Melon

Hiroshi Oshima

6th President of Sembikiya-Sohonten Co., Ltd. • 1981 Pol.

The Earl's Favourite melon was developed in England at the end of the 19th century. The Meiji government imported it to enrich Japan, and cultivation began at the Shinjuku Gyoen Greenhouse Experimental Station. Through repeated selective breeding, the "Muskmelon," with its rich musk scent, was born. By the late Meiji era, they appeared in fruit shops; by the Taisho era, high-quality melons could be harvested year-round; and by the Showa era, they were called the king of fruits and became synonymous with fruit gifts.

In the city of Edo, fruit was called "mizugashi" (water sweets). This etymology suggests that fruit was considered a type of confectionery, and unlike vegetables, it became highly valued as a gift. Japan has four seasons and the people's palates are delicate and rich, leading to repeated selective breeding to create fruit that is more delicious and has the perfect color and shape for gifting. It is no exaggeration to say that the melon as a gift created a unique Japanese fruit gift culture unlike any other.

Tetsuhiko Takai

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Economics and Business, Hokkaido University • 1990 Econ., 1992 M.Econ.

The Yubari melon is a product of challenge born from three crises. First, due to Hokkaido's cold climate, originally only red-fleshed melons for processing, which were not sweet, could be grown. However, the Yubari Agricultural Cooperative crossed these with Shizuoka Crown Melons to create a red-fleshed muskmelon with high sugar content and a unique aroma.

Second, because Yubari melons have a short shelf life, they had to be transported by air. While red flesh was treated as a novelty—with people asking, "Is it a pumpkin?"—it was necessary to establish the brand as a high-end boxed gift item worthy of long-distance transport. Third, the Yubari melon was born in 1961. After that, as the Yubari coal mines closed and the region shrank, the community overcame the adversity of the volcanic ash mountain terrain through repeated challenges such as greenhouse cultivation, honeybee pollination, and direct shipping from the source. Replacing the coal known as "black diamonds," the Yubari melon became the "red diamond" representing Hokkaido.

Today, red-fleshed melons are grown in other parts of Hokkaido, but the seeds and quality of the Yubari melon (variety name: Yubari King) are still managed by JA Yubari City.

Manami Ikeda

Bread Researcher, Head of Bread Class "Crumb" • 2011 Litt.

Melon pan is a representative bread loved by people of all ages in Japan. Soft sweet dough is covered with cookie dough, sprinkled with sugar, and marked with a lattice pattern. It is surprisingly difficult to make it delicious. There are two main challenges.

First, after shaping it with the cookie dough, it is fermented in a warm place for about an hour, but because the cookie dough contains a lot of butter, it tends to sag. Sagging dough rarely becomes crispy even after baking. I recommend fermenting at a lower temperature. This results in a relatively crispy texture for the melon pan.

Second is the deliciousness of the bread dough itself. Even if the cookie dough is delicious, if the bread underneath is dry, it cannot be called a good melon pan. Bread ferments using "yeast," but if you add a lot of commercial dry yeast, it ferments quickly while the dough expands rapidly and tends to become hollow. It is better to let it ferment slowly with a small amount of yeast, allowing the flour to absorb the water thoroughly.

Shohei Naito

CEO, Nihon Nogyo Inc. • 2015 Law

In the summer of 2019, under the scorching sun of Chiang Mai, Thailand, I was challenging myself to produce high-quality Japanese-variety melons. I thought the business opportunity was great because of their outstanding sweetness and aroma. Although it was a relatively cool mountainous area, the reflection of the sun was relentless, and the only thing that healed my daily fatigue was Regency (Thai brandy) at sunset.

Challenges were piled high. Negotiations with landowners took time, and I was troubled by inadequate water and electricity infrastructure. Furthermore, stable production in a climate different from Japan was a major hurdle. Nevertheless, when I secured a small-scale greenhouse by autumn and began production verification, I felt a ray of hope.

Ultimately, I was forced to end the project within the year. The market was already flooded with medium-quality melons, and achieving the unit price we aimed for was extremely difficult. I felt the bitterness of my naive planning and lack of understanding of the local market.

Currently, I am continuing a new challenge. I have been working on strawberry production in the same Chiang Mai area for five years. Strawberry production is not easy either, but it is a big dream that continues. With hope for the future and a spirit of challenge in my heart, I will continue to move forward.