Umeboshi 梅干

After a few hot hours inside Kenroku-en a retreat to the shaded side-steets just outside the garden gates offers up some tasty food shops, were I spied these drying umeboshi, alongside some vendors selling souvenir and local wears. Umeboshi, literally dried ume, are pickled ume fruits common in Japan. Ume (Prunus Mume) is a species of fruit-bearing tree in the genus Prunus, which is often called a plum but is actually more closely related to the apricot. Umeboshi are a popular kind of tsukemono (pickles) and are extremely sour and salty, Yum!