Mandarin orange picking
(Yorii in Saitama prefecture)

The Fupu and Kobayashi districts in Yorii Town are known as the northernmost production areas for Unshu mandarins, attracting numerous visitors each year. There are 12 orange farms in the Fupu district and 8 in the Kobayashi district.

The origin of mandarin farming culture here goes back about 400 years to the Tensho era (1573-1593). The Hojo clan, who ruled this area that time, first transplanted Koji mandarins (fukure) from Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture. Later, in 1821, Yahachi Tajima, a native of Fupu, came across Ehime mandarins in Shikoku, brought back the seedlings, and started cultivating them. It is said that they began to sell directly to hungry city people seeking food in the countryside during the post-war food shortage period.

Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the two districts are fed by the Fupu River, which originates from the Yamato-mizu spring near the top of Mount Kamafuse. Taking advantage of the basin's unique temperature inversion phenomenon, where the highlands are warmer than the lowlands, Unshu mandarins are cultivated on the slopes of the highlands. The mandarins in this area used to taste sweet and sour, but due to recent global warming, the sweetness degree is increasing every year.

The mandarin farms now offer a harvesting experience, sales of mandarin oranges and local vegetables, and homemade konjac oden with miso sauce. In the harvest season, a panoramic view of the multi-colored fall mountains opens up while picking mandarins. Enjoy the oranges and the scenery at the same time!