Japanese Apples

Was cleaning up my HDD a bit and stumbled across these photos of some apples which looked nice so I thought I'd do a post.
The following text copy pasted from Wikipedia.

The Fuji apple is a Red Delicious apple and Ralls Genet apple hybrid developed by growers at the Tohoku Research Station (農林省園芸試験場東北支場) in Fujisaki, Aomori, Japan, in the late 1930s, and brought to market in 1962. It originated as a cross between two American apple varieties, the Red Delicious and old Virginia Ralls Genet (sometimes cited as "Rawls Jennet") apples.
It is named after "Fujisaki ([藤]崎)," Aomori Prefecture (青森県), but often mistakenly thought to be named after Mount Fuji (富士山).

Fuji apples are typically large or very large and round, on average 75mm in diameter. They contain between 9-11% sugars by weight and have a dense flesh that is sweeter and crisper than many other apple varieties, making them popular with consumers around the world. Fuji apples also have a very long shelf life compared to other apples, even without refrigeration. With refrigeration, Fuji apples can remain fresh for up to a year.

In Japan, Fuji apples continue to be an unrivaled best-seller. Japanese consumers prefer the crispy texture and sweetness of Fuji apples (which is somewhat reminiscent of the coveted Nashi Pear) almost to the exclusion of other varieties and Japan's apple imports remain low. Aomori Prefecture is perhaps the best known apple growing region of Japan. Of the roughly 900,000 tons of Japanese apples produced annually, 500,000 tons come from Aomori.

Outside of Japan the popularity of Fuji apples continues to grow. Fuji apples account for 80% of China's 20 million tons grown annually. Since their introduction into the U.S. market in the 1980s, Fuji apples have gained popularity with American consumers as well: a stranger to American supermarket shelves only 30 years ago, Fuji apples ranked at number 4 in 2003 on the US Apple Association's list of most popular apples, after Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Gala.

Fuji apples are now grown in traditional apple-growing states such as Washington, New York, and California as demand shifts in both the domestic and foreign markets toward Fuji apples. Washington, the grower of more than half of America's apple crop, produces about 135,000 tons of Fuji apples each year, with only Red Delicious and Golden Delicious outweighing Fuji.

Oh, and if you just happen to be wondering who the model is - its Hiromi Nishiuchi who I photographed back in 2007 - more photos of her here and here.