On a steamy June afternoon, the apple trees in the Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture are laden with fruit. Now, the young apples are hard green spheres the size of golf balls, but come autumn they will be plump, sweet and ready for harvest.
While most of the crop from farmer Satoshi Takahashi's orchards in the city of Hirosaki will be shipped to markets around the country, a small portion will be set aside and used to make Kimori, Takahashi's brand of boutique hard cider.
A soft-spoken 44 year old with striking hazel-flecked eyes, Takahashi is a sixth-generation farmer, though growing up, he never considered going into agriculture. He was working at a television production company in Tokyo when his mother fell ill and he had to move back to his hometown to care for her. After she passed away, he suddenly found himself in charge of managing the family's orchards.