Full transcript
Intro
0:01While exploring
0:02the world's most expensive items,
0:04we uncovered some of the priciest fruits
0:06that can be found across Japan.
0:08From Ruby Roman grapes to Miyazaki mangoes,
0:11join us as we revisit
0:13what makes these fruits so expensive.
0:17First, we're heading to Ishikawa Prefecture
0:20to see why a single bunch
0:21of juicy red grapes might sell for $450.
Ruby Roman Grapes
0:28Narrator: The first thing you notice
0:29about Japanese Ruby Roman grapes is their size.
0:36Just one is about four times the size of an average grape.
0:42But inspectors look even closer.
0:45If the color of these grapes
0:46matches categories three or four on this color card,
0:50then just one bunch could sell for $90 to $450.
0:55But size and color are just two of the characteristics
0:58that define these luxury grapes.
1:01So what else do inspectors look for?
1:04And why are these grapes so expensive?
1:32Narrator: In Japanese culture,
1:33fruits are considered a luxury and gift item.
1:37In fact, Japanese supermarkets often won't sell fruits
1:40if they have any blemishes or aren't the right shape.
1:45Inspectors like Kazuyoshi Sakurai use very specific criteria
1:49to scrutinize each grain, or individual grape,
1:52that grows in Kahoku city.
2:20Narrator: Superior-grade grapes
2:21make up almost 90% of the harvest,
2:24and Special Superior grapes make up about 10%.
2:28Superior bunches can cost between $90 and $140.
2:33Special Superior grapes are priced at $180
2:36to as high as $450.
2:39But there's still one category higher than these two.
3:00Narrator: Only one or two bunches a year
3:03qualify as Premium in Kahoku.
3:05Farmers hope to sell one bunch of Premium grapes
3:08for over $1,000.
3:10Two bunches made the cut this year,
3:12but in 2019 and 2020,
3:15no grapes qualified for the Premium category.
3:19No matter the grade, though,
3:21all Ruby Roman grapes have a uniquely sweet flavor,
3:24according to Isu.
4:02Narrator: Harvesting starts in July,
4:03just in time for one of two
4:05main Japanese gift-giving holidays,
4:08Ochugen.
4:12The grapes are only grown in Ishikawa Prefecture,
4:16and they're cultivated in greenhouses,
4:18where farmers have better control over the growing process.
4:21Each grape is monitored and manicured,
4:24so that every one in a bunch looks totally identical.
4:28To produce grapes of the proper size,
4:31they use a grape-thinning device
4:33and a simple pair of scissors.
4:56Narrator: The second factor they control is light.
5:11Narrator: One way to control light
5:13is by adding or removing leaves near the vines.
5:16To confirm that enough light is getting into the greenhouse,
5:18farmers use a different tool.
5:36Narrator: Using a program they developed
5:37with a private IT company,
5:39farmers can then identify how much light
5:41they need to add or subtract.
6:08Narrator: The final complicated element
6:10for Ruby Roman grape farmers is temperature.
6:32Narrator: They open the sides and ceilings
6:34of the greenhouse
6:35to keep it as cool and ventilated as possible.
6:41And still, not all the Ruby Roman grapes farmers grow
6:44will be up to standard.
6:46Which is why supply is consistently limited.
6:50In 2020, only 25,000 Ruby Roman bunches were up for sale.
6:55That's a tiny fraction of Japan's yearly grape production,
6:59which was about 163,000 tons in 2020.
7:04It wasn't until 2008
7:06that the first Ruby Roman grapes went up for sale.
7:11The effort to create them started in 1995
7:14when local grape farmers
7:15and Ishikawa's Agricultural Research Center
7:18came together to develop a new breed of large red grape.
8:05Narrator: What they ended up with
8:06is the most expensive grape in the world.
8:09So expensive that in 2020,
8:12one bunch of these grapes sold at auction
8:14for $12,000.
8:16That's about $400 per grape.
Melons
8:23Narrator: This melon cost $200.
8:26But that's nothing compared to the price
8:28that some can reach.
8:30And in May 2019, two melons from Hokkaido sold
8:33at auction for 5 million yen.
