Yubari King

The Yubari King (夕張メロン, Yūbari Meron, Yūbari melon) is a cantaloupe cultivar farmed in greenhouses in Yūbari, Hokkaido, a small city close to Sapporo.^[1]

Cucumis melo 'Yubari King'
Section of a fresh Yūbari King melon
Genus	Cucumis
Species	C. melo
Hybrid parentage	Cucumis melo Earl's Favourite × Burpee's "Spicy" Cantaloupe
Cultivar	'Yubari King?'
Origin	Yūbari, Hokkaidō, Japan

The Yubari King is a hybrid of two other cantaloupe cultivars: Earl's Favourite and Burpee's "Spicy" Cantaloupe.^[2] The hybrid's scientific name is Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus Naud. cv. Yubari King.

Six Yubari King melons packed in cardboard for transport

A top-grade melon is to be perfectly round and have an exceptionally smooth rind. A portion of the stem, which is snipped with scissors, is left on top for aesthetic appeal.^[3] Some Japanese people present Yubari King melons as gifts during Chūgen (中元).^[4]

At a Japanese auction in 2008, two Yubari King melons sold together for ¥2.5 million.^[5] In 2016, Konishi Seika, a fruit and vegetable market in Amagasaki, bought a pair of Yubari King melons at auction with a winning bid of ¥3 million.^[6][7][8] In 2019, the Tokyo-based company Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage bought a pair of Yubari melons at auction for ¥5 million.^[9][10]