The High Cost of Fruit in Japan

Many things in Japan are expensive, but fruit wins the prize in my book.  Eating two or three pieces of fruit used to be a given for me--part of my daily routine--but that is no longer the case.  Fruit is a luxury item in Japan, and we rarely indulge in anything but the basics--apples and bananas.  Instead of eating an apple a day, Bob and I each consume a quarter, given that my take-home pay is the same as it was in the U.S.  Apples cost between $2.50 and $4.00 a piece (250 to 400 yen).  100 yen equals $1.00 roughly.

I bought two apples recently from the discount shelf--two apples for $2.98--and part of each had been cut away.  Cutting away blemishes is commonplace, especially on apples and cucumbers. Bob and I head to the discount shelf as soon as we enter the store, always on the lookout for apples that cost less than $2.00 each.

Grapes are out of the question--we haven't bought any yet.  Prices the day I took photos were $9.80 for two bunches of black grapes to, $7.98 for a bunch of red grapes, $19.80 for a bunch of green grapes, and $23.80 for a bunch of premium black.

This tiny bunch of grapes on the discount shelf was $7.80.  Regular price--$12.80.  I don't think so!

Bob has been reading about small-scale farming in Japan and the pressure to grow blemish-free fruit and vegetables.  Those are two of the reasons the costs are so high.

The biggest shock of the summer was the high cost of watermelon.  $45 a piece!  Again, I don't think so!  It's not going to happen, no matter how happy that watermelon would make me!

We did buy three peaches for a special occasion this summer, and enjoyed every bite with ice cream.  Unlike the photo of two large discounted peaches selling for $7.80, we paid $2.00 a piece (200 yen) from the discount shelf.  What a steal!  And they were worth every yen!