Yes, it's really expensive. Someone I knew used to say that she knew she was "acclimated" to life in Tokyo when she was shopping for a watermelon, saw the price and thought "Hm, $200 for this one, not bad!"
I could see Pumpkins selling pretty well with scary face shapes for halloween. That would be kind of neat. Though i do like roasting the seeds... hard choice. :(
Years ago when I was stationed in Japan, some farmers were growing watermelons in square forms so they would save space in shipping and then could be stacked at the market.
Though i do like roasting the seeds... hard choice. :(