Cantaloupe is one of those things that you either really love, or just absolutely detest. For those that do love the taste, then the Yubari King is the top of the line in the family of orange melons. You can only find these bad boys on the Hokkaido island near Sapporo, and the Yubari is a result of a hybrid between two other sweet cantaloupes.
In Japan, the Yubari melons are given as a gift since they are so expensive. While you might send your wife a fruit basket, some guy in Japan spent thousands for a pair of melons.
This year’s successful bidder of the first pair of yubari melons under hammer at $12,400(1.5million yen)per pair.
The winning bid was placed by a local fruit wholesaler for the first Yubari melons to go under the hammer this year at the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market in northern Hokkaido, officials said.
The figure — enough to buy a brand new car in Japan — is some way short of the record for the luxury fruit, which fetched 2.5 million yen last year.
High prices are the norm for the opening auction of the season and reflect buyers’ desire for prestige.
Last year auction held the most expensive bid on a pair of yubari melon summing the amount of 2.5million yen or $23,000.
Yubari melons are considered a status symbol in Japan — like a fine wine — with many being bought as a gift for friends and colleagues.
The best-quality Yubari melons are perfect spheres with a smooth, evenly patterned rind. A T-shaped stalk is left on the fruit, which is usually sold in an ornate box.
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