Daikon is sliced into thin rounds and salted until it goes limp, then laid out to dry for half a day or a full one. Drying gives it something to bite on and makes it keep. Yuzu peel is cut into fine strips, rolled up inside the daikon, pinned with a toothpick, and left in sweetened vinegar for two or three days. Cut one across and there is a spiral of white with yellow at the center of it.

The yuzu is a cold-climate variety grown north of Utsunomiya. It has a stronger scent than yuzu from warmer regions and a much thicker rind.

That thickness is the reason it works here. A thin-skinned yuzu would be scent alone; this one has body enough to be an ingredient rather than a garnish.

Harvest runs from October through to December, and the pickling follows it directly. It is a fixture of the new year boxes north of Utsunomiya and it appears at the autumn festivals as well. Some districts skip the drying altogether and roll the yuzu in fresh daikon instead, which gives a softer thing entirely. Pickle shops across the prefecture sell it, and it is shipped to customers nationwide and sold online. The thing that makes it possible is the part of the fruit most places throw away.