Karikari Ume is one of Gunma Prefecture’s best-known processed plum products. The plums are harvested while still green and preserved using a distinctive method that allows them to retain their naturally crisp, crunchy texture.
Gunma is one of Japan’s leading plum-producing regions and is known for a variety of plum-based foods. Among them, Karikari Ume has become widely recognized throughout Japan for its unusual texture and refreshing sour flavor.
A defining feature of Karikari Ume is that unripe green plums are harvested and preserved using calcium. The calcium helps make the pectin in the plum flesh less soluble in water, preventing the flesh from becoming soft during the pickling process.
As a result, the plums retain the distinctive crisp and crunchy texture reflected in the name “Karikari,” setting them apart from ordinary Japanese pickled plums, which are generally softer.
The production method used for Karikari Ume was partly inspired by a traditional “Koume-zuke” method that had been passed down among farmers in Nagano Prefecture. “Koume” refers to small Japanese plums.
A pickle manufacturer in Gunma had originally produced soft pickled plums without drying them, a tradition that had continued for more than 110 years. At one point, however, the company discovered several plums inside a barrel of soft pickles that had somehow remained firm.
The fact that these plums retained their texture even after more than a year provided an important clue for product development. Drawing on this discovery and the traditional Koume-zuke technique, the manufacturer developed a new type of pickled plum that eventually became Karikari Ume.
Akagi Foods, the company that commercialized Karikari Ume, was founded in 1893 in Maebashi under the name “Odawaraya.” It has become one of Gunma’s long-established producers of Japanese pickles.
When the business was founded, it was a retail shop producing and selling pickles, tsukudani simmered foods, sweet simmered beans, and other preserved foods. At the time, Maebashi was an important center of the silk industry, but there were relatively few specialty pickle shops. Pickles were generally considered something to make at home rather than purchase from a store.
The company’s Akagizuke fukujinzuke pickles, launched in 1935, became a popular product. In 1963, the company changed its name from Odawaraya to Akagi Tsukemono Kogyo. In 1993, its centennial year, the company adopted its present name, Akagi Foods.
In 1971, Akagi Foods developed and commercialized what is regarded as Japan’s first Karikari Ume product. It was initially sold as a liquid-preserved product and quickly became popular.
From the late 1970s through the 1980s, the company also introduced a half-dried type in individual packaging. This new style challenged the traditional idea that pickles had to contain a large amount of moisture and helped establish Karikari Ume as a convenient snack that could be eaten easily anywhere.
Karikari Ume also carries cultural associations connected with the traditional symbolism of Japanese plums. Five auspicious wishes—warding off misfortune, promoting vitality, maintaining good health, bringing balance to the body’s five internal organs, and refreshing the body and mind—are collectively referred to as the “Five Virtues,” or Gotoku.
The product name “Ume Gotoku” was inspired by these traditional wishes associated with plums. Along with its distinctive crunch and convenience, this cultural background helped Karikari Ume develop into a popular product known throughout Japan.
Created through a unique preservation technique that retains the texture of green plums and supported by generations of pickle-making expertise, Karikari Ume is one of the processed foods that represents Gunma’s plum-growing and pickling traditions.
It can be enjoyed on its own as a snack or palate cleanser, while its refreshing acidity and crisp texture also make it useful in a variety of dishes. When visiting Gunma, discovering the history behind Karikari Ume offers another way to experience the region’s distinctive food culture and its contribution to this now widely known Japanese pickle.