
If you are accustomed to eating fruit every day, you may want to restrain yourself whilst visiting Japan. It is not uncommon to see a tiny bunch of grapes selling for Yen 32,400, what you would pay in eat in a 5-star restaurant. One wonders why, but if you stop and think about the lie of the land and the Japanese philosophy of achieving perfection, fruit is revered. Growers will select the stronger flowers, hand pollinate, massage, wrap in paper and sometimes even a little hat to protect them from being sun-burnt; all under the watchful eye of the Japan Agricultural Cooperative.
It is for this reason that fruit is gifted as a symbol of respect. So much so that in 2016 a bunch of Ruby Roman grapes sold for a staggering ¥1,100,000 (US$9,812), or ¥42,307 (US$337) per grape.
