンサ市にあるラ・クラタ地区へ日本から梨の専門家が派遣され、ドミニカ共和国で「まつどの梨」を栽培できるように現地の農家と梨の育て方に関する技術や情報を共有しています。このプロジェクトで「まつどの梨」が日本以外のところでも知られるようになりますので、松戸市民として誇りに思います。
梨のシーズンは終盤に差しかかっているため、10月に梨狩りができるところは少なくなってきていますが、皆さんもぜひ梨園に行ってみてください！
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