Q.Is Nara a persimmon powerhouse? Japan's No.2 for kaki

No.2 in Japan, right behind Wakayama

Nara ranks second in Japan for persimmon harvest (2024 crop year, MAFF), at 24,700 tons — about 15% of the national total. Wakayama leads with 32,100 tons (about 19%), and these two prefectures alone make up roughly 34% of Japan's 167,300-ton total. Fukuoka (~8%), Gifu (~7%) and Niigata (~6%) follow, showing how far the two Kinki-region prefectures stand out.

No.2 in harvest, No.3 in area — and No.1 for greenhouse kaki

Nara is second nationwide in harvest, third in cultivation area, and first in greenhouse (hothouse) persimmon shipments (Nara Specialty Products Promotion Association). In 2024 its bearing area was 1,750 ha, yielding 1,410 kg per 10 ares, for 22,900 tons shipped. Ranking third in area yet second in harvest reflects how high its yield per unit of land is.

Main growing areas: Gojo and Nishiyoshino — up to 200 t a day

Nara's main persimmon areas are the city of Gojo, Tenri, Gose and the town of Shimoichi (Nara Specialty Products Promotion Association). Nishiyoshino in Gojo is especially famous, shipping as much as 200 tons of persimmons a day at peak season. The well-drained, sunny mountain slopes of the prefecture's southwest are what make this concentration possible.

Birthplace of Tone-wase — varieties and kakinoha-zushi

Nara is the birthplace of the astringent persimmon Tone-wase. In 1959 it was found in Kayou, Tenri City, in a field belonging to Tone Yoshitami — an early-ripening bud sport (mutation) of Hiratanenashi — and the variety is named after its discoverer, Tone (registered as a variety in 1980). The prefecture's main varieties are the sweet Fuyu and the astringent Hiratanenashi and Tone-wase, shipped in that seasonal order — Tone-wase, then Hiratanenashi, then Fuyu through December. The persimmon-growing Gojo and Yoshino-River areas are also the home of kakinoha-zushi, the local dish that wraps mackerel in astringent-persimmon leaves; the leaves help preserve it (MAFF, 'Our Local Cuisine').

Datasets behind this article

• Traditional Foods of Japan: Miwa Sōmen (MAFF)農林水産省
• Nara Prefecture Statistical Yearbook奈良県
• RESAS Tourism Map経済産業省・内閣府