Something that really stuck out to me in Japan was seeing the bananas at the supermarket wrapped in plastic. If only bananas had some NATURAL WAY of protecting themselves from the elements...
Japan is not a producer of fruits. They come from far away. This means they have to transport it economically, that means they are transported by sea.
That means bananas are green when collected and sent to Japan, because transporting it by sea takes a long time.
Bananas naturally release CH4 that actually makes the fruit mature and spoils it. So they have to absorb it or diffuse during transport, then add it in Japan.
But if they add it in Japan, the fruit does not mature entirely, only the external side, so it is a good idea to add an artificial atmosphere of some kind.
I suspect it’s a social thing rather than a necessity.