■Nathan Shiga: May 27

How much would a slice of melon be if a pair should cost 3.2 million yen? Never mind asking how many slices per a piece, it happened in a melon auction May 26 in Yubari City, Hokkaido.

President Shinya Noda of a greens packaging company in Yubari made the successful bid just to pep up local melon farmers as, he says, a token of gratitude for the melon-growing community to which he owes much of his business.

The bid was record-breaking and so is the generous manner to have it shared free by shopping customers at his store in Yubari. President Noda comments:

“I have dealt with melon farming for years now and know the hardships of melon farmers. This is my way of saying thank you for their efforts over the years. “

Yubari melon is a gem with reddish flesh, sweet and rich in taste. The farmers had a hard time this year during the months of February and March where the temperature dropped rather low. Luckily enough, climatical conditions changed for the better in the subsequent months to sustain sound growth of melon.

The auction had no sooner started than the bidding skyrocketed to the record-breaking 3.2 million yen in ten seconds.

I just wonder how that melon actually tastes – tastes as melon should or quite something else?

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