Food Trip to Japan

In September 2025, Marcus Rowlerson visited Japan on a research trip with a group that included chef Gareth Ward (two-star Michelin chef from Ynyshir Restaurant in Wales) and Stuart Turner a.k.a. ‘Sushi Stu’ (expert in Japanese cuisine from supplier Sushi Sushi).

Here are Le Marché, we have been expanding our range of specialist fruits and vegetables that we import direct from Japan. This trip was a unique opportunity to deepen our knowledge of the food culture in that fascinating country.

Marcus tasted some of fantastic Crown Melons - a single melon cost £220 in a department store. The growers selects one single melon flower on each plant and deadheads the rest, before lavishing each fruit with great care as it ripens. (See the Instagram video here).

We visited a Grape Master in Katsunuma who has spent a lifetime perfecting the art of growing the varieties Shine Muscat, Queen Nina and Pione. (See the video here).

We visited Ota market, a large wholesale market in Tokyo, and witnessed the grape auctions. A single bunch of the best grapes can sell for several hundred pounds; in one high street shop, a single grape cost the equivalent of £7!. (See our posts here and here).

It was a remarkable experience that has further deepened our interest in sourcing exceptional produce from Japan. If you have an account with Le Marché and are interested in trying some yourself, see the list of current availability on our ‘Insider’ newsletters or contact the office to find out more.