What are the most expensive fruits in Japan?

Do you usually think of fruits when the word "luxury food" is brought up? I know I don't. However, the prices of some rare luxury fruits in Japan will change your mind. In some high end stores in Japan, these fruits are placed in glass display cases in a special area. If that doesn't scream class, I don't know what does.

Imagine getting a fruit different from what you see and buy daily from the supermarket. A carefully grown fruit that is of the highest quality. Some fruits are not just expensive because they are rare, quality can also make it pricey. It won't just taste like the usual version, but it will have a more distinct and juicy taste. While there are plenty of expensive fruits in Japan, check out the top 10 most expensive ones.

Here are the top 10 most expensive Fruits in Japan:

• Yubari King Melon
• Bijin Hime Strawberries
• Ruby Roman Grapes
• Densuke Watermelon
• The Sembikiya Fruits
• Taiyo no Tamago Mangoes
• The Zentsuji Watermelon
• Sekai Ichi Apples
• Dekopon Citrus
• White Jewel Strawberries

Yubari King Melon

Yubari melon is by far the most expensive fruit in Japan and even arguably in the world. It is available only to the top 1% in the society because of how rare it is. This is because it is only grown in greenhouses in the Yubari region in Japan. Yup, it's not mass produced so it is limited. It is crunchy, moist and sweet. While it normally sells for $200 per fruit, it set a record in the year 2019 when it was auctioned and sold for $45,000. They are strictly selected before being delicately plucked from the vine by hand. The best are chosen for sale; so there wouldn't  be scars on the melon rinds and they will also have an appropriate high sugar content. The first set of the harvested melons is usually auctioned off for jaw-dropping prices; it is believed that they should be sold at high prices to bring good luck to the other harvested melons. 

Bijin Hime Strawberries

This is translated to “beautiful princess”. Let's just say that princesses don't come cheap. They are grown at Okuda farm in Gifu prefecture by farmer Okuda Nichio which took him 15 years to perfect. He spends 45 days growing each Berry and produces only about 500 per year. These strawberries can be as large as Golf balls and they are extremely juicy and sweet. They can be compared to the average strawberry, even if the flesh is shinier. A bunch is sold for $4000-$4,500. A single large Bijin Hime strawberry has once been sold for 50,000 yen.

Ruby Roman Grapes

Grapes are sweet and all, but to buy a pack of 24 grapes for $12000 dollars, they must be heavenly. This is exactly the price these grapes were auctioned for in 2020. The Ruby Roman grape originated and is grown in Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan. It is especially unique for its big size and red color. It is sky-high in quality, size, looks, and taste compared to your average grapes. Usually, they cost about $90 to $140 dollars a bunch but it takes more than one bite to eat a single grape so it  might be worth it. 

Densuke Watermelon

This is the most expensive type of watermelon. It has a unique look, and it is very sweet. The intense dark green color -almost black skin-makes it stand out. If you don't like picking out watermelon seeds, then you'll be happy to know that densuke watermelons has almost no seeds. It is rare because only 100 pieces are grown in a year and can only be found in Japan’s Hokkaido Island. A Densuke watermelon was sold at an auction for $6000 in 2008 however, the minimum price is around $250.

The Sembikiya Fruits

Sembikiya is a food production company in Japan known for its overly priced fruits. This is because care is taken when planting these fruits. In the case of its musk melon, the plant grows only one fruit to ensure that all the nutrients are concentrated. The Sembikiya musk melon costs about $270 dollars, which is a lot more than the usual price of $15 per melon in Japan. Lre what makes it is popular. Sembikiya apples can cost around $20 per fruit. When you wonder, what type of person would spend so much on fruits, you have to consider that these fruits don't look like the normal supermarket quality. Judging by the looks alone, sembikiya fruits look like they came out of a drawing. Then the taste is simply amazing because so much care is used to grow the plants.

Taiyo no Tamago (Egg of the Sun) Mangoes

The special manner in which these mangoes are grown makes them unique and expensive. Each fruit is nestled in a net, allowing the sunlight to hit it at different angles of the fruit to grow beautifully into a sharp ruby red color. Also, the net helps break the fall of the mangoes when they fall from the trees. On a normal day, these majors sell for $50 per piece but in 2019, 2 premium need mangoes sold for a record-breaking $4500.

The Zentsuji (square) Watermelon

If you haven't heard of it, you must have at least seen a picture of this mind-blowing square shaped watermelon. Yes, square watermelons really do exist. They are grown in square molds to give it the cool shape. They taste like your usual watermelon. Each square watermelon costs about  $100-$200 in Japan, but can be as expensive as $800 outside Japan.

The Sekai Ichi Apples

This is one of the most expensive apples in the world because it requires very good planting conditions to grow. It literally means 'world's number 1' and it is a well deserved name. Rumor has it that they are washed with honey and hand pollinated so that each fruit is blemish free and perfect. They cost about $20 per apple and it looks extremely luxurious. It can probably make someone fall into an enchanted sleep like Snow White.

The Dekopon Citrus

This is a hybrid combination of orange and mandarin. It is seedless, which makes it very easy to relish. Dekopon citrus is sweeter, more intense and less acidic than the usual orange. Its exterior is bumpy and it has a cute bump at the top which is while it is sometimes called a Sumo Citrus. A pack of 6 is sold for $80.

White Jewel Strawberries

Ever wondered if strawberries can be grown in another color? If you love strawberries, you're going to love the white jewel strawberry. It is very expensive because it is grown by 1 person in the Saga prefecture who cross-breeds different varieties to make the color white. Even at that, only 10% of them turn out completely white. A white strawberry costs $10, but it's worth it because they are absolutely huge.

Worldwide, Japan has one of the largest lists of expensive fruits in the world. Obviously, many farmers take pride in producing high quality fruits that can give the best nutrients. Only a small percentage of the land is Japan is used for cultivation, and a large part of that is used to plant rice. Fruits are carefully grown in controlled environments and, as such, takes a lot of effort. If you have ever gotten any of these fruits, then consider yourself lucky and appreciate the rare Ness.

This article was originally written by our freelance writer Umm-Kulthum Abdulkareem, and edited by us.