8:35That's just over $45,000.
8:40So what is it that makes this fruit so expensive?
8:50From the Yubari King to the Andes,
8:51the Higo green melon, and many more,
8:54melons are grown up and down Japan,
8:55and they're serious business.
8:58The fruit isn't traditionally something you'd pick up
8:59as a snack in Japan, but is a luxury that often plays
9:02a big part in Japan's gift-giving culture.
9:05And they're not just admired for their taste,
9:07but for their looks as well.
9:10Crown melons are one of the most renowned varieties.
9:13Go into a high-end fruit store in Tokyo,
9:15and you're likely to see their signature stickers.
9:19The melons are only grown in Shizuoka prefecture,
9:21in central Japan, and can cost you over $200 each.
9:25Unlike the $5 mass-produced melons
9:27you're likely to come across in a Western supermarket,
9:30crown melons take constant care and attention to grow.
9:34Fumiyoshi Chujyo's family has been growing these melons
9:36for 60 years at his farm near Fukuroi.
10:10The farmers give the melons constant attention and care.
10:13Each melon takes 100 days to grow, and the fruit is grown
10:15all year round.
10:18There are 20 slightly different varieties
10:20of crown melon seeds grown depending on the season.
10:24The raised beds allow the farmers to control
10:26the amount of water each plant gets exactly,
10:28and air conditioning and heating keep the temperatures
10:30constant year-round.
10:34Crown melons have four grades: fuji, yama, shiro, and yuki.
10:39Any melons with even minor defects are marked as yuki,
10:43and the top three grades are marked on their sugar content
10:46and perfect appearance.
10:4855% of the melons make shiro grade, the third grade,
10:5125% are yama, and 0.1%, or one in 1,000
10:55of all melons harvested, are graded as fuji,
10:58the highest grade possible.
11:00After around 50 days, the plants begin to flower,
11:03and baby fruits start to appear.
11:05But the hard work has only just begun.
11:42This work is all done entirely by hand,
11:45and it isn't just about getting the taste right,
11:47but perfecting the appearance too.
11:49As the fruits get larger on each plant,
11:51they are carefully wrapped in white paper to protect them.
13:02Once this net pattern has developed,
13:04each melon is even massaged and polished by hand.
13:07It is then covered to protect it from the sun
13:09for its final growing period.
13:11The farmers can wear through multiple pairs of
13:13white gloves polishing these melons.
14:00But the work of the agricultural cooperatives
14:03also keeps their prices high.
14:05The Shizuoka Crown Melon company oversee the distribution
14:08and checks on melons from over 200 farmers.
14:11They ensure that the quality remains high
14:12and that the prices aren't undercut.
14:15The resulting taste is undeniably incredible.
14:18Each fruit has a complex balance of flavors
14:20and is perfectly juicy and sweet.
14:22But you'll have to decide for yourself
14:23whether the high price is worth it for the taste.
14:27Despite the cost, there's a big market
14:28for these fruits across Japan.
14:30Consumers are willing to pay to ensure that their
14:32gift is perfect, especially knowing the work that has
14:35gone into producing them.
14:36The melons are often sold in individual presentation boxes,
14:39sitting on silk or hay, or tied with a ribbon.
14:42And when choosing the perfect gift,
14:44the high price is often seen as a signifier of quality.
14:48So what about those $45,000 melons?
14:51At the start of the season, the perfect first fruits
14:53are auctioned off and are often sought after
14:55as a trophy for local businesses to bid on.
14:58A new record is set for the sale of these fruits
15:00almost every year, and it doesn't look like their price
15:03is going down anytime soon.
Miyazaki Mangoes
15:17Narrator: This pair of mangoes just sold for 500,000 yen.
15:22That's almost $4,000.
15:25These are not just any mangoes.
15:28They are Taiyo no Tamago, or Egg of the Sun:
15:31stunning, plump, red, perfectly unscratched,
15:35and incredibly sweet mangoes
15:36that are farmed in the Miyazaki Prefecture of Japan.
15:40Every April, the best mangoes from the prefecture
15:43are auctioned off at Miyazaki Central Wholesale Market.
