If you're anywhere in Japan with access to some kind of media device, you've probably heard of Yubari's million yen melons that went on Sale in Sapporo last week. For those of you not in Japan and unfamiliar with Japan's fruit foolishness, the city of Yubari in Hokkaido is famous for melon production. It also went bankrupt this year, and perhaps to help inject some life into their economy, a department store in Sapporo decided to sell two Yubari melons for the unheard of price of 1 million yen each. That's roughly $10,000 dollars give or take, depending on which currency you're familiar with. And that's the price for one, not both. Apparently one of them was sold within hours. Just goes to show that in Japan, it doesn't matter what you are selling, if the price is high enough someone will want to buy it.
For those foreigners who've lived in Japan for a few years though, the story has much less impact. When I first heard about it I was like 'yeah so?' To me, 1 million yen for a melon here in Tokyo seems to be only a bit more expensive than the regular going price. Ok, slight exaggeration maybe, but only slight. Truth be told, things like that aren't so uncommon over here.
If you've got money to burn, this fruit store wants to help you.

Are we in a jewelry store? The perfect mango, all nice and cozy with some pink styrofoam substance around it to keep it warm. If you look closely at the bottom right you might be able to make out the price: 15,750 yen. About $150 bucks for one mango. Nice box. Oh the box is included by the way, if that makes you feel any better.

More melon madness. These two aren't a million yen each, you can have both for only 47,000 yen! Must be some kind of steal. Seems to me that paying $500, or $20,000 for two melons is like the difference in trying to wrestle a polar bear or a tyranosaurus. Both are dumb, and it's hard to comprehend why you would do either.

Plastic cherries that look real, or real cherries that look plastic? Is it fruit or is it art? If someone bought it, would they actually eat it, or just let it rot away like a bouquet of flowers? Questions, questions....

Now I know I'm in the wrong industry. I think I'll try growing mangoes on my balcony, then open a little shop called 'Mike's Balcony Mangoes'. I'll make millions.

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