wiltznucs

Just got back from 10 days in Japan last month.

Personally; I’d do something like this…

Tokyo 2-3 days. I stayed in Ginza. It’s a major shopping district that winds down about 9PM. Much more quiet than Shibuya or others.

Day 4…. Take the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Give it 1 day possibly two. See the bomb memorial, museum and castle.

Take the Shinkansen to Himeji. It’s roughly half way from Hiroshima to Osaka. Less than two hours by train. Leave your bags in one of the lockers at the Himeji train station then do the Himeji Castle. It’s absolutely stunning. It’s an easy day trip along with the Garden next door. A one mile walk from the Station.

Hop back on the Shinkansen and arrive to Osaka that night.

From Osaka you can easily make day trips to Kyoto and Nara. Osaka is quite different than Tokyo. Get yourself close to the Dotonbori area. That’s where the food scene thrives.

Push back to Tokyo for another another few days.

Perhaps throw in some other stops….

Sakai is right outside of Osaka. Many of Japan’s most famous cutlery and knife makers are there. Makes for a cool keepsake and by buying direct from the maker you save a lot of money compared to buying in the Tokyo shops.

Kobe is in the route to Osaka. Grab some beef at the source.

Some other advice….

Japan is seeing record numbers of tourists.

It is unbelievably crowded. You have a few hours to work with each morning before the tour buses arrive to the major attractions. Take advantage of this. Get there early and beat the crowds. Seriously; by 10AM most places are a zoo.

This crowds also presented a bit of an obstacle for us as a family of four. Most restaurants in Japan are quite small and trying to squeeze in a family of four in without reservations was difficult. Either start making reservations weeks in advance or know that you will have to freestyle a bit. Many of the restaurants we tried told us they had been booked out months in advance.

If you have an iPhone, download the Suica app. This will allow you to use your phone to use all major train lines throughout the country. You can simply download money to it using your Apple wallet. Tap and go. It’s super efficient. Any money that is not used can be used for purchases at 7-Eleven or any number of restaurants.

When using the Shinkansen, there are reserved seating cars and non-reserved seating cars. For longer trips the reserved seating cars are worth the extra cost as they do have AC outlets and Wi-Fi access.

It is generally unnecessary to book your Shinkansen tickets in advance. The trains move every few minutes and can be purchased online while at the station.

Carry your passport with you at all times if purchasing and wanting to take advantage of the 10% tax free foreigners discount.

Wear good shoes…. We averaged 10-12 miles per day.

Finally, there is no need to bring cash. You can use the ATMs located at 7-Eleven or any of the kombinis at a very, very low cost.

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How tall do the tall and dwarf varieties get? Lots of online info says 12-15’ for the tall, and 8-10’ for the dwarf, but I’m skeptical of those numbers.

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This is a Namwah I purchased as a single 3 foot tall tree in 2021. Put it in the ground in 22’. I think 12-15’ feet is an accurate number.

Gave me two bunches last year. Separated off a cluster of pups last year and replanted them on the other side of the house. That single tree has turned into 8-10 trunks now.

Hasn’t produced fruit this year; this time last year it was holding fruit. They took a beating during Hurricane Milton so it feels like everything is a bit off.

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Any experience treating the LEM?

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The first thing they tell you when growing fruit trees in Central and South Florida is to keep after them with Neem Oil and Copper Fungicide in the Spring and Fall. Wettable Sulfur in the Winter. I haven’t seen LEM yet; but, I do have a very proactive pest management style.

Today’s newest addition. This is a Hak Ip lychee that was air layered from a tree in West Palm Beach. I got it to help co-pollinate my Sweetheart lychee I planted last year.

It’s known for having very dark leaves at maturity and for producing a sweet intensely flavored fruit with a small chicken tongue seed or often terminating with no seed at all. It’s been in a 3 gallon pot for the past few months waiting for the temps to finally settle in and risk of cold to be behind us.

Lychee trees are typically propagated by grafting limbs from mature trees instead of being grown from seed. Odds are I’m looking at 3 years before this one is large enough to provide fruit. Around year 5 I should be able to start grafting limbs off to create new trees.

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Alphonso
Carrie
Tebow
Irwin

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Alphonso is arguably the most famous mango in the world. Considered the King of Indian mangoes. They struggle here in the States; they grow ugly and aren’t as productive as other types. The microclimates and soil types just don’t line up. I’d avoid it.

Carrie is another one that hits the classic Indian profile. Some people love it. I do not. Indian type mangoes are characterized by having spicy, resinous profiles. Carrie is very productive; but, definitely not a dwarf.

