Seven Hokkaido apples sold for 100,000 yen at the year's first auction

Would you pay 100,000 yen for seven apples? Someone just did.

The premium apples were grown in the town of Nanae, in Japan's northern region of Hokkaido, and sold under the "Nanamitsuki" brand. They went under the hammer at the first auction of the year, held at a market hall in the city of Hakodate. The winning bid was 100,000 yen for all seven, which repeats last year's record price.

Yuji Sotozaki, a representative of the wholesaler that owns the apples, had a simple sales pitch: "They taste like honey and they're really good. If you come across them for sale, do try them."

The Shinhakodate agricultural cooperative said this year's fruit is bigger and in better physical shape than last year's, when typhoons damaged most of the crop.

In Japan, top-quality fruit is sold at auctions throughout the year. Buyers use their sky-high bids in their advertising and promotion.