A Savory Journey: Transforming Plums into “Umeboshi” (Photos)

The fruit of the Nankō-ume starts to ripen around May, eventually turning yellow all over.

The sweet scent of ripe fruit fills the air around the orchards at harvest time.

Ripe fruit that has fallen to the ground, touched red in places by the late spring sun.

Workers collect fallen plums. A monorail hopper is used to transport the harvested fruit.

Newly harvested plums.

Workers check by hand for damaged or imperfect fruit.

Plums are sorted by machine according to size.

Coarse, natural salt is added to ume. After four or five days, the tank will be full of plum vinegar.

Shira-boshi pickled plums ready for delivery to Shōkibai. The plums will keep for years if stored in an air-tight container and kept in a cool, dark place.

Shōkibai’s processing plant in Minabe.

Shōkibai’s pickled plum showers in action.

Each plum is individually washed by hand.

Inside tanks salt levels of umeboshi are adjusted and flavorings such as honey and shiso (perilla) are added.

After flavoring, the umeboshi are given a final once-over before packaging.

After a final check, the umeboshi are individually packaged.

Umeboshi flavored with honey await packaging. Additional flavoring reduces the fierce sourness and gives the plums a delicate sweetness.

The Shōzui is the king of umeboshi, a 5L size fruit with a diameter of at least 48 millimeters. A packet of ten of these super-deluxe umeboshi will set you back ¥5,400. (Photo courtesy of Shōkibai)