Square Watermelon!
By chechuva
@chechuva (1275)
Philippines
June 24, 2008 6:41pm CST
For years consumers struggled to fit the large round fruit in their refrigerators. And then there was the problem of trying to cut the fruit when it kept rolling around.
But 20 years ago a forward-thinking farmer on Japan's south-western island of Shikoku solved the problem. The farmer, from Zentsuji in Kagawa prefecture, came up with the idea of making a cube-shaped watermelon which could easily be packed and stored.
To make it happen, farmers grew the melons in glass boxes and the fruit then naturally assumed the same shape. The square boxes are the exact dimensions of Japanese refrigerators, allowing full-grown watermelons to fit conveniently and precisely onto refrigerator shelves
Today the cuboid watermelons are hand-picked and shipped all over Japan. But the fruit, on sale in a selection of department stores and upmarket supermarkets, appeals mainly to the wealthy and fashion-conscious of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two major cities, since the fruit comes with a caveat: Each square watermelon costs 10,000 yen, the equivalent of about $82. Regular watermelons in Japan cost from $15 to $25 each.
3 people like this
15 responses
@avidwhit (1492)
• Mexico
24 Jun 08
WOW thanks for this piece of info. Very creative marketing with a user friendly concept. I have been not so happy here in mexico because the price of H20mellon doubled in price the last year from $2 to $4 and I think thats expensive guess I better count my blessings. Thanks you for sharing unique technique froma place I may never get to visit. keep posting;)
1 person likes this
@avidwhit (1492)
• Mexico
25 Jun 08
I thought this sounded A bit wierd. Here in mexico there are 2 different classes the square watermellon and the round I have live among them bolth and realize that round class enjoys about the same as the square its just that the square like to pay more. Honestly any amount of money for things we can grow and produce ourselves is expensive to me. With the aboundance of land in the world its just not right that people have to work so hard and pay so little for foods that ought to be close to free. If i didnt have to worry about paperwork from imagration Id go and live in the philipines and grow fruits and vegitables raise a few chickens and goats and live happily ever after.
@mimico (3617)
• Philippines
25 Jun 08
I actually know some people who do this here in the Philippines and ship it off to Japan! Even if it' really innovative, I wouldn't want to eat that kind of watermelon. I'm scared of ingesting the chemicals used to make the watermelon squared. I guess it's safe because people actually eat it and my acquaintances have guaranteed it to be delicious, but I just want to be on the safe side.
1 person likes this
wow truly we are very creative!
@p3halliwel2005 (3156)
• Philippines
25 Jun 08
Wow very intelligent yet very expensive...Even if I was so rich I wouldn't buy something that expensive. Waste of money just to have something that would fit my ref and wouldn't last forever. I would rather have the round one and have someone hold it while I cut it so it won't roll over.
1 person likes this
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
25 Jun 08
What a phenomenal and genius idea!
One of those inventions that I wish that I
had come up with.
Of course twenty years ago, I was just a teen.
But the price is not favorable.
However, I'm sure that many wealthy Japanese
families do enjoy the luxury of square watermelons.
In the states, we pay less than five dollars for
huge watermelons, mostly cause they are grown locally.
I wonder if Japan is ready for the micro-watermelon (5 pounds or less),
grown locally in Japan. Could be cheaper than the regular ones.
Do not know if they have such a thing, but
I'm sure a farmer could hybrid one, no problems!
What do you think?
@snowy22315 (171163)
• United States
24 Jun 08
I dont think I'll be buying any square watermelons in Japan.
I just bought a mini whole water melon for 2.99. That is the right size for us, because at the most there will be 3 people eating it.
1 person likes this
@kristikiser (50)
• United States
24 Jun 08
Very interesting! I sure as heck wouldn't pay that much for a fruit, but hey I guess if you have the money, spend it! I wish I had the ingenuity of that farmer!
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
24 Jun 08
That is amazing, man can be so clever, first watermelon without the pips and now square watermelons, I haven't seen any square ones in the supermarket yet, but I will try them when I see them...
1 person likes this
@babystar1 (4233)
• United States
25 Jun 08
That is so amazing! I never heard of a square watermelon before. But I would never pay that much for one. Here where I live the watermelons are $4.99,and thats high.
1 person likes this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
29 Jun 08
At least that thing ain't a GM frakenfood! Cleaver to grow a melon square in a glass box; kudos to that farmer!
@steve9737 (918)
• Colombia
28 Jun 08
I have heard that they are doing that to watermelons for years but just a few years ago they are becoming popular into costumers because people on japan has very few room to store things, by the way the price on japan is really high, you know that just a carrot cost most that a dozen of carrots would cost in my country, that is just crazy, I think I just would die of starvation with such high prices on food, I am just glad that prices on food aren't that high like in japan, by the way I like a lot watermelon, I think it is a great fruit, but I don't know why I have not found much watermelon on the stores here, I always liked to eat a slice of fresh watermelon instead to drinking water or something, it is great fruit, I don't think that square watermelons are good idea here, anyway they would be too expensive and I don't think it would be that useful like in japan where they has a very limited space to fit thing inside a refrigerator, I am just imagining what they would come out in the future, those Japaneses seem has a lot of strange things, maybe they will come out with a triangle watermelon or a perfect circle watermelon, I just wish that they would make a watermelon without seeds, I found the seeds on watermelon a little annoying, but I think I will just have to live with it.
@banadux (630)
• United States
25 Jun 08
I wish they would make a lot of square fruit. You'd think it wouldn't be that much more expensive to stick them all in little boxes while they are growing. Sticking a watermelon in a box certainly doesn't justify charging over 3 times as much for it. I could imagine going with an extra $2 or so if the price is $15 to $20, sure it would take a little while to pay back your investment on the glass boxes, but at least you'd sell more than 1 watermelon a month to rich people.
1 person likes this
