Intense summer heat has led to an increase in 'double cherries,' an unwanted fruit in an industry that strives for 'perfection.'

They are formed when two cherries fuse together and share one stem.

But one fruit farmer here is trying to find a way to profit from the rising number of double cherries, perhaps using another marketing buzzword in Japan: cuteness.

Toshihiko Sakuma says sales of double cherries could save farmers in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan’s largest production area for the fruit.

Cherry doubling has increased since around 2020, according to data from the Yamagata Integrated Agricultural Research Center’s Horticulture Research Station.

Double cherries accounted for about 30 percent of Benishuho, a premium cherry variety in the prefecture. The rate rose to 40 percent in 2024.

 Cherry trees form flower buds in the summer of the year before they bloom. Therefore, the weather of the previous season affects the quality of the fruit.

 The stress from high temperatures and drought in recent summers have caused the pistils to split in two, resulting in double cherries.

Double cherries are not distributed through markets, supermarkets and other channels. Farmers usually eat the imperfect cherries themselves or sell them at local farm stands at lower prices.

To promote the fused fruit, the farmer started working with students at the Tohoku University of Art and Design to create a picture book about double cherries titled “Futago no Sakuranbo” (Twin cherries).

The harvest season for Yamagata Benio and Benishuho cherries has reached its peak in the prefecture.

With producers aging and material prices rising, Sakuma fears there may be no more Yamagata cherry farmers in the future.

He said he intends to continue his search for effective use of double cherries in the prefecture.

 
-Asahi Shimbun