Fruit perfection comes at a price in Japan
Print Edition
With melons that sell for the price of a new car and grapes that go for more than US$100 a pop, Japan is a country where perfectly-formed fruit can fetch a fortune.
An industry of fruit boutiques has defied Japan’s sluggish economy to offer lavishly tended produce for hefty prices — and it is always in demand.
In July, a single bunch of “Ruby Roman” grapes reportedly sold for 400,000 yen (US$4,000), making the plump, crimson berries worth a staggering 11,000 yen for each one.
Every May, a pair of canteloupe melons grown in the north of Hokkaido is auctioned off. They regularly fetch the price of a modest new car.
The hammer fell on this year’s pair at a cool 1.6 million yen.
While such cases are at the extreme end, top-notch fruit is a valuable commodity in the world of business and as a seasonal gift, signifying just how much importance the giver attaches to the relationship.
“Most of our products are for gift purposes, so we collect large and high-grade products from all around Japan,” says Yoshinobu Ishiyama, manager of a branch of Sun Fruits at Tokyo Midtown, a glitzy office-commercial complex.
“We offer rare products. Above all, they have to be delicious,” he says. “You never forget the experience.”
Inside his bright, white-tiled emporium, an array of mouth-watering fruits gives off a heady aroma as soothing music lulls his well-heeled customers.
While Ishiyama doesn’t have anything you could trade for a mid-range auto, he does have a slightly more affordable example of the “Ruby Roman” grapes — a snip at 31,500 yen for a bunch.
A single white peach — perfectly round and about the size of a newborn baby’s head — goes for 2,625 yen. A bunch of Muscat of Alexandria grapes has a 7,350 yen price tag.
Then, there is the unrivaled symbol of expense — musk melons. Sitting in individual wooden boxes on the top shelf of a glass-door refrigerator at the back of the shop, they will set you back 16,000 yen.
There are also square watermelons — grown in plastic boxes — which start at 5,000 yen.
Presentation is key. Cherries line up in boxes, their stalks all facing in the same direction; strawberries nestle in soft packaging, their deep red surface uniformly patinated by seeds.
There are no blemishes. Nothing is bruised. Everything is exactly the right shape, as if each fruit has been cast in wax by a master craftsman.
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