Demand for giant strawberries in the Japanese market is on the up, with various growers competing to be the country's top brand, website scmp.com reported. 

Often bought as a gift item for weddings, birthdays or parties, strawberries can command high prices in Japan.

The story said some 50 new strawberry varieties had been registered in Japan since 2011, bringing the total number of brands to 253 as of March, which reflected heated competition for quality improvement.

Brightly coloured, succulent strawberries are usually sold at Japanese department stores or fruit specialty retailers. Amaou strawberries from Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan are a front-runner, boasting the highest average sales price per kilogram of about JPY1,200 (US$10) in 2013 among major domestic producers.

At Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district, Amaou strawberries were prominently displayed with price tags ranging from JPY1,620 (US$13) to JPY5,400 (US$45) for a box of 10 to 12.

"The taste of Fukuoka's Amaou is an amazing balance of sweet and acid, that's why the variety attracts so many customers," Toyoharu Komine, head of a Sun Fruits Co shop in the department store, was quoted as saying.

He added the product also attracted tourists from the rest of Asia and Middle Eastern countries.

Closing in on Amaou are the newly developed Skyberry strawberries from Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, where the yield of strawberries is the highest among Japan's 47 prefectures.

Tochigi farmers spent 17 years to developing Skyberry strawberries, and sales have just begun. At the flagship store of fruits specialty retailer Takano Co in Tokyo's Shinjuku district, Skyberry strawberries were reportedly selling for JPY500 (US$4) a piece.

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