As the economy continues to languish, more consumers are buying cheaper fruit and vegetables, opting for produce of imperfect shape compared with the uniform-size fare most stores boast.

Some of the ways these veggies are being sold are also unusual.

Around 10 female university students set up a monthly market in a section of a store in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, in September to sell oversize onions, ginger and tomatoes grown by elderly women in Oda, Shimane Prefecture.