LJWorld.com / Black watermelon sold at record price

Archive for Saturday, June 7, 2008

By Tomoko A. Hosaka - Associated Press Writer

June 7, 2008

Tomoko A. Hosaka/AP Photo

A black jumbo watermelon produced in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido is on sale Friday for $5,945 at Tokyo's Isetan department store. Another Densuke that weighs 17 pounds has fetched a record $6,100, making it the most expensive watermelon ever sold in the country.

Tokyo — A jumbo black watermelon auctioned in Japan on Friday fetched a record $6,100, making it one of the most expensive watermelons ever sold in the country.

In a society where melons are a luxury item commonly given as gifts, the watermelon's hefty price tag followed another jaw-dropping auction last month, when a pair of "Yubari" cantaloupe melons sold for a record $23,500.

The 17-pound, black-skinned "Densuke" watermelon, a variety grown only on the northern island of Hokkaido, was purchased Friday by a marine products dealer who said he wanted to support local agriculture, according to Kyodo News agency.

The price was the highest on record for a Densuke watermelon, said Kazuyoshi Ohira, a spokesman for the Tohma Agricultural Cooperative in Hokkaido. Most retail at department stores and supermarkets for a more modest $188 to $283, Ohira said.

And what makes a watermelon worth $200, much less $6,000?

Ohira says it's the unusual black skin and unparalleled taste. "It's a watermelon, but it's not the same," he said.