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A Japanese black watermelon produced in the town of Toma, Hokkaido island, sold for an amazing price of Y350,000 (around $3,570) during an auction recently.

The price is not a coincidence, as the Densuke watermelon, that grows only in the island of Hokkaido and is famous for its black rind, sold at similar prices in 2012 and 2011 auctions too. In June 2008, one of the first harvested Densuke watermelons was sold for Y650,000 (around $6,300).

The man who bought the melon on Monday has been identified as 33 year old Shunichi Anzai, the local press reports.

Supermarket chain manager says he chose the Y350,000 amount in honor of 2013 being the 30th anniversary of Densuke production. He says that he plans to display the melon at one of his stores and then invite his own customers to make their own bids to buy the fruit.

The darker-skinned Toma watermelons are famous for their sweeter-than-usual taste in comparison to normal melons, and make popular gifts.

Japan is known for spending great amounts of money on rare watermelon species. Last month, two Yubari cantaloupe melons were sold at local auction for Y1.6 million ($15,730), one of the highest amounts of money ever paid for such fruits.