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The square, or more like cubic watermelon has dimensions of 19 cm x 19 cm x 19 cm. Retail watermelons cost 15,000 yen per cubic metre, or around 150 USD. Only 60–70% of the fruits develop into cubes that can be shipped. The cubic watermelons are not edible since they are harvested before they are fully ripe. They are used more for aesthetic purposes as show piece. These can be grown in numerous shapes. The Japanese surround young, growing melons with plexiglass-like shapes, allowing them to take on the shape of the container as they develop. As the plant develops, the shaper can be altered.
Contemporary artist Tomoyuki Ono created a way to cultivate fruit in a mold in 1978. His work of art lamented the way that industrial agriculture was transforming "natural" crops into things that people might use. However, a small group of farmers in Zentsuji adopted the concept and developed it into a cottage industry.