Buyers talk with auctioneers before the start of an auction for Tottori-grown Nijisseiki, or "20th Century" pears, the season's first auction at Ota Market in Tokyo on August 29, 2026. The auction took place two days after a record 600,000 yen (USD 3,748) was paid for a 10-kilogram box of the pear variety at the season's opening auction in Osaka. First introduced in 1904 and now a signature product of Tottori Prefecture, the variety is among Japan's best-known pears. (Photo by Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)