Today marks my 2nd year of living in Japan. And to commemorate, I have decided to write some of my own odd experiences of living in this rather crazy country.

While living in Japan may not always be pleasant, I assure you that  it is always interesting.

Case in point 1: The Square Watermelon

The picture above was taken in Koriyama-shi, Fukushima, Japan

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I actually thought that square watermelons were just an urban legend until I stumbled upon one in a rather popular supermarket in Koriyama-shi. They do exist.

So okay, square watermelons, great – but I mean, WHY?  Seriously. With Japan’s food self-sufficiency problems and all the extra effort needed to create, must I dare say, a freak of nature, why square watermelons?

Doing a bit of research, I found out that square watermelons do have a purpose and are not just for eye candy.

Given Japan’s limited space (for everything), a farmer in Zentsuji came up with the idea of a cube-shaped watermelon for easier packing and storage. Ingenious!

That makes sense but is all  the trouble worth it when you  can just cut it all up and put it in a container or the easier way, just eat it all up in one sitting?

Is the square watermelon also worth dumb-founding a well known fact, taught as a kindergarten that a watermelon is supposed to be round?

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Square watermelons, so are they worth it? At around 10,000 yen (approx $100) a piece, I’d still like mine round.