A black jumbo watermelon produced in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido is on sale for 630,000 yen (NT$181,000) at Tokyo's Isetan department store June 6, 2008 shortly after being flown into Tokyo, some 500 miles south of Hokkaido. The 11 kilograms premium Densuke is the biggest among the first of 65 sold as part of the season's initial harvest.

一個日本北海道產的黑皮巨無霸西瓜，從北海道往南空運500哩路送到東京後，6日在東京伊勢丹百貨公司叫價63萬日圓（台幣18萬1千元），圖中這個11公斤重的頂級Densuke品種西瓜，是第一批收成的65個西瓜中最大的一個。

A black jumbo watermelon auctioned in northern Japan fetched a record 650,000 yen (NT$186,000) , making it the most expensive watermelon ever sold in the country - and possibly the world. The 8-kilogram premium Densuke watermelon, one of only 65 from the first harvest of the season, was purchased by a ma-rine products dealer who said he wanted to support lo-cal agriculture, according to Kyodo News agency. The fruit is grown only on the northern island of Hokkaido.

一個黑色巨無霸西瓜在日本北部拍賣，結果賣得日幣65萬，相當於台幣18萬6千元，使它成為日本，甚至全世界所曾賣出最貴的西瓜。據日本共同社報導，這個8公斤重的頂級秀品Densuke品種西瓜，是由一位漁產業者買走，他說他想支持地方農業。這種西瓜只有北海道當麻町才有生產，第一批只收成了65個。

In a country where melons are a luxury item com-monly given as gifts, the watermelon's hefty price tag follows another jaw-dropping auction last month, where a pair of Yubari cantaloupe melons sold for a record 2.5 million yen (NT$717,000).

日本把甜瓜當成奢侈品，通常拿來送禮。西瓜的天價還低於上個月另一個令人張口結舌的拍賣品，就是北海道夕張的蜂蜜哈密瓜，竟然以創紀錄的250萬日圓（約台幣71萬7千元）賣出。

But for watermelon, the winning bid drew a gasp even from veterans of the expensive-fruit market. After all, this is the highest price on record for a Densuke watermelon, and that probably means it's the highest of any watermelon in Japanese history. Growers expect to produce about 9,000 Densuke watermelons this year.

但對西瓜，這次得標價仍使對昂貴水果市場早已見怪不怪的老手也不得不倒抽一口氣。畢竟，這是Densuke品種的西瓜迄今所創的最高價格，也可能寫下日本任何西瓜的最高價。當地瓜農今年準備生產9千個Densuke品種的西瓜。

For seasonal, high-end fruits like the Densuke wa-termelon and the Yubari cantaloupes, Japanese buyers are often willing to pay top prices at auction for the prestige of owning the very first ones of the year. Un-seasonably warm weather in April and May have helped boost sugar content and overall quality, and conse-quently prices, of the 2008 watermelons.

對季節性的高檔水果，像Densuke西瓜和夕張的哈蜜瓜，日本買家通常都願意拍賣時付出最高價搶標下來，主要衝著擁有今年首批收成的名望。今年四五月間，天氣異常暖和，也有助於提高今年西瓜的糖分和整體品質，售價自然也水漲船高。

And what makes a watermelon worth NT180,000 Its unusual black skin, Kazuyoshi Ohira, a spokesman for the Tohma Agricultural Cooperative in Hokkaido said. Inside, the watermelon is crisp and hard. And, he says, it has unparalleled taste. ''It's a watermelon, but it's not the same,'' he said. ''It has a different level of sweet-ness.''

到底是什麼使一個西瓜要價台幣18萬？北海道當麻町農業合作社發言人大平和義（譯音）說，它少見黑色的西瓜皮，西瓜又脆又硬，而且美味無比。「它還是西瓜，但是不一樣的西瓜，」他說。「它的甜度就不可同日而語。」