Fruit in Japan has a reputation for commanding high prices — ¥10,000 for a fancy melon, or a cool ¥260,000 (about $1,700) for a prized Miyazaki Prefecture-grown “Egg of the Sun” mango. Everyone seems to know about these fruits with their perfectly smooth skin and almost cloyingly rich flesh, nestled inside premium packaging with immaculately crinkled tissue paper.
But the unsung heroes of Japanese produce are to be found in the aisles of everyday fruits and vegetables. There, great boxes are a designer’s delight.
This summer, watermelon — one of the more ostentatious, high-risk, high-reward fruits consumed by humans — was a domain of stiff competition at the market. The boxes for Yairokko-branded watermelon from Niigata Prefecture came with an ornate pale green and white wash, mimicking the outside of the rind. Watermelon boxes from Kanazawa were more smooth and graphic but no less thoughtful; one of the black seeds shown in the flesh of the red fruit doubles as a kaga umebachi, a symbol of the city in Ishikawa Prefecture.
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