Bunch of grapes sells for record Y1 mil

Another good reason for the TPP to pass. What a joke! Especially when you know the variety makes a substandard wine.

A million yen would have helped a needed family for a year, yet they prefer to spend it on stupidity.

I could buy the sweetest organic grapes for about 2500 times less. Are these grapes 2500 times better?

I bought a nice bunch of grapes at a road side stand in California at a fraction of this outrageous price and I bet they were just as good and maybe even better.

This is what we would call in English a "Rip off-scam."

It's not for real. Notice how the grapes were grown in Kanazawa and purchased by a Kanazawa hotel. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that the local agricultural cooperative were funding the whole thing.

It's all about publicity, and it's clearly worked.

such news hurt me more, because i have seen the misery of the children in Africa and Afghanistan, malnutrition, barefooted,less dressed,schools under the trees and so on, This is not only in Japan in many parts of the world we come across such news, where the people spend a huge amount of money on such things.

luca is correct - this is simply an annual publicity device to promote local produce.

In fact it is extremely cheap and cost effective. ＄A8,000 buys little or next to nothing in advertising.

Now all of Japan (and much of the world) knows of "Ruby Roman" grapes.

People critical of the promotion costs using the suffering of children in conflict zones, should perhaps address their concerns at the multi-billion dollar global industry that is advertising, especially the companies with exorbitant PR budgets to tell us their car or tv or coffee is best.

This is obscene.

Why do the Japanese continue to do STUPID things. The same bunch of Grapes, probably better, could be bought at the Local Corner Store for $1.29. Not Stupid, totally Stupid. My wife who is Japanese just shakes her head when ridiculous things like this pop up,

No wonder on 31 Dec 1989, Nikkei was at 38,900, and the Imperial Palace land was worth the whole state of California. No wonder now, Nikkei is at 20,000 (up from 8,000 4 yrs ago) despite a declining and aging population.

What an absolute waste of money. Could have fed and sheltered MANY suffering people for some time.

The article doesn't mention the 80,000 yen sales tax he had to pay.

How much did the farmer get? I'm thinking JA, the auction house and everyone else took 90% of it.

This is a PR move by the buyer. He, and his hotel, will get back their 1000000 yen in publicity through news coverage over the next few weeks. This has almost nothing to do with the grapes and their taste.

All the negative comments here are pretty lame.

You wave your angry little fists about people enjoying fruit while promoting agriculture and tourism. Put this in perspective, is the money being used to buy arms or prop up dictatorships or even perhaps to even to slaughter endangered animals, pollute the planet, traffic methamphetamine?

Nope. There are myriad other worse uses for money. This is not even close.

Have a nice day.

That is one beautiful looking bunch of grapes.

NO WAY! How many meals can I have with one million yen?

I say it would be hilarious if it turned out to be a bunch of SOUR grapes (I raise my hand to be official taster - heck, I won't even charge to taste a grape out of that bunch... Ha!)

I think the person that bought them is a few grapes short of a bunch. There's maybe twenty grapes in that bunch, which works out at around five-hundred bucks a grape. What a complete idiot!

I know fruit is expensive in Japan but that is ridiculous! It would be nice if we could get fresh fruit cheaper especially in the summer months. I basically have to make do with bananas and the odd grapefruit or kiwi. Even avocadoes are pricey.

...and don't forget (as has been mentioned before) Japanese people don't even eat the skin of the grapes ! What a waste! (I'd be happy if I had just one tenth of that amount right now...)

It's a status symbol - it's not about fruit. For a restuarant to be able to say they have the first grapes of the year gives them prestige, which draws in customers, which increases their profits, which pays for the grapes. Supporting a family for a year, which may be highly moral, does not increase the profit of the restaurant one iota. Ever heard what American people will pay for wine grown in California? Now that's a waste of money.

Sour grapes

that sum can help send a kid or two to school, or help one to complete a university degree, or to buy thousands of books and make them free for poor kids. being rich means more responsibility, to provide more ladders for more to climb. this is another example of irresponsible expenditure or PR for that matter.

I don't mind this so much - as a few people have already said, this is nothing but publicity. The Nikko hotel in Kanazawa has bought a chunk of 'unique' national advertising, across all media platforms, for just 1m yen - a relative bargain.

The outrageous prices of a lot of fruit in the supermarkets is a completely different issue.

Do they have seeds in it like most grapes here? Do you have to take off the skin as most grapes here are inedible with the tough thick skins they have?

Do you have to take off the skin as most grapes here are inedible with the tough thick skins they have?

Oranges, kiwis and any fruit that requires peeling is inedible by that definition. Growers in California grow seedless with thin skins because many consumers value convenience over taste. Japanese grapes are far sweeter than any seedless grapes in Cali - and I used to export the Cali grapes.

I think this is a ploy by JAA to make the overpriced veggies and fruit at the supermarket seem cheap.

that sum can help send a kid or two to school, or help one to complete a university degree

And it may very well go to doing so, for the child of the person who sold them.

Yes yes I'm sure this money could have been much better spent on dialysis machines / polar bears / starving kids in some far off -stan, but that's not really what the point of this or how the world works is it? And most of us will be out this weekend blowing another 30,000 yen on beer & snacks, which will probably end up in some yaks pocket.

I want good fresh fruit at a decent price and I don't care if it is ugly. This is just obscene and wasteful.

@Clippety

¥30,000 on beer and snacks over the weekend? Most of us?

We clearly inhabit different universes....

Has the world gone flipping mad? 1 million yen for a bunch of grapes!!!!! aldi supermarket down the road sell them for £1.00 a bunch

Why do the Japanese continue to do STUPID things.

Why do people STUPIDLY over-generalize?

And it may very well go to doing so, for the child of the person who sold them.

while i agree, i also have a little doubt of that. sometimes farmers can be more rich than executives, except for how we look at them. i think they already happy for their produce and perhaps their earnings, except for some tycoons who do not know how to use the resources they have, or PR offices extending their public image.

I don't even spend that much in a whole month even for my wife and I even though we drink beer/wine/sake at least five times a week! I don't even spend that much in a whole month for everything I need. -

Then you aren't drinking beer, or if you are not a whole lot, like one can maybe. 2 "beers" a day, (one for the missues and one for you) 500 yen, is 15,000 yen per month. Drinking the cheap stuff huh.

For all those people complaining about how that money should have gone to poor starving children or whatever, I hope you remember that sentiment whenever you are thinking of buying anything that's even a little bit of a luxury. Buy the cheapest version available instead and be sure to donate the difference!

@zichi @lucabrasi Erm, I feel bad now, me with my rock star lifestyle

Congratulations. Cheap and obscene advertising. But Japan is not the only country where similar auctions are held. But with a small difference. The first barrel of young herring into port in the Netherlands is auctioned off for charity. What happened to the proceeds of the grape auction?

@presto

I bet the proceeds were returned immediately to the Kanazawa Chamber of Commerce, who'd lent the money and set up the stunt in the first place...,