Melon

Melon is in season from May to July. The fruit grows best in well-drained soil in a climate with significant temperature differences between day and night—conditions found in some parts of Ibaraki, Kumamoto and Hokkaido prefectures, which account for about half the country’s melon production.

Over thirty melon varieties are grown throughout Japan. They are categorized primarily by rind (smooth, reticulated), flesh color (light green, orange, white), and cultivation method (greenhouse, outdoors).

Melons with reticulated rinds and light-green or orange flesh are the most widely marketed types, notably the popular green-fleshed muskmelon, prized for its rich, juicy and aromatic sweetness. The Crown melon is perhaps Japan’s most recognized gourmet muskmelon: just one fruit on each vine is selected and matured for one hundred days. Hokkaido’s luxury brand Yubari is the best-known orange-fleshed variety with a reticulated rind. High-end melons like the Yubari and the Crown are often presented as gifts, each carefully nestled in its own special box.