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yuiyoshida

(41,835 posts) Fri Jul 17, 2015, 01:28 PM Jul 2015

Mouth-watering fruits in Japan at heart-stopping prices

TOKYO - For connoisseurs of eye-wateringly priced fruit, Japan is the place to be.

People often buy top-notch fruit such as melons for gifts, and virgin batches can fetch extraordinary prices, making national headlines and creating a lucrative market for fruit boutiques despite Japan's sluggish economy. Why are the Japanese willing to fork out so much money for their fruits? That's because the first batch of fruit and other foods is considered good luck in Japan.

Here are four fruits that can command prices several times the price of a luxurious meal.

1. Ruby Roman grapes

This bunch of 26 Ruby Roman grapes was the highest-priced at this year's first auction in Kanazawa, 300km north-west of Tokyo.

The previous record, set last year, was 550,000 yen (S$11,170). Each berry weighs at least 20g and is the size of a ping-pong ball, said the local board of agriculture.

- See more at: http://www.soshiok.com/content/mouth-watering-fruits-japan-heart-stopping-prices#sthash.fycJlGT4.dpuf

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Mouth-watering fruits in Japan at heart-stopping prices (Original Post) yuiyoshida Jul 2015 OP

I wonder if seed gathering -- Hell Hath No Fury Jul 2015 #1

One of my neighbor's son lived in Japan for a time. procon Jul 2015 #2

Yep, I remember Yamagata Cherries - OMG. . . . hatrack Jul 2015 #3

Hell Hath No Fury

(16,327 posts)

1. I wonder if seed gathering --

Reply to yuiyoshida (Original post)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 02:08 PM

Jul 2015

for those specimens it part of the draw? Reminds me of the tulip mania of the Dutch.

procon

(15,805 posts)

2. One of my neighbor's son lived in Japan for a time.

Reply to yuiyoshida (Original post)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 03:03 PM

Jul 2015

She showed me the pictures he sent her of these perfect fruits in cute packages or dressed up like a doll. Fruit is like a luxury item and they are a popular gift. Evidently gifting is a frequent social custom and these unusual fruits are a very expensive status symbol and welcome treat. Big companies might contract with a farmer to grow fruits in a specific shape, or hand carved it as grows so they can apply brand logos or other advertising for their products.

hatrack

(59,592 posts)

3. Yep, I remember Yamagata Cherries - OMG. . . .

Reply to yuiyoshida (Original post)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 03:16 PM

Jul 2015

I mean that both in the sense of "OMG, these are the best cherries I've ever had", and that fact that they were Y15,000 per kilo - and this was living just one prefecture over.

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