Masaki Aiba harvests seasonal fruit and crafts wagashi on ‘Aiba Manabu’

In the October 4 broadcast of the television program ‘Aiba Manabu’, host Masaki Aiba and guests Eiji Kotouge, Dai Okabe, and Abare-kun visit Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, to harvest seasonal pears and grapes.

The group explores different varieties, including the juicy ‘Hosui’ and sweet ‘Akiakari’ pears, as well as ‘Fujiminori’ and ‘Queen Nina’ grapes. Following the harvest, the participants learn to create various fruit-based sweets and traditional Japanese wagashi under the guidance of confectioner Akira Matsuda.

Activities include making pear smoothies, grape jam, steamed fruit dorayaki, and kuzu ice bars. The segment concludes with a challenging attempt to hand-craft fruit daifuku from scratch, using traditional ‘seppei’ dough. During the session, Matsuda also shares personal reflections regarding the challenges of finding a successor for his confectionery business.