Zentsuji Square Watermelon (Kagawa): season, origin and where to buy

Official registration details (MAFF)

The registered description as published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Characteristics

Zentsuji Shikaku Suika is a cube-shaped watermelon with attractive skin patterns of more or less regular vertical stripes. Its unique shape and beauty has been rated highly by the market, resulting in high prices. One of Zentsuji City's best-known specialties, the watermelon has been included among the gifts Furusato Tax donors can request in return for their donations.

Link with the production area

Shikaku Suika can be produced without yearly fluctuations in Zentsuji City because of its warm, relatively dry climate, which is ideal for watermelon production. Since the latter 1960s, containers for shaping the fruit, and other production knowhow for cubic watermelons have been developed locally in Zentsuji, where watermelon production was already widely practiced. Efforts by registered industry organizations and others have ensured that these techniques are shared and implemented across local producers.

Characteristics and link with the area: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website (https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/intel/gi_act/register/s82.html)

Where to buy

As a rule, only products that meet the registered standard may use a GI name (with exceptions such as prior use). Check for the GI mark and the place of origin to tell it apart from ordinary products with similar names.

We have not found a reliable online or furusato nozei listing yet. Ask local farm stands or the producer group.

FAQ

A cube-shaped watermelon grown in Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, using shaping containers. Its unusual form and neat, almost vertical stripes are prized in the market and command high prices. It is mainly used for display and as a gift. Local growers have refined the techniques since the late 1960s.

Zentsuji Square Watermelon is produced in Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture.

We have not confirmed a reliable online or furusato nozei listing. Local farm stands or the producer group are your best bet.

Zentsuji Square Watermelon was registered as a Geographical Indication on June 14, 2019 (Registration No. 82). The registered producer group is Kagawa Prefecture Agricultural Cooperative.