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The Yubari Agricultural Cooperative Production Centre is the perfect place for melon lovers, and attracts thousands of hungry punters every year to feast on the centre’s main attraction – all you can eat melon. This isn’t just your regular run of the mill melon either, what’s on offer is something special; melon royalty – The Yubari King. The king of rock melons is a cantaloupe cultivar which is farmed in greenhouses all across the town of Yubari, Hokkaido. The Yubari King is a hybrid of two other cantaloupe cultivars – ‘Earl’s Favourite’ and ‘Burpee’s ‘Spicy’ Cantaloupe’.
![Melon - Yubari Agricultural Cooperative Production Centre]()
Melon - Yubari Agricultural Cooperative Production Centre
Visitors to the Yubari Agricultural Cooperative Production Centre can access the buffet restaurant by heading over to the second floor ‘Melon Terrace’ where, for 1,800 yen, one can feast on a variety of authentic Hokkaido specialties made using fresh seasonal vegetables and the highest quality local ingredients. Rice, curry, stir fry, pasta, soup, and salads are all on offer but the star of the show is undoubtedly the famed Yubari King, which can be devoured by the bucket load.
![Melon - Yubari Agricultural Cooperative Production Centre]()
Melon - Yubari Agricultural Cooperative Production Centre
The Yubari King is revered across Japan and is famed for its sweet, melt in your mouth texture that leaves everybody who tries it coming back for more. It is so popular that in 2008, a pair of Yubari melons sold for 2.5 million yen. Whilst last year a fruit and vegetable market in Amagasaki called Konishi Seika bought two Yubari Kings at an auction with a winning bid of 3 million yen.
![Melon - Yubari Agricultural Cooperative Production Centre]()
Melon - Yubari Agricultural Cooperative Production Centre
Below the buffet restaurant is a store that sells fresh Yubari Kings as well as various other products including Yubari King melon jelly drinks, Yubari melon soda, locally sourced tomato juice, Hokkaido sweet corn, corn chocolates and varying other sweets, and an assortment of ice cream including the very popular Yubari King flavour.
![Melon - Yubari Agricultural Cooperative Production Centre]()
Melon - Yubari Agricultural Cooperative Production Centre
A popular photo op spot of the centre is the gaping four by four metre bear mouth entrance, which visitors have to walk through in order to gain access to the delicious melons inside. The giant jaws belong to the mascot of Yubari, a bear known as Melon Kuma, and the onsite shop sells a number of Melon Kuma themed products including T-shirts, towels, stationery, and various other Yubari King and Melon Kuma related trinkets.
![Melon - Yubari Agricultural Cooperative Production Centre]()
Melon - Yubari Agricultural Cooperative Production Centre
Japan seems to have a mascot for virtually everything, although Melon Kuma is quite unique as far as mascots go. Most Japanese mascots go the funny or cute appeal route in order to promote their cause. Not Melon Kuma though, with its vicious teeth, menacing eyes, and little habit of biting anybody who should wander close to its half-bear half-melon head, Melon Kuma casts quite the imposing figure. No trip to Yubari is complete without taking a nice family photo in the jaws of Melon Kuma before eating your weight in Yubari Kings.
Keep in mind that there are four buffet lunch sessions: 11am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2:30pm. There is a lunch buffet time limit of 60 minutes and each session serves no more than 30 diners at a time.
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