Day as a Mikan Farmer! Ehime Mikan Picking, Marmalade Making
Harvest fresh mandarin oranges in the beautiful town of Yawatahama, Ehime Prefecture, and make your own marmalade from these mikan grown in this Japan Agricultural Heritage Site.
Highlights
Explore the mountain-side terrace mikan farms, a Japan Agricultural Heritage Site
Pick fresh mikan from beautiful farms in Yawatahama
Press fresh juice from your harvest farm side
Learn how to mark marmalade from the experts, and design your own jar label and take home!
Try award-winning marmalade made by the local farmers
10 meals
Experience Details
Ehime prefecture is known across Japan for its production of mikan. Also known as mandarin oranges, Ehime grows over 40 varieties of this beloved citrus fruit. One of these is the unshu mikan, a type of mandarin orange that has few seeds and is easy to peel. The picturesque town of Yawatahama produces the most unshu mikan in the prefecture. Its unique terrace-like mikan farms on the mountain side have been recognized as a Japan Agricultural Heritage Site.
You will enjoy the fragrant air of citrus fruit while harvesting mikan in one of the female-lead mikan farms in Yawatahama. There are farms all across the town, and each one is locally owned and operated. The farmer will instruct you on how to pick the mikan properly, and how to tell which ones are ripe and sweet. Spending time outside, exploring the mikan farm in the fresh mountain air will leave you feeling invigorated, and hungry for the sweet citrus fruit.
After collecting a basketful of fresh mikan, you’ll squeeze out the juice for a refreshing drink. The freshly pressed sweet and slightly tart juice is unlike anything available in stores!
Then, you’ll be transported with your harvest of mikan to a marmalade-making facility. Before you start making the marmalade, you’ll enjoy a bento (Japanese lunch box) featuring recipes that use and highlight mikan. This delicious and visually pleasing lunch features the local ingredients of the area.
Yawatahama is the host of the world marmalade-making competition, so the locals here are experts! Create your own world-class marmalade from your freshly harvested mikan with step-by-step instructions from the local farmer. Then, design an original label for your marmalade!
You will also get to sample the marmalade made by the locals. Try different types of gold-star-winning marmalades with bread. To wrap up, you’ll be taken to a “michi no eki”, a store featuring locally made products and produce, and have time to shop for souvenirs.
Inclusions
Mikan picking with a local farmer
Freshly squeezed juice
Marmalade making class
Marmalade tasting
Transportation between the farm, marmalade center, and michi no eki
Exclusions
Items purchased at the michi no eki
English language interpreter (see Options tab)
Meeting Point and Meeting Time
Meet your host at Michi-no-Eki Yawatahama Minatto Address: 1581-23 Okishinden, Yawatahama, Ehime
Remarks
Please be aware there is an extra fee for an English interpreter as the farmers do not speak English (see Options)
There are many farms that participate in this experience, so the location may differ
Mikan harvesting season is from November to March
Mikan picking will be canceled if it’s raining
Cancellation Policy
Cancel your booking at least 48 hours before the experience start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.
Package Options
Experience Location
The closest Japan has to a Mediterranean paradise — Ehime is home to delicious seafood, sun-soaked citrus orchards, and some the oldest and holiest cultural sites in the country.
We greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this experience to all citrus lovers. We received heartfelt welcome at the station and were taken to a farm of one of the local families, where we enjoyed a ...read more
Ehime Mikan Picking, Marmalade Making is a wonderful opportunity to interact directly with a Shikoku mikan farming family and meet some of the welcoming folks living in the Yawatahama region of Ehi...read more
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