Heart-Shaped Watermelons Show How Love Grows

Heart-shaped watermelons are just the latest twist on Japan's love affair with the juicy green & red fruit. I've written about square watermelon (below) grown in special forms that make the fruit easier to pack, stack & store but these "lovely" melons turn that concept on its head while speaking to the heart.

The heart-shaped watermelons grown in Japan's southernmost island of Kyushu by Mr. & Mrs. Hiroichi Kimura are anything but practical, but they don't have to be. It took the Kimura's three years to perfect their melons, which grow into fulsome heart shapes without the aid of special forms. 

Still a small scale venture, only 20 of the special melons were shipped to buyers this year and their rarity is reflected in the price: 15,750 yen each - that works out to $160 per melon!

Five of the Kimura's heart-shaped watermelons are on display at the Iwataya Department Store in Fukuoka and are helping to promote the store's Mother's Day sales. It's unknown if any have been sold... but any Mom who receives one of these heart shaped gifts is getting one sweet deal! (via Asahi Shimbun)