There’s a report that wealthy people in Russia are paying over US$800 for Japanese square watermelons. In Russia, that’s supposedly 300 times the price of a regular watermelon. But why square watermelons? That’s so passé! 

Watermelon is a popular summer fruit in Japan. People give watermelons as gifts and play “suikawari” (スイカ割り), which is like piñata, but with a watermelon. Depending on the size, a whole watermelon costs around ten bucks in Japan. Then, there are the luxury watermelons, which most people typically don’t buy or eat. P

This is where watermelons get interesting, odd, and effing expensive. P

Many of these watermelons took years of practice to get their shape right. They are grown in special containers or molds. The heart-shape watermelon (see below), for example, took three years to get just right. Farmers fuss over these melons, which are usually grown in very small batches. They are supposed to taste delicious, too.