It’s well known that fruit is an expensive commodity in Japan.  However, the sale price of a pair of Mangoes so revered that they were christened Taiyou No Tamago – “The Eggs of the Sun” – might well have set a new standard in absurdity. 

Said to have the perfect size, hue, weight of at least 350 grams each, and sugar content – among other attributes – the mangoes sold by the “Eggs of the Sun” brand name went under the auctioneer’s gavel in Miyazaki City in far southwest Japan. 

The winning bid was 300,000 Yen, which is the equivalent of around A$3,140.  And that’s going to turn out to be the wholesale price.  Japan’s favorite mangoes were airlifted to a department store in Fukuoka, where they were to go on sale after a mark up to a retail price.

The Japanese love fruit, but there’s precious little land on which to grow it.  Ordinary apples can go for more than A$3 each, and those are the ones at the grocery store or corner fruit stand. 

Watermelons grown in a small box to make a cube shape are upwards of A$20.  And in 2008, a pair of perfect cantaloupe melons were sold at auction for 2.5 Million Yen.