what...

left melon = $120, right melon = $150

... is the DEAL with the cantaloupe here?

Yes, fruit is, on average, more expensive in Tokyo, but I have found some good little fruit and veggie stands where you don't have to pay $3 for an apple or $100 for a cantaloupe. I mean SERIOUSLY! Ridiculous. But apparently, the perfectly uniform, perfectly packaged melons are quite a popular gift, and in this nation of gift-giving, I suppose that means that these things actually sell. In fact, last year some guy paid the equivalent of over $29,000 for two Yubari melons while another guy dished out over $6,000 for a watermelon. Ummm... right. I'll pass on the melons and stick with these delicious little mandarins that we've been buying for the right price. Yum.