A technique developed 34 years ago by chance is now in wide use to preserve a variety of foods, including sashimi, dairy products, vegetables and Tottori Prefecture's 20th Century-brand pears.
The technique to keep foods fresh at temperatures just above their freezing point is called "hyo-on" in Japanese.
Akiyoshi Yamane, who died six years ago, came up with the technique while experimenting with the freshness of 20th Century pears during his term as director of the Tottori prefectural food processing research institute.