The Japanese Have A Penchant For Buying Fat And Juicy Grapes Priced Over $5,000
It’s all over the internet:
- Top-notch Japanese grapes fetch a record $5,400: reports (JapanTimes)
- A bunch of grapes sell for $5400 in Japan (Fox News)
- Highest-priced grapes to treat Japanese wedding pairs (Business Report)
- Japanese Grapes Cost a Record $5,400 a Bunch (The Daily Meal)
- Japanese grapes fetch record (S)$6,700 (AsiaOne)
A Japanese wedding hall manager bought one bunch for $5,400 for a wedding. The bunch consisted of about 30 robust, rotund grapes — each costing about $180.
The Wall Street Journal published a similar story four years ago: Ruby Roman Grapes Sold for Record $6,400
Swallow this: A single bunch of Ruby Romans, the titan of Japanese grapes, on Friday sold for ¥500,000 or about $6,400 – or in more remarkable terms, that means each grape is worth about ¥20,000. A steep jump from the record fetching amount of ¥250,000 per bunch in 2009 it is by far the most expensive grapes sold in Japan and likely in the world.
This was in 2011.
What compels the Japanese to fork over what might be the price of two round trip flights from Tokyo to New York City for grapes that won’t last you a ceremony?
Apparently, it’s tradition to give “high quality” fruits as gifts.
This is definitely something you’ll savor. 
