Bananaman88

Howdy everyone!

I haven't posted much in the past week and half because we have been hosting a group from Japan at the park I work at and they have been keeping me very busy. I've just been too tired to get on here at night and no time at lunch during the day. However, I do have a few minutes now.

I just found out yesterday that I have been invited to travel to Japan next month as part of the delegation that is going to Chiba for the 35th Anniversary of the Houston-Chiba Sister City Program. I am very excited about it and of course one of the first things I though of was whether or not I'd be able to find any bananas in Japan! M. basjoo (Japanese Fiber Banana) is supposed to be naitive to Japan so I am hoping to spot some. It would be sweet to be able to bring something back, but I'm not sure how that would work with customs. I'll have to ask the Japanese folks who I will be traveling with. Anyhow, wish me luck. Maybe I'll come back with something interesting.

Glad to be back amongst my nanner buddies! I missed you guys (and girls)!

Mark Hall

Hi Brent

Is Basjoo that hard to come by in the states ? it seems that I have read a few posts and a lot of people are after it.

its sods law........over here its sold everywhere and most are bored by it (not me ) and you can pick it up cheap.........yet over there I read you can walk into one of your chain stores and pick up all the interesting ones off the shelf.


Its not fair...LOL.

If I was you I would sneak a basjoo back in my suitcase .

__________________
Time Flies like an Arrow.....Fruit flies like a Banana.

Raules

It seems to me, that it would be interesting to find seeds Musa Basjoo in Japan, and that seems greater rarity to me is. Success in travel!

__________________
Tropical agriculturist

asacomm

Hi Brent,
Nice to hear that you come here to Japan.
Although you will be able to see Basjoo fairly often, but you can never see
normal bananas there in Chiba and other places in the main land except
Okinawa located very near to Taiwan.

If you have any questions, do n ot hesitate to ask me. May be I can be of
your help.

Stan

modenacart

Where are you going in Japan? I was in Okinawa in August and saw tons of bananas there. They were growing everywhere. I didn't have time to try to bring one back but it would have been nice.

Bananaman88

Asacomm: I didn't realize you were in Japan. What part? I will be visiting the city of Chiba. I'm not looking for basjoo...I can get that at the local Home Depot here in TX. I just though it would be cool to find something different there if I were lucky. I know that the Japanese people seem to really love variegated plants and I was hoping to come across some form of var. banana maybe. Just dreaming probably and I won't really have all that much free time to look for any either.

asacomm

Hi Brent,
I understood your point of view, and nothing may be able to be done if you
don't have much free time to look around.
There are some collectors of varigated plants, but unfortunately they are far
from Chiba city.

I am in Shizuoka city where is one of the mildest climate places in Honshu,
main islands, located about 150km west from Tokyo.
Stan

Bananaman88

Well, I'll be keeping my eyes peeled (no pun intended) for bananas anyhow! The trip looks pretty packed with official business but maybe I'll come across something!