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If you think these melons look ordinary, then think again. They come from Yubari, on the
Japanese island of Hokkaido, and many can fetch more than a brand new Toyota hatchback.
The year's first harvest is sold at auction for eye-watering prices. But for the director
of this factory, they're worth every penny.
Hideyuki Toyota developed a fascination for these fortune-making fruits having watched
his father grow them in a greenhouse.
The melons are pampered with love and watered several times a day.
But Toyota is adamant that there's no big mystery to his melons' success.
"There is no secret. Here all farmers grow melons, and we exchange tips with each other,
that's all. "
Local experts and growers say it is the rigorous selection process that makes these melons
so exceptional. All these workers are also farmers and melons are their speciality.
If a product doesn't meet the criteria, it won't receive the prestigious Yubari label.
For much of the world fruit may be seen as a healthy, inexpensive breakfast, snack or
dessert... not so In Japan, where a single apple can cost more than 5 dollars and a basket
of cherries about 80 euros, and fruits are often given as gifts. So no surprise then
that these money-making melons get such TLC.