Ibaraki Hokota begins shipping of specialty spring melons. Hokota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, is the No.
1 producer of melons in Japan by city, town, or village. Spring melons, which have a sweet and refreshing aftertaste, has begun in the city this month. Many of the melons are small in size due to a series of low temperatures in March this year, but once the weather stabilizes it is expected that as many melons as usual will be shipped.