{"id":1600,"date":"2014-08-12T09:59:13","date_gmt":"2014-08-12T09:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/?p=1600"},"modified":"2017-06-12T10:05:42","modified_gmt":"2017-06-12T10:05:42","slug":"inside-look-japans-legendary-200-square-watermelon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/index.php\/2014\/08\/inside-look-japans-legendary-200-square-watermelon\/","title":{"rendered":"AN INSIDE LOOK AT JAPAN\u2019S LEGENDARY $200 SQUARE WATERMELON"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"pic\"Did you know that in Japan it\u2019s customary for people to give fruit as a gift? It\u2019s not uncommon for someone to present his or her neighbor with a simple orange or a small bunch of grapes. Yep, fruit is pretty much revered in Japan. Well, maybe not revered, <\/em>but they do take fruit pretty seriously, and that\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve even got high-end \u201cfruit emporiums\u201d<\/a> where people can buy expensive, perfectly shaped fruits to give as gifts at special occasions like weddings, business meetings and hospital visits. One store sells apples for $21 each, strawberries for $69 a dozen and cherries for $159 per box.<\/p>\n

But, the star product is the legendary square watermelon, which carries a price tag of more than $200. I\u2019ve talked in the past<\/a> about how the square watermelon are made \u2013 essentially, the watermelons are grown inside a special, square-shaped box \u2013 but the video below offers a closer look at the fascinating fruit.<\/p>\n

The most incredible insight from the video: The super-expensive watermelons aren\u2019t intended for eating because most of them aren\u2019t even edible! That\u2019s because they\u2019re harvested before they\u2019re fully ripe. Instead, most proud owners of a square watermelon simply keep them as a decorative accessory (they can be displayed for up to a year).<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know about you, but there\u2019s no way I\u2019d be able to \u201cdisplay\u201d a watermelon for a year in my house. The longest I\u2019ve ever kept a watermelon on my countertop was 37 and a half hours before I cut that sucker open and devoured it.<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

UP NEXT: Watermelon on the cover of a magazine!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know that in Japan it\u2019s customary for people to give fruit as a gift? It\u2019s not uncommon for someone to present his or her neighbor with a simple orange or a small bunch of grapes. Yep, fruit is pretty much revered in Japan. Well, maybe not revered, but they do take fruit pretty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,235],"tags":[316,317],"class_list":{"0":"post-1600","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general","8":"category-nutrition-2","9":"tag-japanese-watermelon","10":"tag-square-watermelon","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nAN INSIDE LOOK AT JAPAN\u2019S LEGENDARY $200 SQUARE WATERMELON - What About Watermelon?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/index.php\/2014\/08\/inside-look-japans-legendary-200-square-watermelon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AN INSIDE LOOK AT JAPAN\u2019S LEGENDARY $200 SQUARE WATERMELON - What About Watermelon?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Did you know that in Japan it\u2019s customary for people to give fruit as a gift? 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