The harvest of "Yubari melon", a specialty of Yubari City in Hokkaido, which is popular nationwide as a gift, has begun.
In Yubari City, 92 farmers are cultivating the specialty "Yubari melon", and harvesting work began on the 24th.
At Hiroshi Hara's agricultural house, melons that grew to a diameter of 15 to 20 centimeters and a weight of 1.6 to 2 kilograms were carefully harvested one by one by flicking them with their fingers to make sure they were ripe by sound.
Hara's children, ages 2 and 5, also helped with the work, and when they received the harvested melons, they slowly put them in the baskets.
According to the Yubari City Agricultural Cooperative, the snow melted early this year, and the warm days have continued this month, so the melons grow well and have enough sweetness and aroma.
Mr. Hara said, "It grows well and has a high-quality finish, and I want people to smile when they eat the seasonal melons."
The harvest of "Yubari melon" will continue until early September, and more than 9,3250 tons will be shipped this year, and it will be auctioned for the first time this year in Sapporo City on the 25th.