Japanese plum

Get to know it

Japanese plums are juicy stone fruits with skins that range from yellow to almost black. Cut into a Satsuma and the flesh is deep red, firm and juicy, with an almond-like flavour beneath its tough, bitter skin.

What it is

A Japanese plum measures roughly 4–8 cm (1½–3 in) across, with a hard stone in the middle. Its flesh can be yellow or red, so the colour outside only tells part of the story.

Satsuma has mottled red-and-green skin that is somewhat tough and bitter. Inside, its firm flesh has a rich almond-like flavour.

Where it comes from

Japanese plums come from China. Japan became a stepping stone in their travels: in 1870, the plum now called Kelsey went from Yamanashi to America. It grew at a farm in Berkeley, California, and later returned to Japan under its new name.

Luther Burbank bred Japanese plums including Santa Rosa. Many modern varieties combine Japanese and American plum ancestry. In Japan today, Yamanashi is the leading plum-growing prefecture.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Yamanashi, ripe Soldam plums go into fruit liqueur that turns red. This variety starts with green skin and red flesh, so its colour is a surprise even before it reaches the glass.

In Sydney, chef O Tama Carey’s Satsuma dessert pairs poached plums with chocolate sponge and pink cream. The fruit simmers in prosecco with rosemary, bay leaves, black pepper and lemon peel; reduced poaching syrup colours the cream.

How it's grown

The trees lose their leaves in winter and open white flowers in spring. Many varieties need pollen from another Japanese plum flowering at the same time. A standard-size plum tree usually begins bearing three to five years after planting.

Growers train Japanese plums into an open-centred shape, keeping three or four main branches and removing the central stem. The result is a spreading tree with an open middle.

When and where you'll find it

Japanese plums and their hybrids are familiar fresh fruit on US grocery shelves. Satsuma also belongs to local markets and home gardens. In San Francisco Bay Area gardens, Santa Rosa usually ripens in late June, followed by Satsuma and Mariposa in July.

In Yamanashi, the usual season runs from early June to early September, with different varieties taking their turns.

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Get it near Detroit

What it tastes like

Crisper than a blueberry, as tart as a kiwifruit≈

Not sweetlemonbananaSweet

MildbananaapplelemonSour

SoftbananaappleCrisp

More about the taste

The Satsuma variety has firm, juicy flesh with an almond-like flavor and somewhat tough, bitter skin; other varieties taste different.

Fruit is relatively large and juicy, often round, with yellow or red flesh. Skin ranges from yellow through red to nearly black — darker isn't automatically sweeter or riper.

Choose, ripen, store, eat

1ChooseVariety-appropriate color
Look for
Variety-appropriate color
Gentle give
Fruity aroma
Ignore
Skin color alone
Look for variety-appropriate color, gentle give, and fruity aroma. Avoid oozing, damaged or overripe fruit.
2RipenOn the counter
Ripens after pickingCounter
Let near-ripe fruit finish at room temperature, then refrigerate once ripe.
3StoreFridge, ripe
1. FridgeRipe
4EatJapanese plums are mainly eaten fresh, and also made into jam, jelly and fruit leather
Japanese plums are mainly eaten fresh, and also made into jam, jelly and fruit leather.

More tips

Worth knowing

Waiting for edible softness may change the balance of this plum, but it won't add sugar or fix a fruit that wasn't well developed to begin with.
A dark peel or an intact look doesn't reveal a plum's storage history. Good flavor and the ability to survive shipping are separate things.
For this high-acid variety, the softer, less acidic eating stage matters as much as sweetness.

Detroit, Michigan

When it’s good here

Grown here

Ships from other states

8 growing areas, 4 countries

Aomori
Maule
Mendoza
Nagano
O'Higgins
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Yamanashi
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Chile3
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8 varieties

See all 8 varieties

27 names in 7 languages

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Cook it

Recipes 2

1 Japanese plum festival

Sumomo MatsuriJulFuchū, Tokyo, Japan · Organiser ↗Jul

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Close relatives

Sources

Japanese plum · Fruitopia · checked Sep 22, 2026