date:Jul 18, 2013
Pity the nouveau riche Russians who missed last week's bargain on Japanese-grown, cube-shaped watermelons at high-end Moscow markets: just $700.
But news of the novelty, a couple of weeks before the start of Russia's watermelon season, has boosted the price in recent days to around $860, according to news reports.
That's more than 300 times the price of your standard melon, Kyodo News said.
Japanese like to give watermelons as presents, especially during the summer gift-giving season known as