This fun interview about OG Nanami Hiroki’s favorite fruit was published for Japan’s ‘Mandarin Orange’ day (one of two, even!) on December 3, 2020. The original article was written by Ayaji Nobuko [approximate reading] for Domani—click through for many photos of Nanami! (Archive link here.)

Ex-Takarazuka otokoyaku star Nanami Hiroki is a huge mandarin lover!? Her “fave mandarin” is…

December 3 is “Mandarin Orange Day”! Celebrity mandarin fancier Nanami Hiroki talks about her love for mandarins <3

This is a special spinoff of our “Takarazuka OG” regular column! Your reporter is delighted to see so many fans looking forward to it on social media. Our guest was very popular in the company and now is doing great work in new fields: Nanami Hiroki!

By the way, everyone, did you know that December 3 was “Mandarin Orange Day”? Actually, though November 3 is “Mandarin Orange Day” since it can be read out as ‘good mandarin’, but since it’s the third day [‘mikka’ (third day) sounds similar to ‘mikan’ (mandarin)] of the winter satsuma season December 3 is also “Mandarin Orance Day”. Though December 3 might seem to be just a little bonus, it’s a toootally authentic “Mandarin Orange Day” recognized by the National Cooperative of Fruit Producers and Suppliers* and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Moving on, former Takarazuka otokoyaku star Nanami Hiroki is known for her love of mandarins. She loves them so much that in the publication ‘Otome’, which serves as a guide to all Takarasiennes in the Takarazuka revue, for the entire time she worked for Takarazuka she entered ‘mandarins’ in the ‘favorite food’ line. Therefore, we asked her to tell us about her love of mandarins as a celebration of this Mandarin Orange Day.

Domani: Why do you love mandarins?

Nanami: I really love their color and shape. That roundness, and that orange color…don’t you somehow feel more cheerful just looking at them? And then of course the flavor! I’ve aaaaaalways loved their exquisite flavor, the sweetness with a touch of sour. And them being so easy to eat is appealing too. Since you can eat them simply without needing a knife, when I was little I would eat about ten of them at once whenever I was hungry. I would eat so many of them I’d make myself sick but now I save them and eat them properly, of course.

Domani: Tell us some memorable anecdotes about mandarins!

Nanami: Every winter, my family would buy them by the box over and over. It was our yearly tradition to sit under the kotatsu and all eat mandarins together while we watched the Red and White Song Contest. I would peel so many mandarins that both thumbs would turn orange. And then of course my family would warn me “you’re eating too much!” (laughs) Also, apparently once I said “when I grow up I want to be a mandarin farmer!” My friends would give me mandarins with character faces drawn on them as presents, and when I was in Takarazuka, junior actresses would make pyramids of mandarins on my dressing table. My love of mandarins was pretty well known (laughs).

Nanami’s “fave mandarin” is…!?

Moving on, we asked her about the type of mandarins she eats all the time and which kinds she’s excited about lately. (For this article, we used the ‘Citrus Cross-section Picture Book’ as a reference for her to pick from.)

Donami: Tell us your “fave mandarin”!

Nanami: If you say ‘mandarin’ of course you think of satsumas! They’re the ones I eat the most often and they’re the most familiar to me. They have a reliable ‘standard’ feeling. Their appearance and ease of eating are appealing.

“Though the name ‘unshiu’ [the scientific name for the satsuma] is derived from a location in China, it is also believed to have originated in Kagoshima. With mutations and improvements, there are over 100 strains such as ‘Miyagawawase’ and ‘Nankan #20’ and as many different production sites. It bears pride of place as the most produced citrus fruit.” [Citrus Cross-Section Picture Book, Shogakukan]

Nanami: One type I’m interested in is ‘Himekoharu’ [lit. ‘Princes Koharu’. I feel like the name is cute, and I’ve never eaten one so I’m interested in what it might taste like. If I get a chance I would love to eat one.

“’Himekoharu’ is only grown in Ehime Prefecture, and is known as the youngest sibling of the ‘Ehime Three New Citrus Brothers’. It can be peeled with the hands and eaten like a satsuma. It brings the feeling of approaching spring, a tiny and cute new force.”

Nanami: It says in this book that ‘Tsunokagayaki’ was made “with the goal of creating an even more delicious citrus than the Satsuma Unshiu”, so now I want to know what kind of person created it. They must have such deep feelings towards mandarins.

“This variety was developed with the goal of creating an even more delicious citrus than the Satsuma Unshiu. It is appealing due to its high sugar level and easily removed peel. It is also full of Cryptoxanthin, which is said to be beneficial for lifestyle diseases.”

Nanami: Even if they’re all called mandarins, there are lots of different kinds, aren’t there. There are tons I haven’t had a chance to eat yet, so one day I want to eat mandarins from all over.

‘Mandarins’ are like a constant companion all through the winter. Though since they are so ubiquitous it can obscure their appeal, they’re really an amazing fruit…I learned again today. They’re full of vital nutrients and vitamins for beauty, so there’s no reason not to eat them during their peak season right now! Nanami loves them too, so of course today’s fruit has to be mandarins, right?

1 – Official English name of the organization, if one exists, may be different.