TOKYO, JAPAN - $21 can buy you a lot nowadays: a nice steak dinner, a new shirt, an evening of movies and popcorn...and an apple? That might sound outrageous but that's just the cost of business at Tokyo’s Sembikiya fruit shop, according to the Tokyo Times.

Walking inside you'd frankly be forgiven for mistaking it for a jewelry store, considering the fruit is housed in protective glass cases the way Tiffany & Co might display diamond wedding rings.

Just how expensive are these fruits? Check out these prices:

• $212 for a square watermelon
• $69 for a 12-pack of Queen Strawberries
• $159.50 for a pack of cherries ($4/cherry)
• $64 for a box of grapes
• $160 for a Yubari cantaloupe

Interestingly, the origins of the Sembikiya shop were as a discount fruit store, a far cry from its current business structure and pricing model. One day however, the owner's wife came to the realization that Sembikiya had the potential to make much more money billing itself as a high end luxury fruit store.

According to the Tokyo Times, the owners estimate that 80-90% of their products are bought as gifts, part of a Japanese custom in which luxury fruit is a common present for special occasions.

The fruits sold at Sembikiya receive exquisite personalized care throughout the growing process. For example, the cantaloupes sold in the store are grown in specialized greenhouses and are given hats to protect them from sun damage. Each plant is limited to just a single cantaloupe to ensure maximum sweetness and quality.

I know one thing for sure. After reading this story, I'll never look at a fruit salad the same way.