Our first breakfast with Rika's parents felt symbolic, as Noda Sensei prepared a fruit called Banpeiyu, which came from a tree in his mothers garden. After breakfast Rika told me that he prepares this fruit when a special guest is visiting.
Banpeiyu is a citrus fruit with a soft rind that is over an inch thick. It looks like an orange on steroids. It tastes like an orange but not quite as sweet, more mild.
