Japanese tomato varieties

[NarnianGarden]

I just saw a YT video about a very sweet tasting Japanese tomato, red saladette / slicer.
They had it from the Farmers market and planted it.
The lady on the video said it was like eating candy.

Too bad I could not get the name. Areka red? reka? does anyone know what variety she was talking about?
I have not seen many Japanese varieties available anywhere either locally or on-line (well, SunGold F1 is the exception)

I remember vaguely there has been some talk of those amazing tomatoes from the Far East at Tomatoville years ago.

[karstopography]

https://kitazawaseed.com/collections/to ... iko-hybrid

This one perhaps?

[Yak54]

Don't think it's Odoriko cause it's not a saladette type but a medium size fruit about 10 oz. I'm very familiar with it since I've grown it for 7-8 years along with it's brother or sister Momotaro which is also sweet tasting. The Japanese tomatoes that I've grown are SunGold, SunOrange, Odoriko, and Momotaro all of which are considered sweet tasting which is how the Japanese like their tomatoes to taste.

Dan

[Toomanymatoes]

Reika Red Japanese Beefsteak Tomato

video -

https://terrasolgardencenter.com/fruits ... p190983403
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=44098

[NarnianGarden]

That was the video, but I could not catch the name! Thanks Toomanytomatoes.

Of course, as I am in the EU, it is hard the acquire any of those seeds...

[NarnianGarden]

Thanks for that link to Tomatoville thread. I will try to contact Svalli...

[Toomanymatoes]

That was the video, but I could not catch the name! Thanks Toomanytomatoes.

Of course, as I am in the EU, it is hard the acquire any of those seeds...

No problem. The name was actually down in the comments of that video.

I took a quick look and so far the only seeds I saw for sale were directly from Japan. I would be interested in getting a few Japanese hybrids to try out myself. Will see if I can manage to navigate those websites well enough to place an order (assuming they even ship to me).

[peebee]

@NarnianGarden I was going to say Reika before I saw that you found it. I've grown it many years ago. I used to visit Japan yearly before the pandemic, so I grew several varieties. Reika produced till the fall that year, the only one that did. Back then, before global warming, we used to have colder temps & lots of rain during our winters here in SoCal, so that Reika was a pleasant surprise. Now, of course, we have hardly any rain, it's warmer & I can grow tomatoes & cucumbers till after Christmas easily.
When I tried Reika the next year it wasn't as impressive, so I never tried it again as both Momotaro & Odoriko were more reliable every time. Japan tends to come out with new hybrid varieties on everything every year so after trying several I prefer to stick to what grows well for me, plus some heirlooms. Also, I don't like tomatoes with lots of seeds. Many of their new ones have this feature.

[NarnianGarden]

Thanks for the input, peebee!
Always interesting to hear about varieties and their behaviour in different climates.
I was able to get in touch with someone who has a few seeds left, and they reported pretty much the same.. not so very sweet in their estimation.

I wonder what kind of growing conditions that couple in the video had, the lady was so impressed by the 'candy like sweetness.'
(to me, Artisan varieties were sweet like candy, also some other cherry tomatoes... and also black ones. like Black from Tula, Black Krim etc. have this very sweet, earthy undertones.)

[peebee]

@NarnianGarden perhaps they were eating them super ripe. I find this to be true with both Odoriko & Momotaro, if I eat them when the skins are very dark they turn very sweet. But I prefer to eat them when the skins are the usual just ripe pink color, as I like a hint of tang.
Well let us know how you like Reika when you grow it next season.

[NarnianGarden]

Will do so, Peebee.

I also wondered how much experience these people have had with tomatoes in general before this variety... almost anything homegrown tastes sweeter and better than a store-bought tomato. (that might, or might not, be a part of the equation in this case)

[peebee]

Yeah, she's young & you're right, who can forget the first few tomatoes we've grown... she'll probably discover more tomatoes in the future that are even more delicious. A great tomato depends on so many factors, like weather, soil, timing...and we might never get the exact same taste again. But the joy is in the hunt right?