Tebow is actually a renamed mango of yesteryear called the “Young” mango. It originated in SoFL and was quite popular as a commercial mango. A cross between a Kent and an Edward. Classic flavor; pretty disease resistant. A medium to large sized tree.

Irwin is another classic flavored mango and like the Tebow is a classic from SoFL. In Japan it’s grown in Miyazaki Prefecture and known as the “Egg of the Sun”. It’s the mango equivalent of A5 Wagyu beef. There’s a process involved. Some of them sell for hundreds of dollars each. They are grown exclusively in pots there; but, full disclosure most Americans don’t care for it. It’s hugely popular in Asia. Specifically; Japan and Taiwan.

Of what you listed; I’d probably do the Irwin if no other choice is provided. Simply because it has a documented track record with growing well in pots. My backup would be the Tebow.

I’d really encourage you to hold out for a Pickering, Dwarf Hawaiian, Sweet Tart or Angie.

Potting up Tuesday…. Decided to do the annual pot exchange on my potted mangoes.

Following some advice here I changed it up a bit. My mix this time around is a combination of Sunshine Mix 4, Peat, Worm Castings, Charcoal, Perlite and Sand.

Lemon-esh, Monty, Angie, Bolt, Mahachanok and Sweet Tart all have a new home.

If you want to believe that Constellation brands sold their entire wine portfolio over annualized 1% sales declines that fine. If you want to believe companies like Caymus, Stags Leap Wine Cellars, Penfolds and even Chateau Mouton Rothschild are inking cut-rate deals with Costco to counter 1% annual sales declines too that’s cool too. If you want to believe BrewHub who is the largest contract brewer in the country isn’t under a foreclosure bankruptcy due to its inability to pay its debts right now that’s peachy. You can overlook the fact that WhistlePig listed half its campus for sale last month and that Old Elk laid off half its sales team last Friday. I’m not one to let facts get in the way of a good argument.

The fact is; wine consumption in terms of gallons per person is way, way down and has been reported by numerous outlets. Is it due to a number of factors? Absolutely. There’s a lot more choices than there were 40 years ago.

Companies don’t go under over a few 1% sales declines. Companies go under when there’s wholesale changes in consumer demand which is what’s happening.

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Don’t buy wine from other countries. Problem solved

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Wine industry employee/executive here. 10+ years with products sold in 17 countries across 3 continents. Strategically exited last year.

Cold hard truth. Alcohol consumption has plummeted in the US. Wine consumption (in terms of gallons) is at a historic low. We’re talking about numbers not seen since the 60’s-70’s…

Frame that with the backdrop of how much the human population has grown in the past 5 decades. Major producers are offloading their wine portfolios right now (see Constellation Brands).

Lots of moving pieces. Younger people drink less. THC has entered the equation. Post Covid people are trying to get healthier.

While I appreciate the buy American sentiment and believe it will help to some degree; the tariffs are going to hit the already reeling wine industry hard.

Natural cork comes from basically two places. Portugal and Spain. A tariff on the EU will hit even domestic wine producers hard. Cooperage (the barrels wine is aged in) is largely from France. Again; an EU tariff hits them. Bottles are also a problem; the US doesn’t make much of any. Most come from the EU or China. Again; tariffs will hurt.

It’s not limited to wine. I work with Breweries too. A considerable amount of malted barley used to make beer is from the EU or Canada. The hops likely also come from the EU or New Zealand; but, there is some production in the PNW too. Aluminum tariffs will impact the cost of cans as even the American based can producers like Ball use imported aluminum.

If these tariffs stick; the American consumer should expect significant price increases or businesses closing. Even the American made alcohol products can’t escape the fact they are inextricably linked to foreign trade and tariffs.

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Hopping in this thread. I'm here in the Tampa area and we have a ton of fruit trees planted. So will be asking some questions. We have avocados, star fruit, coconuts, bunch of mango trees, guava, two types of banana, peach hybrid, and lemon/orange hybrid. Going to pick up some passion fruit soon How often do yall fertilize and what's your go to fertilizer?

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I too have quite a variety and have done my best to find a one size fits all solution for fertilizers. I settled on an 8-4-8 from Diamond R here in FL. It’s a slow release formula with micronutrients built in.

I typically fertilize around the beginning of April, first of July, and one final time in late September/early October.

In the cooler months I will typically apply a foliar spray at least once for the micro elements.

Outside of that; I have thrown some gypsum around as it supposedly enhances nutrient uptake and aerates the soil.

With bananas; I’ve had better luck with conventional 10-10-10.

Good looking tree! My Pickering is about to hit that period where it’s going to have to start shedding fruit. It’s holding way too much IMHO. If it doesn’t drop some I’m going to have to start plucking the smaller ones.