HOKKAIDO, Aug. 14 – JA Yubari City, a local agricultural cooperative in Yubari City, Hokkaido, held an official offline meet-up to interact with its 64K followers of its official account on X (formerly Twitter), which is one of the most popular JA accounts in Japan. From all over the country and from several different industries, 10 people gathered in the city famous for producing Yubari Melon and enjoyed a tour at a Yubari Melon greenhouse and an experience of fruit sorting processes. The event provided the participants with the opportunity to observe how one of the most luxurious and expensive fruits in the world is being grown while deepening connections with local industry professionals.
The official X account of JA Yubari City has 64,000 followers. The number has increased steadily since its opening in 2022, as its posts focusing on interaction with followers have been well-received. Notably, it has a unique feature called the Yubari Melon Membership System, which gives titles to its followers based on their comments and replies. This scheme has become extremely popular among its followers, successfully encouraging them to make many comments on everyday posts.
The JA, which operates the account, began hosting the meet-ups in 2023 to create more powerful fans and friends. The ten participants this year came from many locations, including Taiwan, Tokyo, and Sapporo City in Hokkaido. Their age range was wide, from children to people in their 40s, and their backgrounds were diverse, from a student to an IT firm employee and a university professor.
The party enjoyed a Yubari-Melon-themed quiz session at the farmers’ market in Yubari City named Meroad, as well as a visit to a Yubari Melon greenhouse and a fun experience of fruit sorting. JA Management Section Manager Naohiro Fujimoto said, “(the participants) were very interested in small young melons, which are not seen in the cities.”
The last part of the event was a barbecue with melon producers, which led to lively discussions about regional development. For example, one participant working for an IT company brought up the idea of “creating a Yubari-Melon-themed game using AI (artificial intelligence).”
“Many people couldn’t make it this year, although they wanted to come. We want to start preparing earlier next year,” Fujimoto said enthusiastically.
Participants smiling, holding slices of Yubari Melon (in Yubari City, Hokkaido, photo provided by JA Yubari City)