How many mandarin oranges can you buy with one million yen -- or roughly $9,600?

For one fruit-loving buyer at an auction this week in Japan, the answer is just 100.

用1百万日元-或者大约9,600美元你可以买多少个桔子？

上海译锐翻译    2020-11-06    10:06 a.m.

对于本周在日本拍卖会上的一位热爱水果的买家而言，答案是100个。

A single, 20-kilogram crate of 100 Japanese mandarins (also called mikan) hit the auction block on Thursday at Tokyo's central wholesale Ota Market.

一个重达20公斤、装有100个日本桔子的箱子于周四抵达位于东京中央批发Ota市场的拍卖区。

It was the year's first auction of satsuma mandarin oranges, a famous citrus species from Ehime prefecture, on the island of Shikoku in southern Japan.

这是今年萨摩蜜桔的首次拍卖。萨摩蜜桔是爱媛县非常著名的柑橘品种，爱媛县位于日本南部的四国岛。

'Three suns'

‘三个太阳’

Nishiuwa is one of Ehime's mikan-producing regions and its semi-seedless citrus species of oranges is known for its good balance of rich and sweet flavors, its easy-to-peel thin skin as well as its melt-in-the-mouth texture.

西宇和是爱媛县的蜜柑产区之一，这里的半无籽蜜桔品种因口感浓郁又不失甜蜜，皮薄易剥以及入口即化而闻名。

The highest priced Nishiuwa mandarins are from one of the region's leading brands -- Hinomaru.

价格最为昂贵的西宇和蜜柑就来自于该地区最知名的品牌之一-太阳旗。

"Hinomaru mikan are produced in a limited area on the coast of Yawatahama city in Ehime prefecture," Shin Asai, from JA Nishiuwa's sales department, tells 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."

“太阳旗蜜柑产自爱媛县八幡滨海岸非常稀少的区域，”JA 西宇和销售部的Shin Asai表示。“这种蜜柑在三种阳光的照射下长大，这三种阳光分别是太阳、海边反射的阳光以及梯田石头墙壁所反射的日光。”

Only about 100 farmers produce this special kind of mikan in the area.

在这一地区，只有大约100位农民种植这种蜜柑品种。

"Hinomaru Mikan this year have been particularly good quality," Asai adds.

Asai补充表示：“今年的太阳旗蜜柑品质极佳。”

The high bid at Thursday's auction was considered "a very celebratory price" to mark the beginning of Japan's mikan season, according to a representative of Nishiuwa agricultural association.

据西宇和农业协会的一位代表介绍，周四拍卖会上的高出价是对日本柑橘节开始的一个庆贺。

"Since the quality of the fruit of each year is evaluated at the first auction, it will greatly affect the subsequent sales," Asai says. "First auction is very important for the fruit industry."

Asia表示：“由于每年柑橘的品质都会在首次拍卖会上进行评估，因此评估结果将会极大影响后续的销量。”“首次拍卖对于水果行业具有非常重要的意义。”

The typical price of this type of high-end mandarin orange is usually around JPY7,800 (or $75) for 10 kilograms.

这类高端柑橘的常规价格一般大约为10公斤7,800日元（或75美元）。

It wasn't the first time the sweet mandarins fetched such a staggering price in an auction -- the highest bidding price last year was also in the million range.

甜柑橘在拍卖会上拍出如此高价并非首次，去年的最高拍卖价格也在百万日元级别。

"But considering the negative impact in the economy because of Covid-19, we were surprised and also delighted that it was auctioned off for one million yen," says Asai.

Asia说：“考虑到新冠疫情对经济的负面影响，柑橘首次拍卖能达到1百万日元出乎我们的意料并让我们感到非常高兴。”

Sweet and expensive

甜蜜且价值不菲

The identity of the high bidder remains unknown for now but Asai believes it'll be revealed within a few days.

最高竞价者的身份目前还不得而知，但是Asai认为，竞价者的身份在数日之内就会揭晓。

"A high-end supermarket purchased it last year and used it for publicity for the store," says Asai.

Asia表示，去年拍卖的最高出价者是一家高端超市，拍卖来的桔子被用于店铺宣传。

Japan has been known for producing sweet and expensive fruits for years. Last year, 24 bunches of ruby red grapes were auctioned for JPY1.2 million ($11,000).

多年来，日本一直因生产味道甘甜但价值不菲的水果而闻名。去年，24串红宝石葡萄的竞拍价是120万日元（11,000美元）。

"Fruits are treated differently in Asian culture and in Japanese society especially," Soyeon Shim, dean of the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told CNN in 2019. "Fruit purchase and consumption are tied to social and cultural practices.

Soyeon Shim，威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校人类生态学学院院长，表示：“在亚洲文化中，特别是在日本社会中，人们对待水果的态度非常不同。水果的购买和消费与社会和文化息息相关。”

"It is not only an important part of their diet, but, perhaps more importantly, fruit is considered a luxury item and plays an important and elaborate ritual part in Japan's extensive gift-giving practices."

”水果不仅在饮食中扮演着重要角色，而且在日本比较广泛的送礼习俗中，水果被认为是一种奢侈品并且起到重要且精心的礼仪作用。“

Mandarins are one of the most popular fruits in Japan. According to a report in 2019 by Japan's Statistic Bureau, mandarins were the country's highest yielding fruits in 2016 and 2017.

柑橘是日本最流行的水果之一。根据日本统计局2019年的一份报告，柑橘在2016年2017年是日本产量最高的水果。

Ehime is only second to Wakayama Prefecture in terms of total mandarin production but is number one in terms of the overall output of over 40 different types of citrus fruits, including satsumas. Its local mascot is a cartoon orange called Mikyan.

在柑橘总产量方面，爱媛县仅在和歌山之后。但是，在超过40种不同类型的柑橘（包括萨摩）总体出口量方面，爱媛排名第一。爱媛本地的吉祥物就是一个叫做Mikyan的卡通造型的桔子。

来源：CNN，编辑：Susan