Pineapple season has begun
On May 1st, as pineapple harvest reaches its peak in various regions, the Okinawa Prefecture Pineapple Season Declaration was announced. Once again this year, fresh seasonal fruit carefully cultivated by local farmers will be available.
In Okinawa, the Prefectural Pineapple and Fruit Production Promotion Council has designated August 1st as "Pineapple Day" every year. Among the varieties cultivated in the prefecture, shipments of Pokotto (Bogor) and Peach Pine (Soft Touch) from Ishigaki Island and Iriomote Island begin as early as late March in some years, which is why May 1st marks the official start of the Okinawa pineapple season.
This year on Ishigaki Island and Iriomote Island, the harvest of Peach Pine and Pokotto began in early April. As summer approaches, varieties like Juicy (Hawaiian variety), Gold Barrel, and White Coco will come into season one after another. According to JA Okinawa, Ishigaki Island plans to ship 700 tons of pineapples this year. Iriomote Island focuses mainly on direct-to-consumer (BtoC) individual sales, so please enjoy them through online shopping or by visiting the island. While the varieties are the same, the taste of pineapples varies remarkably depending on soil quality and cultivation management.
Pineapples carefully cultivated and harvested after two and a half years.
Popular "Gold Barrel"
Recently, the premium "Gold Barrel" pineapple has been gaining attention. While standard small Bogor and the classic Juicy varieties can be purchased for a few hundred yen, Gold Barrel—which is difficult to manage and has few cultivating farmers—trades at high prices. However, when purchased on Ishigaki Island, large ones (about 2 kg) are sold at reasonable prices of around 2,000 yen.
Why not try Ishigaki Island's sweet and juicy pineapples and mangoes this summer?
Incidentally, in our family, my wife and I prefer the Hawaiian variety, while our children love Toume Farm's Peach Pine.
The Kawahara district, adjacent to the Omoto settlement where our accommodation is located, is one of Ishigaki Island's major pineapple production areas, and pineapples from any farm there are delicious. The Kawahara district also has unmanned sales stands, so please try truly delicious fully-ripe pineapples.
Fully-ripe pineapples only available on the island
Pineapples do not ripen after harvest, so full ripeness is achieved in the field. However, for commercial purposes, they are harvested before full ripeness to ensure shelf life, which prevents them from reaching their true delicious potential. Especially those shipped off the island are harvested while immature, resulting in a stark difference in taste. Please come to the island to eat fully-ripe pineapples. Moreover, fully-ripe pineapples cannot be used for supermarkets or shipping, so they're cheaper!
Cheap and delicious fully-ripe pineapple purchased at an unmanned sales stand.
Comparison Table of 7 Okinawa Prefecture Pineapple Varieties
Variety Name (Brand Name/Common Name) | Sweetness | Acidity | Harvest Season | Characteristics & Flavor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bogor | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | April to mid-August | A fun variety that can be eaten by tearing with hands. The flesh is firm, but the core is edible. |
Soft Touch | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | Late April to mid-August | When fully ripe, it emits a rich fragrance like peach. Somewhat small with very soft flesh. |
N67-10 | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | June to mid-September | The main variety supporting Okinawa's tradition. Rich in juice, versatile for both fresh consumption and processing. Large fruit with affordable price. |
Gold Barrel | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | Late May to early August | A premium brand developed over approximately 20 years. Barrel-shaped large fruit with low acidity and rich flavor. Soft flesh that is edible to the core. |
Julio Star | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | Mid-June to September | A variety with excellent shelf life, developed to be harvested at the end of summer (August to September). Rich in juice with sweet-and-sour refreshing flavor. |
Okinoken P17 | ★★★★★ | ★☆☆☆☆ | May to November | The sweetest and creamiest variety among Okinawa's 7 varieties. Large fruit with rapidly rising popularity as a summer gift. |
Okinoken P19 | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | May to September | The newest large-fruit variety born in 2022. Characterized by a tropical coconut-like fragrance. The softest flesh among the 7 varieties. |
History of Okinawa Pineapples
1. History of Okinawa Pineapples: Glory, Setback, and the Great Comeback to "Fresh Fruit"
The history of pineapple cultivation in Okinawa dates back to the mid-1860s. It is said that when a Dutch ship ran aground off Ishigaki Island, seedlings that drifted to Kabira Bay were the first pineapples introduced to Okinawa.
The journey as a full-fledged industry began in the early Showa period. In 1927, an improved variety called "Smooth Cayenne" was introduced from Taiwan, and contract cultivation started in the northern part of the main island and on Ishigaki Island. Initially, there were continuous hardships, but in the 1930s, when farmers who immigrated from Taiwan cleared uncultivated land using water buffalo, large-scale cultivation finally got on track.
