A box of 15 Aomori Heartbeat cherries was sold for ¥600,000 (£3,600) at the auction, beating last year’s record ¥450,000 (£2,700), The Asahi Shimbun reports.

The cherries sold were of the ‘juno heart’ variety, a sub-category of ‘aomori heartbeat’ cherries. They are known for their large size and sweet taste.

Selling as a set of 15, the record ¥600,000 (£3,600) sale works out to ¥40,000 (£240) for a single cherry, a scandalous price.

Taking place in Hachinohe, this was the first auction of the year. Although such auctions are popular and continue throughout the year, it is tradition to bid higher in the first auction of the year. These are known as “congratulatory prices” as bidders compete in this auspicious practice to bring luck and publicity for the winning bidder.

The buyer who won the bid, Nagatsuka Seika, is a company selling fruits and vegetables from Chiba prefecture in the Greater Tokyo Area. Last year they paid £2,700 for the same variety of cherries.