Fruit in Japan has a reputation for commanding high prices, with melons selling for ¥10,000 and premium mangoes from Miyazaki Prefecture reaching ¥260,000 (about US$1,700). Alongside these high-value products, the everyday fruit and vegetable sector also demonstrates attention to detail through packaging design.
This summer, watermelon boxes at Japanese markets drew attention for their distinct graphics. Yairokko-branded watermelons from Niigata Prefecture were sold in boxes with pale green and white washes imitating rind patterns. Watermelon packaging from Kanazawa included smooth graphics, with one black seed doubling as a kaga umebachi, a symbol of Ishikawa Prefecture. In Yamagata Prefecture, JA Michinoku Murayama produced a box logo that resembled both a rising sun and a watermelon.
Packaging is widely collected and noticed by consumers. One example includes a box from Kunneppu, Hokkaido, with illustrations of brown and white onions representing skin-on and peeled produce. Others feature mascots such as Gunma-chan with an eggplant or Vejita-kun with a tomato head holding eggplants. Garlic boxes from Oirase in Aomori Prefecture feature designs that resemble both garlic bulbs and a nose.
Japan's packaging design sector is also formally recognized by the Japan Packaging Institute, which awards innovations each year. However, fruit and vegetable boxes are not standardized or regulated at the national level. Local pride and marketing play central roles in the development of these designs.
An example is JA Matsumoto Highlands in Nagano Prefecture, which uses a mountain design on its watermelon boxes. "The shape of this mountain is synonymous with the image of Nagano Prefecture, and I think it's quite an old design," said Kazuya Ota, head of the specialty vegetables department. In the current version, updated four years ago, a slice of watermelon forms part of the mountain range on the side panel. The same mountain design also appears on lettuce and green onion packaging from the prefecture, produced by JA Zennoh Nagano.
Interest in produce box designs has spread beyond consumers. Junior high school students in the Matsumoto area recently created gachapon (capsule toys) based on actual cardboard boxes, including watermelon, Chinese yams, green onions, apples, and burdock root. The replicas were sold locally to highlight regional agriculture.
Japanese packaging continues to integrate agricultural identity and consumer recognition, with designs reflecting both produce characteristics and regional branding.
Source: The Japan Times