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YeinJee's Asian blog

Asian Culture, Lifestyle and Entertainment

Yubari City

Yubari City – No Money But Love

July 13, 2009 by Yein Jee

Story of the revival of the bankrupting Yubari City in Japan with its No Money But Love campaign. Yubari is famous for its melons which made international headlines in the past few years for its record breaking price; but the city also has an unpleasant tag for being one of the poorest places in the nation…

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Asian videos, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan blog, Yubari City

$6,100 for a Densuke black watermelon

June 7, 2008 by Yein Jee

A black jumbo watermelon auctioned in northern Japan fetched a record 650,000 yen (US$6,100) Friday, making it the most expensive watermelon ever sold in the country… and possibly the world.

Expensive Densuke watermelon

The 8-kilogram premium Densuke watermelon, grown only on the northern island of Hokkaido, was purchased by a marine products dealer who said he wanted to support local agriculture, according to Kyodo News agency.

In a country where melons are a luxury item commonly given as gifts, the watermelon’s hefty price tag follows another jaw-dropping auction last month, where a pair of Yubari cantaloupe melons sold for a record 2.5 million yen (US$23,500).

“It’s a watermelon, but it’s not the same,” said Kazuyoshi Ohira, a spokesman for the Tohma Agricultural Cooperative in Hokkaido. “It has a different level of sweetness.” [Mainichi]

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Expensive Food, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan blog, Luxury Goods, Unusual and weird, World records, Yubari City

USD23,800 for a pair of Yubari melons

May 15, 2008 by Yein Jee

A pair of Yubari melons are sold for 2.5 million yen (~ USD23,800) in this harvest season’s first auction on May 13 at the Sapporo Central Wholesale Markets. The price is a record high, surpassing the 2 million yen a pair fetched last year. [Kyodo]

Yubari melons are known for their high quality and sweet taste, and are popular summer gifts in Japan; an average Yubari melon could cost USD50-100.

Giving gifts to corporate partners and clients is a traditional Japanese business custom. It’s usually done twice a year in mid-winter and again in mid-summer.

Filed Under: Offbeat Tagged With: Asian videos, Expensive Food, Japan blog, Japanese Traditions, Luxury Goods, Sapporo City, Unusual and weird, Yubari City

Yubari melon Kit Kat to save the city?

May 31, 2007 by Yein Jee

Yubari melon flavoured Kit Kat in JapanNestle Japan has introduced a new flavour for its Kit Kat wafer bar, filled with powder from the famous Yubari melons; and the company will donate 10 yen to the bankrupting city of Yubari from every pack sold.

Sounds generous, but there are some catches as pointed out by Stippy… turned out it’s more of a brilliant marketing campaign by Nestle instead of a genuine effort to help the city.

Still, if the product does provide a bit of relieve, I don’t think the local government would mind if it’s genuine or not. It’s cooler though, to spend two million yen to buy two of Yubari’s famous melons instead.

Filed Under: Offbeat Tagged With: Japan blog, Nestle Food, Yubari City

$16,000 USD for a pair of Yubari melons

May 18, 2007 by Yein Jee

Expensive Japanese Yubari melonsA pair of cantaloupes from Yubari, Japan, fetched a whopping two million yen (over $16,000 USD) at the first auction of the season in Sapporo. The price paid by department store chain Marui Imai has broken the previous record of 800,000 yen.

The melons, priced at a million yen apiece, were on display/sale at Marui Imai’s flagship outlet. A spokesman said that the melons were meant for publicity in celebration of their 135th anniversary instead of direct profit.

Yubari melons are known for their high quality and sweet taste. The melons are popular summer gifts in Japan. An average Yubari melon could cost $50-100 USD.

Giving gifts to corporate partners and clients is a Japanese tradition which is usually done twice a year, in mid-winter and mid-summer respectively.

[Update] The record was broken again in 2008 for two and a half million yen.

Filed Under: Offbeat Tagged With: Expensive Food, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan blog, Japanese Food, Luxury Goods, Sapporo City, Yubari City

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Yein Jee is a Malaysian traveller, food lover & self proclaimed entrepreneur. This blog is about Asian culture, lifestyle, travel, food, fun and entertainment ... Read More...

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