Highend cherry fetches 40,000 yen at first auction in Japan

HACHINOHE, Aomori Prefecture, a single high-end variety of cherry fetched 40,000 yen $296 during this year's first auction of the fruit, drawing gasps among bidders and spectators.

Around 50 boxes of the glossy, crimson-colored Juno Heart cherry variety were on offer at the morning auction on June 25.

The Juno Heart was developed by an Aomori Prefecture-affiliated research center as an upscale gift item. They are the largest of cherries grown in Japan.

To meet the Juno Heart standards, cherries must have a 20 degree sugar content and measure more than 2.8 centimeters in diameter.

Only those measuring at least 3.1 cm across are called the Aomori Heartbeat, making them the pick of the crop.

A box of 15 Aomori Heartbeat cherries fetched 600,000 yen at the auction, surpassing last year's 450,000 yen.

The successful bidder was Nagatsuka Seika, a Chiba Prefecture-based company dealing in fruits and vegetables.

Kyoko Nagatsuka, the president of the company, said these cherries are something you can't find anywhere else.

She said the company will sell cherries in its Chiba Prefecture store near Tokyo.