Is that a Square Watermelon?!
Look what I stumbled upon while exploring the streets of Japan! Yes, in my hand is a square watermelon! My friend Kazumi here tells me that it took years of practice to get the shape of these watermelons right. These melons are grown in special containers or moulds and are planted in small batches.
It all started with a forward thinking Japanese farmer on the south western island of Shikoku. The farmer, from Zentsuji in Kagawa prefecture, came up with the idea of making a cube-shaped watermelon for easy packing and storage.
Kazumi also tells me that I’m very lucky as these iconic watermelons are not a regular sight even in Japanese supermarkets. They sell for about double, or even triple the price of a normal watermelon. If you want to buy them, be ready to shell out a price in the neighborhood of $125. Yes, they cost a bomb!
Easy to store and stack and novel to look at. Trust the Japanese to come up with something awesome.