Single Box of Satsuma Oranges Sells for 1 Million Yen

How much do you like oranges? Like, enough to distinguish between a glass of Tropicana Homestyle and Florida's Natural? Enough to know not only that there's a National Orange Juice Day, but also to know when it is? Enough to pay almost ten grand for a crate of Mandarins?

That last one really happened earlier this month, when 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of satsuma mandarin oranges was auctioned at Tokyo's Central Wholesale Market on November 5. The 100 oranges were sold for the jaw-dropping price of ¥1,000,000, or just over $9,600. (So yeah, that comes out to $96 per fruit. Math!)

According to the Nishiuwa Agricultural Cooperative, this was the first mandarin orange auction of the season, and the million-yen selection was produced in Ehime prefecture. The oranges were packaged in a decorative box made from paulownia wood. (That's an important detail: paulownia, also known as the princess tree, is the emblem used by the Prime Minister's office and it also appears in the Government Seal of Japan.)

These mandarins were sold under the Hinomaru brand, which is one of the top names in Ehime's orange-growing region. "Hinomaru mikan are produced in a limited area on the coast of Yawatahama city in Ehime prefecture," a spokesperson from the Nishiuwa Agricultural Cooperative told CNN. "It's a mikan that is grown with so-called three suns: the actual sun, the reflected light from the sea and the reflected light from the stone walls of the terraced fields."

The name of the buyer who dropped seven-figures for 100 pieces of fruit hasn't been released; the winner of a previous high-end orange auction was a supermarket, who used their big purchase as a way to score some publicity for the store.

This is the second high-dollar mandarin auction of the year so far. In June, 25 obara beniwase mandarins were sold for ¥100,000 ($967) each, a price that set a new record. These particular oranges are known for being reddish in color, and having an ultra-sweet taste.

All of these ultra-swanky, highly cultivated oranges have made us want to hit up the produce department immediately. And man, Florida citrus prices are going to look like an absolute bargain by comparison.