A pair of melons worth the price of a car in Japan

The pair under the net are two of the first 507 melons of the season grown in Yabari City, Hokkaido. They were auctioned at the Sapporo Fruit Wholesale Market on May 26.

In just 10 seconds, the price of the melons skyrocketed. The winning bidder was Mr. Shinya Noda, owner of a fruit and vegetable packing company in Yubari. He bought the melons for 3.2 million yen, equivalent to 29,300 USD. That amount of money is enough to buy a car in Japan.

This is also the highest price ever paid for a pair of melons in this country. The most expensive pair of melons last year was only 1.5 million yen (more than 310 million VND). The pair of melons that held the record was sold in 2016 for 3 million yen (more than 620 million VND).

"I wanted to set a record by buying it at any price," said Shinya Noda, who said the aim was to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his company Hokuyu Pack.

Despite spending a lot of money to buy the melons, the owner decided to display them at the market until the end of the month. After that, the melons will be cut up and offered to customers who come to the market to enjoy.

Yubari melons are considered a status symbol in Japan, much like fine wine, and are often given as gifts to friends and colleagues.

The best quality Yubari melons should be perfectly spherical, have smooth, uniform skin, and have the T-shaped stem intact. They are often sold in ornate boxes.

"Yubari melons are growing well this year because the sunny weather has lasted since early May," said Tatsuro Shibuta, a worker at the wholesale market.

Auctions of the first-of-the-season premium fruits are a tradition in Japan. These events regularly raise large sums of money from wealthy guests, people of social status and prestige, and business owners who want to buy the fruit to promote their names and attract customers.

However, even regular fruit in Japan is not cheap. An apple costing $3 is not unusual in the country.