TOKYO: A bunch of Japanese grapes has sold for a record one million yen (S$11,000), or US$315 (S$425) per berry – no trifling matter even in a country where fruit can cost a small fortune.
The record-setting bunch of 26 “Ruby Roman” grapes was the highest-priced at this year’s first auction in Kanazawa, northwest of Tokyo, smashing the previous record of 550,000 yen set last year.
Japanese often give top-notch fruits such as melons as gifts, and virgin batches often sell for extraordinary prices, making national headlines and creating a lucrative market for fruit boutiques to flourish despite Japan’s sluggish economy.
