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Farmers in Japan Have Created Pentagon-Shaped Oranges

Posted date: 10:10 AM / comment : 0 , , , ,

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We've heard of square watermelons from Japan, but you've probably never heard of pentagon-shaped citrus fruits.
These citrus fruits, which are like a cross between a mandarin and an orange, were created to say, "Good luck on your school exams." You're probably wondering how that makes any sense. It's actually quite clever.
Farmers in Japan Have Created Pentagonal Citrus Fruits. You'll Be Surprised What They Mean. 0 - https://www.facebook.com/different.solutions.page
(image via Kotaku)
According to Kotaku, the fruit is called "iyokan," which means a "Japanese Summer Orange." In Japanese, "gokakukei" means "pentagon." If you're familiar with the Japanese language, the pentagon citrus fruits are actually a pun!

The word "Goukaku" means "successfully passing an exam" and "ii yokan" means a "good premonition." So if it is written out like "goukaku ii yokan," the meaning is "to have a good premonition of exam success." Clever!
Since Japan is entering a big exam period for high school students, farmers are offering encouragement by handing out these cleverly shaped fruits. It's said that these oranges are a symbol of good luck, which will go a long way in a heavy exam season.
Farmers in Japan Have Created Pentagonal Citrus Fruits. You'll Be Surprised What They Mean. 3 - https://www.facebook.com/different.solutions.page
(image via foodbeast)
If you're still wondering how the pentagonal fruits were made, here's how: when the fruit is young, molds are placed around the growing fruit. As the fruit keeps growing, it will take the form of the pentagon. Very cool.
Source: Kotaku
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Collage sources: 1) McGeeks 2) foodbeast 3) Kotaku

Square fruit stuns Japanese shoppers

Posted date: 9:50 PM / comment : 0 ,

Square fruit stuns Japanese shoppers
Square watermelons are loaded ready to be packed and shipped
They look clever, but not all shoppers like the price tag

Japan has again shown off one of its greatest innovations - square watermelons.For years consumers struggled to fit the large round fruit in their refrigerators.

Watermelons
The round watermelon is unlikely to go out of favour
And then there was the problem of trying to cut the fruit when it kept rolling around.
But 20 years ago a forward-thinking farmer on Japan's south-western island of Shikoku solved the problem.
The farmer, from Zentsuji in Kagawa prefecture, came up with the idea of making a cube-shaped watermelon which could easily be packed and stored.
Fashion food
To make it happen, farmers grew the melons in glass boxes and the fruit then naturally assumed the same shape. Today the cuboid watermelons are hand-picked and shipped all over Japan.
But the fruit, on sale in a selection of department stores and upmarket supermarkets, appeals mainly to the wealthy and fashion-conscious of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two major cities.
Each melon sells for 10,000 yen, equivalent to about $83. It is almost double, or even triple, that of a normal watermelon.
"I can't buy it, it is too expensive," said a woman browsing at a department store in the southern city of Takamatsu.
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