Tokyo: Japanese people are found to be interested in odd shaped watermelons. During the summer, consumers of fruits are seen spending a lot for buying cube and heart-shaped watermelons. But this costly products cannot be competed with ordinary watermelons in terms of taste. They are said to be mere ornamental foods than the perfect picnic food. At the Shibuya Nishimura luxury fruit shop in downtown Tokyo, a cube-shaped watermelon, about the size of a baby’s head costs nearly 12,960 yen ($105). Both heart and pyramid-shaped melons are highly suitable to decorate the living rooms of houses. They can also be used to decorate venues during auspicious occasions. These odd shaped fruits are meant to be a fantastic feast for eyes rather than for stomach. Anyway, the shop’s senior managing director Mototaka Nishimura has admitted that the taste of those fancy fruits are not matching
with their attractive shapes. According to him they should be either displayed as ornaments or exhibited by mixing with flowers to generate a spectacular appearance. To get such extraordinary shaped watermelons, farmers in Japan have to plant young watermelons inside acrylic containers. While the price of these varieties may go high, it is used to be something like a bargain in Japan. People in the country, traditionally exchange gifts, including expensive fruits, with relatives and clients during two occasions in a year. It is said that a Japanese luxury department store had sold
out a pair of mangoes for an eye-watering 300,000 yen. This is a record selling price for the second consecutive year. This year, a special brand of strawberry, with a single berry has been currently selling for around $415. This is considered to be the year’s must-have luxury fruit. Video on Odd shaped watermelons in Japan
