A Place to be: The Fruit Bus Stops of Japan

A Place to Be is Sudden Chic’s recurring travel column about niche locations we love: from a hidden shop to a small town and beyond.

Did you know fruit-shaped bus stops exist in Japan? I dream about them often, and like to think about what it would be like to live inside one.

You may have seen some of the fruit bus stops of Japan on Instagram, where they’re endlessly re-grammed among a sea of other interiors.

Interestingly enough, the popular Japanese fruit bus stops all originate from one place: Konagai, Japan. In 1990, the town decided to build 14 different, all equally amazing fruit bus stops to attract tourists for a Travel Expo in Oksaka.

There’s everything from little apples, complete with benches inside and topped with green leaves and stems, to the iconic strawberry, and melon which sits by the seaside.

In case you’re wondering if the fruit bus stops are actually functional; yes they are. People sit and wait inside the cavernous, bright fruit houses and wait for public transportation everyday.