SASEBO, Nagasaki Pref. (Kyodo) A fisheries cooperative has started producing farmed oysters with heart-shaped shells.
While the announcement Tuesday came ahead of Valentine's Day on Feb. 14, the cooperative in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, said it won't be able to supply the heart-shaped oysters in time for the big day this year.
It will be growing the oysters based on orders from wholesalers and restaurants, and they take about three months to produce.
The oyster shells are formed into heart shapes using metal molds.
They are grown in the Kujukushima Islands in Sasebo.
Co-op member Jiro Tabuchi boasted it is the first mass-production of heart-shaped oysters in the world.
