Ishihara Farm

During my road trip in Okayama, I wanted to try some of the region's renowned fruits, known to be among the tastiest in Japan. The area's warm climate, ample water sources, and abundant sunshine create an ideal environment for fruit cultivation. Seeking a local experience, my friend suggested that the best way to enjoy the fruits was through fruit picking. A local specifically recommended Ishihara Farm, and since grapes were in season, it turned out to be a perfect match. To start off, you'll need to book a reservation, which you can do here. https://ifarm.jp/yoyaku/shop/1 . Note that different seasons have different fruits, so you might be picking pears or persimmons rather than grapes! Apart from a reservation, you'll most likely need a car. Getting there was quite the challenge to say the least. The farm is perched on the top of a mountain, and it's quite far from the nearest city. Just make sure to take this into account! There may be public transportation but I'm not 100% sure. After arriving, you check in at the farm and they'll reward you with two stickers to mark your attendance. From that point on, the fun begins! To get started, the participants and I boarded the back of a 4x4 truck at the top of a hill and were driven down to the base of the mountain, where the grape and other fruit plantations are located. Once there, I entered the plantations. Before picking, a farm employee shared the farm's history and introduced us to the different types of grapes available for harvesting that day, Shine Muscat, Momotaro and Pione. You get a tasting basket with the different grapes so that you can try which one you like best! The employee also talked about how each grape variety has its own recommended way to enjoy it, some are best eaten with the skin, while others are not, which is something I wouldn't have known beforehand! After learning about the grapes and sampling some, we had the opportunity to harvest our own. In small groups, we moved from one grape plantation to another, free to pick the batches that appealed to us most. Once we finished harvesting, we were driven back up the hill in the truck, where our grapes were weighed for payment. The bill was expensive though as I seemingly had picked grapes that were heavier, I ended up spending 7000 yen on just grapes! Nevertheless, I found it a fantastic experience to learn about the harvesting process and gain insight into the life of a farmer. It was enjoyable, and despite the steep price, the cultural richness and smoothness of the experience made it worth it!