2. The Golden Age as "Processed Pineapple Kingdom"
After the war, under U.S. administration, pineapples became "a huge economic engine supporting the island" alongside sugarcane.
In the 1950s and 60s, fresh fruit imports were strictly restricted in Japan, so canned pineapples from Okinawa—the only tropical and subtropical region in Japan—sold like hotcakes.
In 1967, from seedlings introduced from Hawaii, USA, the superior labor-saving, high-yield strain "N67-10 (Hawaiian variety)" most suited to Okinawa's climate was selected. This became a huge hit, and at its peak in 1969, production reached approximately 100,000 tons annually. Canned pineapples accounted for over 17% of Okinawa's total export value, and many "pineapple mansions" lined the northern regions during this golden age. On Ishigaki Island, large pineapple factories were established where many people worked. The site of the largest pineapple factory in Miyara is now the Seifuku Shuzo distillery.
3. The "Black Ship" of Liberalization and Devastating Setback
However, the glory did not last long. The 1972 reversion to mainland Japan, followed by the 1990 "complete liberalization of canned pineapple imports" struck Okinawa's industry hard.
Canned products from the Philippines, Thailand, and other countries with overwhelmingly lower labor and land costs flooded into Japan. Unable to compete on price, Okinawa's canneries closed one after another, and production plummeted to less than one-tenth of its peak. A "winter era" arrived as many farmers gave up cultivation and sold their fields.
4. Miraculous Joint Operation: The Great Reversal from "Quantity" to "Quality (Fresh Fruit)"
From here, Okinawa's pineapple industry took an unprecedented "gamble to shift from canning (processing) to fresh fruit consumption". Unable to compete on price, they chose to compete with "overwhelming deliciousness and uniqueness" that foreign products could never imitate.
The Okinawa Prefectural Agricultural Research Center (formerly the Experiment Station), government agencies, JA, and motivated farmers united to develop and promote new varieties.
"Bogor (Snack Pine)" with entertainment value that can be eaten by tearing with hands
"Soft Touch (Peach Pine)" that surprised with its peach fragrance
The ultimate premium pineapple "Gold Barrel" created over 20 years
These unique fresh-eating pineapples quickly captured consumers' hearts, and around 2000, fresh fruit shipments completely overtook processed products.
Varieties became abundant, and the taste was so refined that they rivaled authentic Taiwan pineapples. When China imposed import restrictions on Taiwan pineapples, a large quantity entered Japan, but the impact was not as severe as feared, and shipments did not decline.
5. And Into the Future: Continuing Evolution of Okinawa Pineapples
Currently, Okinawa's pineapple production remains stable at around 7,500 tons, with nearly 90% traded as high-quality fresh fruit at premium prices. Furthermore, recent introductions include "Julio Star" with staggered harvest periods for extended enjoyment, the rich and sweet "Okinoken P17 (Sun Dolce)," and the latest variety "Okinoken P19 (White Coco)" with coconut fragrance—masterpieces born from Japan's advanced breeding technology are being deployed one after another.
Starting from a handful of drifted seedlings, weathering global storms, yet achieving a miraculous revival as a "premium brand fruit"—this is the story of Okinawa pineapples.
Okinawa Prefecture's Comprehensive Breeding Selection Criteria
Ease of cultivation: Thornless leaves (injury prevention during work and management efficiency)
Fruit quality: High sugar content (14 degrees or higher, etc.), low acidity, rich aroma
Appearance and size: Appropriate size of about 1-1.5 kg with beautiful shape
Disease resistance and ease of growing: Disease-resistant and able to withstand Japan's typhoons
Importance of Being Thornless
In production areas like Okinawa Prefecture, thorny varieties such as "Snack Pine (Bogor variety)" are also popular, but thorns make workers prone to injury during cultivation and harvest, and post-harvest boxing is extremely labor-intensive. Therefore, from the perspective of labor-saving (ease of cultivation), "thornless" is positioned as one of the most important criteria in varieties developed by Okinawa Prefecture, such as "Yugafu."
Actual Selection Process
Through artificial cross-pollination, seedlings are grown from thousands of seeds (seedlings), but in the initial stage, they are screened based on external characteristics such as growth speed and "presence or absence of thorns." Subsequently, when fruit actually forms, only those that pass strict sensory evaluations for "high sugar content" and "texture" are finally selected. Therefore, "being thornless" and "being delicious" function like two wheels of a cart.
Thus, "thornless" for smooth cultivation management is treated as an essential condition (basic specification) for a variety to be commercialized.