Yubari King melons are dubbed the most expensive fruit in the world. One of them sold for 2,000,000 yen (which is about RM 80,000)! They come from a town called Yubari (thus the name) in Hokkaido, Japan. The melons are grown in greenhouses and given “hats” to prevent sunburn. 
We’ve heard so much about these fruits that when we saw them in Sapporo, we immediately jumped on the chance to check them out. You can get them by the slice for 300 JPY (about RM 13) or 800 JPY (around RM 35) for a few chunks. This is a very small and thin slice but it was one of the sweetest fruits that has ever passed my lips!
The juicy orange colored Yubari King melon is so sweet that it surprised me! It was the sweetest fruit I’ve ever tasted, no exaggeration. It’s hard to describe just how sweet it actually is, but it’s not the sugary kind of sweet that puts you off, but a mild, yet intense fruity sweetness that’s very satisfying.
Yubari (the town that grows Yubari King Melons) is located close to Sapporo so you can’t actually get such good quality for such low prices elsewhere. There are several grades of melons too – these eating ones are relatively reasonable priced from 4,000 JPY to 10,000 JPY (or about RM 300 average) per melon.
However, the ones for gifts are priced from 22,000 JPY (about RM 900) onwards since the highest grades are completely free from blemishes. It’s customary to give 2 of them at once too! I’m glad we got a chance to try out these melons, I would highly recommend eating a Yubari King melon if you’re in Hokkaido.
What a surprise to hear about this expensive Yubari fruit. It is very common is US and quite cheaply sold. I first tasted them when I was staying at the boarding school and the cafeteria served this sweet fruit daily which I loved too. This Cantaloupe fruit was new to me too and now they are also easily found in our local grocery supermarkets. I am not sure where they are imported from. Now I am not sure whether Yubari and Cantaloupe are the same fruits.
You’re partially right! π
Yubari King melon is a cultivar of cantaloupe. However, it’s a very specific cultivar, just like there are many cheap durians out there, but the best Musang King is very expensive. You can say that Yubari King is kinda like Musang King, to qualify, it has to be:
1. A cross between Earl’s Favourite and Burpee’s “Spicy” Cantaloupe.
2. Planted in Yubari, Hokkaido
I guess it’s also like how there are many mangos out there but the Harumanis (Harum Manis) mango from Perlis is RM 35/kg. This is the special Yubari King melon from Yubari in Hokkaido that’s a specific cultivar so it’s expensive too.
Wow. This is so expensive. I will be lost in Japan because I cannot read the words.
I can’t read kanji, hiragana or katakana! π
However, there are apps that can do Japanese to English translation (and backwards) nowadays. We used Google Translate app in Hokkaido – you just need to take a photo of the words and it’ll translate automatically to English. You can also write in English and it’ll show the Japanese words (very useful for communicating – on the last day, we needed an empty box and that’s how I asked for it and also Scotch tape from the people at the supermarket).
BTW, the words here are γγ³γ°γ‘γγ³ or (Yubari) kingu meron.
That’s one mighty ‘pampered’ melons! π
It looks like the rock melons in Central Market, though. I wonder if the yubari and rock melons are related?
Yeah, they are eh? π
I hear the Ganyao durians from Nonthaburi, Thailand are equally pampered too. They cost RM 1,200 each and have their own hats too. Haha. Oh, rock melons are cantaloupes – they’re a specific cultivar of cantaloupe grown in Hokkaido and it’s a product of two famous US breeds. Yubari King is a netted-skin muskmelon that’s the sweetest I’ve ever tasted. It’s very soft and juicy compared to a honeydew too (which is a smooth-skinned variety).
I think the difference is in the breed, kinda like how D24 durians and Musang King durians are different – the latter is a lot tastier and has superior flesh and smell characteristics.
They really are sooooo expensive , but so worth it!! I can eat two on my own, in one sitting:D hehe
Yeah , these melons can cost you a fortune ! I only tasted yubari melon ice cream so far , and it’s not cheap. Cost me almost S$8 for a wafer cup.
I got read about this expensive melon before. I would never be willing to pay 900 for one melon!! How it taste like? Nice?
It’s so expensive! I’d just stick to eating rockmelon. Haha. But maybe just for the sake of tasting it, I’ll purchase a slice. Just a slice and share amongst the four of us >_<
Not really into fruits, I’d stick to our local bananas and papayas most of the time. So boring hor, me!!! LOL!!!
RM80,000 for a fruit is expensive! But RM13 for a slice, I will try it since I’m there already.. But if here, if you ask me to pay RM13 at the fruit stall outside the food court, errr, gotta think twice, haha.. The melon looks very very sweet, would like to taste it too..
This is a must try if we are there. Must taste the natural sweetness.
Although is expensive but I will also try at least a slice if I have chance to travel to Hokkaido π
The fruit looks similar to honeydew..it’s a must try fruit if got the chance.