What is Yubari Melon?

Yubari melon" is a well-known specialty of Yubari City. It is such a luxury brand melon that there is probably no one who does not know its name, but there are probably not many people who know more about this melon.

The melon sold as Yubari melon is a variety called "Yubari King. As can be inferred from the name of the variety, it is grown only in Yubari City, Hokkaido.

The number of melons harvested from each plant is set at a maximum of four, and the melons are cultivated with a lot of time and effort to ensure that the carefully selected fruits are well nourished.
Only the best melons that have passed the strict inspection conducted by the growers themselves are delivered to consumers as "Yubari melons.

We interviewed Mr. Kengo Ota, a producer who has been growing Yubari melons since his grandfather's generation.

Image courtesy of Mr. Kengo Ota

Yubari melons are produced by 102 growers in Yubari City.

As of 2021, there are 102 Yubari melon growers in Yubari, and each grows an average of 6,000 melons.

While many melons will bear fruit if nothing is done, Yubari Melon has set a standard of "a maximum of 4 melons per plant" in pursuit of the best taste.

Mr. Ota says that the reason the Yubari melon has become such an established brand is because of the growers' relentless pursuit of flavor.

Yubari melons are a very difficult crop to grow, and inspection standards are very strict. All of this is done so that consumers can enjoy the taste. I am satisfied if the customers enjoy the melons. I am satisfied if the customer eats it and says, "Delicious! I think all the farmers in Yubari share this belief.

How the Yubari Melon was created

For the past 60 years since its birth, Yubari melons have been produced by farmers who have been pursuing the "taste" of the melon to the utmost.
They are said to be very difficult to grow, but how exactly are they grown and delivered to consumers?

A simple diagram of the cultivation process looks like this.

The first step is "sowing seeds. In Mr. Ota's case, the seeds are sown in small batches over a period of three months, from mid-February to mid-May.
By staggering the timing of the planting, he is able to ship the seeds stably over the three-month period and distribute the workload.

After germination, the seedlings are ready one month later. It is Yubari's style to plant the seedlings about one month after sowing.

After planting, the melon growers perform an unfamiliar process called "thinning.

Melons are a crop that grows in all directions if left unchecked. The "thinning" process involves breaking off useless vines and removing leaves in order to produce the melon that the farmer is aiming for. It is so important that it would not be an exaggeration to say that it is the whole process of melon cultivation.

The "picking" process is carried out three times: once a week after planting, once two weeks after planting, and once more within three weeks!
It seems like a lot of work to do for just one plant, but Mr. Ota grows a total of 10,000 plants, so it is hard to imagine how hard this work is.

After three times of picking, about one month after planting, the "crossing" process, which is indispensable for melons to bear fruit, is carried out. In Yubari, this process is called "natural cross-pollination," in which bees help pollinate the melons.

The bees are then picked twice, once just before and once while the bees are being inserted. This is the most difficult part of the process. The core picking is the most difficult part of the process, as it greatly affects the quality of the melons.

It is a very difficult process. It is so important that it would not be an exaggeration to say that the preparation that has been done since early spring is determined by this process.

After successfully completing the crossbreeding process, the next step is to pick the fruit. After successfully completing this process, the next step is to pick the fruit, which are the berries to be grown as melons.

When the fruit is bigger than the tip of your thumb, you already know what the melon will look like in the future. That's when I make the decision, 'This year I'm going to focus on these four. The other fruits are plucked. At the same time, we also put mats under the melons we have decided on.

From there, the next step is "fertilizer management. This is the process of managing the melons so that they grow large and tasty. From this point on, the work varies from person to person, depending on the situation, including temperature and water management, and additional core picking.

From this point on, the farmer's experience, knowledge, and skill are all put to work. There are 102 farmers, but I don't think any of them do the same work exactly the same way.

After precisely carrying out the many steps of the process, in which no mistakes are allowed, the harvest finally took place about 105 days after the seeds were planted.
Melons sown in mid-February are harvested in early to mid-June. This is how Yubari melons are made, with a focus on "taste.

The work does not end here.
Each farmer packs the harvested melons into boxes, and inspects each one by hand against strict standards by "inspectors" selected as representatives of the producers. Only those melons that have passed the strict inspection are delivered to consumers as "Yubari melons.

Yubari melons are characterized by their soft flesh, sweetness, and mellow aroma. Since the time between harvest and harvest time is only 3~4 days, inspections and shipping are done quickly. It was heartwarming to know that thanks to the producers and JA Yubari City, we were able to enjoy the melons in their very best condition.

The Yubari melon is a very precious fruit that is produced by the "hands" of its growers from cultivation to harvesting and inspection, and its "deliciousness" is the result of their efforts. If you know the background of cultivation, you can understand why the price is so high, and you will want to eat it while expressing your gratitude to the growers.

I want to produce better melons next year than this year! Mr. Ota's wish

Mr. Ota says that growing Yubari melons, which are very difficult, is "interesting precisely because it is difficult.
We asked Mr. Ota, who continues to grow Yubari melons in Yubari, about his vision for the future.

I always want to produce even better melons next year than I did this year. If I am able to produce melons that are even slightly tastier than I have in the past, I consider that to be growth.
And as a production area, I want to make sure that the Yubari melon never dies out. That said, I never want to simply increase the number of melons and lower the quality. I also feel a responsibility to carry on the brand that my grandfather, father, and the farmers around me have built.
The reason Yubari melons have become so well established as a brand is not because of their shape or cultivation system, but simply because they have good taste. Therefore, the most important thing is to keep the taste of the melon. I want to further improve the taste and produce something that will not disappoint our customers.

Yubari melons are the result of such passionate efforts, and we hope you will try them next summer at your local farm!