Le Lectier

This western pear has a rich aroma and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. At the start of the 20th century, Sayukichi Koike, a farmer in what is now the Shirone area in the Minami Ward of Niigata City, brought back saplings from France and started cultivating the fruit in Niigata. However, this is a very difficult fruit to grow and the number of pears produced each year is so limited that it has been given the nickname "The Phantom Pear."