How Japanese Square Watermelons are Made & Eaten ★ ONLY in JAPAN

The Japanese Square Watermelon is rare to find, they only make 200 to 400 a year depending on the harvest. Promising round watermelons are places in metal and glass boxes, bolted in and grow for 2-3 weeks until the corners hit the ends of the box. The success rate for growing square watermelons is low, 10-25% for many farmers. The history of the square watermelon traces back to Zentsuji, Kagawa where Yamashita-san wanted to make a watermelon that was easy to transport and also fit nicely in a refrigerator. He succeeded but the fruit was too expensive and only lasted about a week after harvest. The plan to market them changed in the 1970s when he cut them unripe with low sugar content to keep them from decaying. Now they're ornamental or display fruit, like art!