15:49But although farmers in Miyazaki dedicate an entire year
15:52to preparing these mangoes for auction,
15:54there's no guarantee that the fruit
15:56will fetch such a high price.
15:58That's because before reaching the auctioning table,
16:01a mango has to be perfect inside and out.
16:13Narrator: So why are Taiyo no Tamago mangoes
16:15so difficult to grow,
16:16and what makes them so expensive?
16:20Mangoes farmed in Miyazaki are from the Irwin mango variety,
16:24a type often referred to as "apple mango,"
16:26as it turns red when ripe.
16:31Irwin mangoes are actually pretty common
16:33and are also grown in other parts of the world
16:35and sold at much lower prices.
16:39This is because the exclusivity of Taiyo no Tamago
16:42is not tied to which type of mango it is,
16:44but rather to the care it receives.
16:50In order to generate buzz at the auction,
16:54a mango needs bees.
16:58To increase their odds of success,
17:00farmers like Takuya usually rent bees
17:03during the flowering season.
17:05These are flowering mango plants.
17:07Bees play a crucial role in the pollination of the plants,
17:10as without them, mangoes would not grow as big as desired.
17:44Narrator: If a plant keeps flowering as the farmer wants,
17:47it can survive as long as 35 years.
17:50Takuya's plants are 20 years old.
17:53However, even if bees do pollinate the plants,
17:56it doesn't necessarily mean that all mangoes
17:58will qualify as Taiyo no Tamago this season.
18:02Only those that are in good shape, visibly contain pits,
18:05and are in good position will be given a chance.
18:11To successfully grow one,
18:13everything in the greenhouse needs to run smoothly.
18:16Temperature must be constant, the room ventilated,
18:20the air dehumidified,
18:22and the mangoes protected from gravity.
18:26When everything else is in place,
18:28Takuya's priority becomes the sunshine.
18:48Narrator: If a mango slumps into the shade,
18:50Takuya will tie it with a string to bring it back up.
18:53And to make sure that sunlight
18:54touches every part of the fruit equally,
18:57he developed these light reflectors out of milk cartons.
19:39Narrator: Regardless of how much it's worth,
19:42Takuya treats every mango with respect.
19:44In return, every mango repays him with a unique flavor.
20:05Narrator: Takuya has been growing mangoes for 16 years,
20:08a craft he learned from his father.
20:11This year, he grew 9,500 mangoes in his greenhouse.
20:15They're now ready to be inspected
20:17to see how many of them
20:18have earned the coveted Taiyo no Tamago title.
20:31The first inspection is done by human eye.
20:34Inspectors closely analyze each mango's appearance
20:37to ensure they are red all throughout,
20:39with no hints of green at the bottom.
20:41Then a machine sorts them according to sugar content,
20:44weight, and size.
20:59Narrator: These inspections sort the mangoes
21:01into five grades, two of which are Taiyo no Tamago.
21:24Narrator: The mangoes will now make their way
21:25to Miyazaki Central Wholesale Market for the auction.
21:29All the care and hard work that Takuya
21:31and other farmers in the prefecture put into their fruit
21:34are leading up to this very moment.
21:37The hope is to match or exceed the previous figure
21:40of 500,000 yen.
22:14Narrator: The auction has officially begun
22:16at the Miyazaki Central Wholesale Market.
22:39Narrator: This year's 500,000 yen
22:41is 300,000 yen higher than last year
22:44and matches the 2019 record.
22:49And the farmer who grew these mangoes is ...
22:53Takuya.
23:01Narrator: It's the third year in a row
23:02his mangoes fetched the highest price at the auction.
23:06They have been bought by a department store in Fukuoka.
23:30Narrator: Today's outcome was a successful one for Takuya.
23:33But even in a country
23:34with a strong gift-giving culture, like Japan,
23:37it's not always guaranteed
23:38that such a luxury fruit will find a buyer at auction.
24:08Narrator: After flowering, fruiting,
24:10harvesting, and auctioning,
24:12Takuya's mango plants are ready for a new season.
24:16And the hard work isn't over yet.