Narrator: This pair of mangoes just sold for 500,000 yen.
That's almost $4,000.
These are not just any mangoes.
They are Taiyo no Tamago, or Egg of the Sun:
stunning, plump, red, perfectly unscratched,
and incredibly sweet mangoes
that are farmed in the Miyazaki Prefecture of Japan.
Every April, the best mangoes from the prefecture
are auctioned off at Miyazaki Central Wholesale Market.
But although farmers in Miyazaki dedicate an entire year
to preparing these mangoes for auction,
there's no guarantee that the fruit
will fetch such a high price.
That's because before reaching the auctioning table,
a mango has to be perfect inside and out.
Narrator: So why are Taiyo no Tamago mangoes
so difficult to grow,
and what makes them so expensive?
Mangoes farmed in Miyazaki are from the Irwin mango variety,
a type often referred to as "apple mango,"
as it turns red when ripe.
Irwin mangoes are actually pretty common
and are also grown in other parts of the world
and sold at much lower prices.
This is because the exclusivity of Taiyo no Tamago
is not tied to which type of mango it is,
but rather to the care it receives.
In order to generate buzz at the auction,
a mango needs bees.
To increase their odds of success,
farmers like Takuya usually rent bees
during the flowering season.
These are flowering mango plants.
Bees play a crucial role in the pollination of the plants,
as without them, mangoes would not grow as big as desired.
Narrator: If a plant keeps flowering as the farmer wants,
it can survive as long as 35 years.
Takuya's plants are 20 years old.
However, even if bees do pollinate the plants,
it doesn't necessarily mean that all mangoes
will qualify as Taiyo no Tamago this season.
Only those that are in good shape, visibly contain pits,
and are in good position will be given a chance.
To successfully grow one,
everything in the greenhouse needs to run smoothly.
Temperature must be constant, the room ventilated,
the air dehumidified,
and the mangoes protected from gravity.
When everything else is in place,
Takuya's priority becomes the sunshine.
Narrator: If a mango slumps into the shade,
Takuya will tie it with a string to bring it back up.
And to make sure that sunlight
touches every part of the fruit equally,
he developed these light reflectors out of milk cartons.
Narrator: Regardless of how much it's worth,
Takuya treats every mango with respect.
In return, every mango repays him with a unique flavor.
Narrator: Takuya has been growing mangoes for 16 years,
a craft he learned from his father.
This year, he grew 9,500 mangoes in his greenhouse.
They're now ready to be inspected
to see how many of them
have earned the coveted Taiyo no Tamago title.
The first inspection is done by human eye.
Inspectors closely analyze each mango's appearance
to ensure they are red all throughout,
with no hints of green at the bottom.
Then a machine sorts them according to sugar content,
weight, and size.
Narrator: These inspections sort the mangoes
into five grades, two of which are Taiyo no Tamago.
Narrator: The mangoes will now make their way
to Miyazaki Central Wholesale Market for the auction.
All the care and hard work that Takuya
and other farmers in the prefecture put into their fruit
are leading up to this very moment.
The hope is to match or exceed the previous figure
of 500,000 yen.
Narrator: The auction has officially begun
at the Miyazaki Central Wholesale Market.
Narrator: This year's 500,000 yen
is 300,000 yen higher than last year
and matches the 2019 record.
And the farmer who grew these mangoes is ...
Takuya.
Narrator: It's the third year in a row
his mangoes fetched the highest price at the auction.
They have been bought by a department store in Fukuoka.
Narrator: Today's outcome was a successful one for Takuya.
But even in a country
with a strong gift-giving culture, like Japan,
it's not always guaranteed
that such a luxury fruit will find a buyer at auction.
Narrator: After flowering, fruiting,
harvesting, and auctioning,
Takuya's mango plants are ready for a new season.
And the hard work isn't over yet.