Fruit can be expensive in Japan

Well, as Conan and I were shopping in Kitakami city yesterday, we came across this little number. Yes, it is one of the famous "square" watermelons, recently so famous in Japan. Apparently, the farmers who make them put the melons into square, glass containers to grow. How they get them out of the container is another matter though. :)

Fruit is considerably more expensive to buy in Japan. Over the years, I've learned the reason for this is that fruit is considered more of a treat and a special dessert rather than a quick snack. To that end, farmers take great pains to ensure that each piece is as perfect as possible, and large in size. You can sometimes see farmers out in their fields tying individual paper bags around each apple, pear or peach to protect them from pests. This of course jacks up the price a fair bit. These days, a single (large) peach/pear/apple will cost around 3 to 4 dollars Canadian. As for the watermelon above? You can see the price beside it by enlarging the photo. Yes, that's correct. Fifteen-thousand yen, or about $160CDN. :O