A prized Japanese watermelon fetched nearly $4,000 on Monday at an auction in Sapporo. Yes, $4,000.

But before you choke on your own slice of citrullus, that four-figure price tag is actually a steep fall from the fruit's peak season several years ago, in what may be a sign that the country's highly regarded luxury fruit market is the latest victim of tightening consumer purse strings.

The rare Densuke watermelon, a solidly black, smooth-as-a-bowling-ball gourd, sold on the first day of seasonal bidding for 300,000 yen, which translates into about $3,740, according to the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market. While the seeds aren't gold, the fruit is lauded for its crispy texture and extra sweet juice. And grown exclusively in Hokkaido, there are only about 100 of the stripeless watermelons available on the first day it goes on sale each year.

The Isetan department store raised its paddle for the winning bid for the second consecutive year. The sweet watermelon is on display at its Shinjuku outlet in Tokyo until June 16. Business in business, though: An Isetan spokeswoman said the fruit will be sold whole for 315,000 yen.

While the final Densuke auction block price ranks a couple thousand dollars above what most consumers would consider forking over for a variation of a summer fruit ubiquitous at neighborhood block party barbecues, it falls about as many short from the luxury fruit market's heyday. The price of the Densuke watermelon – sold at wholesale markets in the country's northernmost island of Hokkaido – has plunged about 200,000 yen since its peak at the Sapporo market in 2006 and 2007. The highest-ever paid price for the fruit was 650,000 yen, or about $8,100, at the Maruka Asahikawa Wholesale Market in 2007.