Fruit, Japan, and Gift

Have a look Inside! Japan’s Most Insanely Expensive Fruit Parlor 

Tokyo’s Sembikiya looks like a Jewelry shop.

The flagship store of the Sembikiya fruit emporium was by the same Samurai-descendant family since 1834.

 Sembikiya started as a discount fruit store. But the wife of the second-generation owner decided they could make more money by changing the fruit store into a jewelry parlor.  

"It is a gift shop. Sembikiya management estimates that 80-90 percent of their products are bought as gifts as it’s customary in Japan to give high-end fruits as presents for formal occasions like weddings, business transactions, and hospital visits." - AlernChen

$21 per apple. “Sekai-ichi” means “world’s best”, this apply to the price as well, world best priced apple. =)  

 Square watermelon that cost you $212. 

A twelve-pack of Queen Strawberries for $69. This would be an expensive 12-piece sushi meal even at a world-class restaurant.

"Cherries for $159.50 per box ($4 per cherry) Cherries are summer fruits and have a short season. These look like tomatoes." - Rebel Without A Tan

"$64 box of grapes. These grapes have seeds, but are firm and sweet. A few buffets offer them.It is sometimes part of a Kaiseki meal." - Anakorpa

Perhaps you can spend $170 for 6 little cute fruitie. 

Maybe $127 for a Densuke watermelon..a watermelon Bomb in the wallet ;-P

"As recently as 2011, Hokkaido farmers mourned the steep price drop for these stripeless watermelons, with the top crop of the season “only” auctioning for $4,000. Only 100 of these watermelons are grown each year in Hokkaido." - Blog WSJ

They most probably are the f***king most expensive fruits in the Universe. It is once auctioned for $23,500.

They are better known as the Cantaloupes (Not to be confused with Catapult, although it does cost a bomb in your wallet )

This was one of the conversation in Yahoo group:

"My first trip to Japan was in the early summer, I saw the farmers attaching these on the apples. Some stenciled apples are done with paper bags. These are ordered for weddings and special occasions. At a wedding the couple gives their guest a tower of gifts (food, ceramic /lacquer ware, flowers ) wrapped in a beautiful furoshiki. Such extravagance! Guess that's why getting married in Hawaii or other destinations is much cheaper." - Bill Martin

"According to research by Takasago, an international flavor and fragrance company based in Japan , fruit as a luxury item stems from the fact that vegetables were always plentiful in Japanese agriculture, meaning fruit was not essential for nutrition." - Janealdenstevens

"In Europe , where Western culture originated, much of the water is hard water, which is difficult to drink, and few crops could provide a source of vitamins throughout the year, so fruits, which were rich in water content and vitamins, were considered essential food in people’s lives. Fruits were also the main type of preserved foods, being used for jams, juices, wines, and more. In contrast, Japan has a lot of rain, good quality water, and the availability of an abundance of vegetables and edible wild plants year round, from which water content and vitamins can easily be obtained. For this reason fruits were always considered luxury items and gift items." - Takasago 

Apparently, that's rumour on China farm, one of the fruit agriculture organization is mass producing the legendary Square Watermelon. NAN DESUKA? Seriously? 

Lastly, we would like you to view this youtube video on Sqaure watermelon.. YUM 

If you ever wonder how Square Watermelon is produce, look at this wikihow for more.. Thanks for reading. 

Source: Yahoo Japan | AlernChen  | Rebel Without A Tan | Anakorpa | Janealdenstevens |Takasago| WikiHow