Luxury fruits

The fashion for ugly fruits and vegetables? Organic food ? Very little for the Japanese. On the contrary, a fruit is there considered as a luxury product, which must meet very precise aesthetic criteria (size, shape, weight, appearance …) Above all, the fruit is a gift, wrapped in a box, for large or small occasions. This approach to fruit growing gives rise every year to absurd sales, melons or bunches of grapes reaching several tens of thousands of euros… even in everyday life, the smallest apple costs 2 €.

Beyond the unusual story, the madness of luxury fruits in Japan tells something about Japanese society: its demand for perfection, its trust and respect in its farmers (despite the massive use of pesticides), the importance of transmission…

We are before the first light of dawn. The stars of the day are the strawberries from Fukuoka (Christmas is approaching) and the clementines, first of the season. Buyers are waving to say at what price they want to take the lot that passes before their eyes.