Shoppers on Sotobori Street, in Tokyo's fashionable Ginza shopping district, may have been surprised by a sweet scent of citrus hanging in the air.
The refreshing smell can be traced to the first floor of Ginza Kumamoto-kan and its huge pile of "banpeiyu" which are now in season. Averaging 2 kg in weight and 20 cm in diameter, it is one of the largest citrus fruits in the world.
The city of Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, is blessed with a mild climate in winter and is known for its various citrus crops, including the grapefruitlike banpeiyu, a variety of the pummelo.