Premium Hokkaido melons fetch record $36,500 at season's 1st auction

SAPPORO - A pair of premium melons grown on Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido fetched a record 5.8 million yen ($36,500) at the year's first auction on Friday, beating the previous all-time high of 5 million yen in 2019.

This year's successful bidder for the pricey cantaloupes, a signature product of the city of Yubari, was Futami Seika Co., a Kushiro-based fruit and vegetable wholesaler. The melons were later sold to Keio Store Co., which plans to display them at one of its supermarkets in Tokyo until Sunday.