What does a Densuke watermelon taste like?

Wait a second -- $6,100 for a watermelon?

A rare type of watermelon -– the black Densuke, to be exact -– was auctioned off in northern Japan today for a record 650,000 yen (that’s $6,100), according to the Associated Press. That makes it the most expensive watermelon ever sold in the country — and possibly the world, according to the AP.

What does a Densuke watermelon taste like? Gold bullion? Has anyone out there ever tried one of these? Is it worth it? (A Japanese agricultural expert was quoted as saying the melon is crisp and hard, with an unparalleled appeal: “It’s a watermelon, but it’s not the same. It has a different level of sweetness.”)

The 17-pound black melon is considered the cream of the crop, one of only 65 from the first harvest of the season. The fruit is grown only on the northern island of Hokkaido, adding to its value. The new owner is said to be a marine products dealer who wants to support local agriculture. I wonder what he plans to do with it.

Here’s the real kicker, though. The watermelon is a bargain compared to the $23,500 recently paid in Japan for a pair of Yubari cantaloupes, the AP reported, adding that melons are a luxury item commonly given as gifts.

-- Rene Lynch

Photograph by Tomoko A. Hosaka / Associated Press

Comments

[dewaannatha]

Here is where you can buy the seeds: How to buy?

[Jeb]

Here is where you can buy the seeds:

http://www.amazon.com/Hokkaido-Black-Watermelon-Seed-Fruit/dp/B001AY4KQA

[freakyseed]

You can buy these seeds on ebay: type : black hokkaido watermelon seeds...you'll pay $4-6 for 10 seeds and good luck. ...I'm trying them in the Oklahoma soil next year.

[Urruke]

Well since they grow in the mountainous area of Japan I doubt they'd do well in kansas XD though I don't see why they wouldn't do well somewhere in the rocky mountains.
Oh and you can't find ANYTHING on ebay. there are no Densuke watermelon seeds listed. XD

[beblogger]

did somebody ever buy it?

[Rich Mc]

I think this is a collector's item but...

If the supply will rise, the price will
go down.

I wish I could plant it in our backyard
and sell for $10,000 each while it's
hot on the market.

[Mark]

You can't import watermelon seeds into Japan, so maybe the U.S. has a similar restriction. Watermelon, corn, some sorts of beans, and a few other seeds may harbor diseases that cannot detected by eye and for which phytochemical certificates are not a guarantee.

[bob]

@ Craig: Actually, terroir has very little influence on produce, and acceptance of the imperfection of nature plays a huge part in the Japanese aesthetic.

[Quito]

Lest we look only on the East for flamboyance, at the 2008 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo a steer (no hope for breeding) sold for $300,000 and a pen of chickens $160,000.

[Bruce]

Actually, there is a bit more to the story. Gift giving is a major part of Japanese culture. Twice a year there are gift-giving seasons, one around Christmas (oseibo), one in summertime. (Ochugen) which is coming soon.

The point is not how tasty the fruits are (and they are very tasty!!) but how much they cost. Typically, they are sold in very high-end department stores. The fruit are packaged and branded. Japanese recognize the brand names. The recipient WILL RESEARCH as to find out how much the gift costs.This gets calculated as to what the relationship between the parties is and, more importantly, what direction each party wants to go. These very expensive fruit baskets are almost always part of business giving. They are a tax deduction!! But it also goes on for other occasions on a smaller scale.

The horse trading that goes on is pretty incredible. None of which is ever mentioned to other party directly. My wife is Japanese and has a large family. Sitting in at the dinner table during the preparations for our wedding was pretty interesting. (My fluency in Japanese was critical because I understood the discussions but did not interrupt for translation/explanation)

So, maybe you can understand; planting the seeds in Kansas and importing the finished product to Japan may not work.

[chris]

For $6,100, how could it not taste good?

You'd have yourself so convinced that a $6,100 watermelon should be delicious that even if it tasted horrible it would still taste good.

[EY]

Regardless the packaging, seal, and taste, the matter of value will be determined by 'purchase power'. Try to sell the same fruit in a local small African village, I think it might fetch some coins only or barter it with 1 gallon of clean water. It's a bit crazy when 'huge value' is put on some item... that's why it could make a news :) But it's still a good and unique one Rene!

[Steve Walton]

I paid about $20 for a slice of melon as dessert after my Kobe beef Shabu-Shabu when I was in Kobe a few decades back. As my host explained, these melons are selected through a winnowing process, where a plot of several hundred is thinned to the best 50, then 10, then maybe three, which are the best of the best of the best.

Could I tell the difference between that slice and the slice I just had this morning from my local US market? Nope. But then I can't tell the difference between a glass of two-buck Chuck and a glass of that $1500 pinot noir my friend says is the greatest wine ever made.

[Ec]

Japanese are very good at creating the impression that something is worth a lot. They put common objects into crazy packaging, only make or harvest a few at a time and do it all by hand in some crazy mountain and slap a hand written seal of certification on it, all of which turns something like a normal watermelon variant into a crazy expensive product.

[Craig]

Just like wine grapes from France or cigar tobacco from Cuba, or coffee from Kona, the soil, climate, and geographic location make all the diffence. It also takes care and patience. The Japanese people are highly discretionary when it comes to perfection. Not only does that melon have to be sweet which they can measure on produce equipment in Japan, but it has to be perfect in appearance as well. I'm sure it doesn' have one blemish or discoloration on the ouside skin.

[kb]

I don't know what was so special about that particular one that it sold for $6,000 but according to an article I read about this, they sale in the supermarket for only $188 to $283.

[Rene Lynch]

Marilyn, you must be an entrepreneur! I love the idea. You raise a very good question. I wonder if there's a reason why these melons don't appear to grow outside of Japan.

[Marilyn Wilson]

Why doesn't someone buy one of these melons, save the seeds, and plant them in Kansas or elsewhere and get rich quick?