Japanese vegetable and fruit farms use many innovative methods to produce high quality crops and increase the yield on small plots of land. Vinyl coverings over individual plants or crop rows act as miniature greenhouses, lengthening the growing season and protecting crops from damage. Individual vinyl “hats” make light and easily moved covers, while a whole row of plants can be protected with a sheet of vinyl carefully draped over a series of bamboo hoops. Some fruit farmers encase each pear or peach in its own little paper bag while it ripens on the tree. Such carefully tended produce is very expensive; a single, perfect melon may sell for a hundred dollars. Click on PICTURES, below, to see one. Click on CHARTS, below, to see what kinds of fruit are popular in Japan.