Wisdom from the fruit vendor is what you get from Takahiko Takahashi's Interview in Japan Times (January 28) by Judit Kawagushi.
Actually it feels more like a conversation than an interview.
You know that Takahiko Takahashi (69) loves his occupation when he starts by telling us that 'Fruits are like babies; they need protection and constant care'.
This handle with care approach makes sense one you learn that Japanese farmers "individually wrap each fruit — such as biwa (Japanese loquat),
apples and bunches of grapes — into paper to protect them from bugs and
the cold. They even change the paper as the fruits mature."
He also suggests that "jokes sell more products than low prices" even though he considers people with that approach as a dying breed in Japan.
The man does not like waste so "as the sun goes down, so do our prices. We keep lowering them so that
by the time we close for the day we have sold out. But the cake shops
in the depachika (department store basement food shops) never give discounts; instead they throw out the leftovers at the end of the day. That is mottainai! (wasteful)"
I will let you discover the rest of the man thoughts all by yourself.
Work, life and wisdom on the menu of Tokyo Thursdays #124
Previously: Tokyo in Frisco at New People, Japanese Whiskies on Show in Paris
(* Biwa picture from Wagashi: Early Summer Loquat (Biwa) Namagashi on Kyoto Foodie)