Local News

The year’s first watermelon shipment was sent from Ueki-machi in Kumamoto Prefecture, the area that produces the most watermelons in Japan. The 2,800 melons were grown in greenhouses and range from four to five kilograms each, which is slightly above average. They’ll be sold for 4,000-5,000 yen in Tokyo and Osaka department stores. JA Kumamoto estimates they’ll ship 2.4 million melons by early July.