Joining the ranks of the £500 (US$942) melon, a Japanese farmer from the now snow-buried north of Japan has begun selling the season’s first cherries at ¥1000 (US$9.7) per cherry.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


His Sato Nishiki variety cherries are usually sold in 300 gram boxes containing around 40-50 cherries at ¥40,000 a throw, making them among some of the most expensive foodstuffs in the world. Despite the high prices farmer Kazuo Hanawa in Yamagata reports he has already shipped 100 packs.


Expensive fruit is often given as gifts to impress superiors in Japanese business circles, while fruit prices in general remain 50% above those in the west.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact