In Japan, watermelons have become a luxury food that apparently now requires a carry-on luggage-like cooler/warmer, a world’s first.

First came the square watermelon creation that was introduced to the global market with the hefty price tag of $75 (€56.41) for 6.8kg. In Japan the same square watermelon can cost ¥10,000 yen (€90).

The Japanese site Joybond.co.jp sells the single round watermelon on-the-go cooling or warming device for Â¥19,950 (€179) referred to as “まるごと　たまちゃん”.

A farmer in the town of Tsukigata in Hokkaido, Japan, has grown watermelons that are shaped like pyramids!

The farmer attained this shape by putting the watermelon in a pyramid-shaped plastic casing and hanging it upside down.

Sixteen of the pyramid-shaped watermelons have been shipped to shops across the country, including the Iwataya department store in Fukuoka.

A black jumbo watermelon auctioned in northern Japan fetched a record $6,100 Friday, making it the most expensive watermelon ever sold in the country — and possibly the world.

The 17-pound premium “Densuke” watermelon, grown only on the northern island of Hokkaido, was purchased by a marine products dealer who said he wanted to support local agriculture.

In a country where melons are a luxury item commonly given as gifts, the watermelon’s hefty price tag follows another jaw-dropping auction last month, where a pair of “Yubari” cantaloupe melons sold for a record $23,500.

And what makes a watermelon worth $200, much less $6,000?
Its unusual black skin, said Kazuyoshi Ohira, a spokesman for the Tohma Agricultural Cooperative in Hokkaido. Inside, the watermelon is crisp and hard. And, he says, it has unparalleled taste.
“It’s a watermelon, but it’s not the same,” he said. “It has a different level of sweetness.”

Other Densuke watermelons won’t cost quite as much. Most will retail at department stores and supermarkets for a more modest 20,000 yen to 30,000 yen (U.S. $188 to U.S. $283), Ohira said.