Enjoy freshly picked vegetables and fruits in the Mikumo and Ureshino areas of Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture! Introducing recommended spots
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If you drive north from Matsusaka Station for about 15 minutes, you will find interesting spots and farm shops unique to this area, such as a strawberry farmer's farm shop, an unusual electronics store selling pork buns, and a store that sells vegetables and other foods shipped directly from the source, all of which are must-visits on your trip.
Strawberry parfaits are very popular! Farm Cafe La Rosa
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Strawberry cultivation is popular in the Mikumo and Ureshino areas of Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture. Farm Cafe La Rosa is a popular shop that sells strawberries and serves parfaits. They are grown in five greenhouses, and the harvest season lasts from December to mid-June.
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The shop is bright with counter seats and sunlight streaming in from the windows. Here you can enjoy parfaits and buy strawberries. During the harvest season, the shop is bustling with customers who eagerly await the strawberries every year.
The price of strawberries varies depending on the size, but a pack is about 500 to 800 yen. There are two types of parfaits that use plenty of strawberries, and starting this year, a children's parfait (800 yen) has also been introduced. The strawberries are Akihime, a variety that is popular in Mie Prefecture.
A popular parfait made with plenty of sweet strawberries
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The extra-large size, with only 4-5 strawberries in a pack, is very popular with customers! Akihime strawberries are characterized by their long and slender shape, and have a mild sour taste with a pronounced sweetness. The flesh is soft and very fresh. The parfait is filled to the brim with strawberries and plenty of homemade strawberry sauce! You can stuff your cheeks with sweet strawberries to your heart's content.
By the way, at the end of the season, small strawberries are sold as "strawberries for jam" at the very bargain price of 800 yen per kilogram.
Why not try the delicious strawberry parfait at Farm Cafe La Rosa, where both children and adults can smile? If you're lucky, you might even be greeted by the farmer's cat.
As soon as the flags are put up, they are sold out. Kato Farm Strawberry Direct Sales Shop
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Next, we will introduce "Kato Farm," a direct sale strawberry shop where you can purchase strawberries in a drive-through format. It is very popular because it is very convenient, especially on bad weather days or for families with small children, as you can purchase strawberries without getting out of your car. However, please note that the drive-through is closed during busy periods such as the end of the year.
Strawberry daifuku and strawberry pudding are also on sale!
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They have a greenhouse behind their house where they harvest the strawberries in the morning and sell them fresh at the direct sale store. They grow Akihime and Yotsuboshi varieties, and although they come in a variety of sizes, they put in as much effort as possible to make them as large as possible. A pack of large strawberries costs about 550 yen (price varies depending on the season). They also sell large diamond-sized strawberries and gift strawberries.
They also wholesale to a nearby cake shop, and in collaboration with them, sell strawberry daifuku and strawberry pudding.
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They put up flags and signs to let people know they are open from 9:30 in the morning, and often sell out before noon. With so many customers coming to buy strawberries, there were only a few left at the time of our visit.
In addition to the direct sales store, you can also buy them at local supermarkets. If the strawberries are harvested, the 15th of each month is a special sale day! Even if they are damaged, you can buy them a little cheaper. There are always deals like this on Instagram, so it's a good idea to follow them! If you're going to visit the store, it's best to come early.
An electronics store where you can eat pork buns!? Muto Denki
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About a 15-minute drive from Matsusaka Station is the local electronics store "Muto Denki." The reason I visited the electronics store was because, as the sign on the outside says, they sell "super meaty Matsusaka miso pork buns." Muto Denki sells pork buns in addition to selling home appliances.
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The Butaman banner stands out more than the home appliances. You can see how much effort they put into it by looking at their official website. The banner reads, "Matsusaka Miso Butaman, a new specialty created by Shiitakeya." The impression of the home appliances gradually fades away, and we enter the store to unravel the mystery of the Butaman.
The butaman push is amazing! Is this really an electronics store?
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There is a refrigerated case filled with pork buns right in front of the entrance, and as you would expect, they are a big seller! When I spoke to the owner, I learned that it all started after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, which led to planned power outages. They needed to cover their own electricity needs, so they started using solar power, which eventually led to them selling pork buns.
Making use of the solar powered space, they started growing shiitake mushrooms on logs. One day, they visited Hokkaido for an event for Matsuura Takeshiro, a great man from Mie Prefecture who was the person who named Hokkaido, and they teamed up with a butcher they met there, and started developing a pork bun using shiitake mushrooms on logs. They manufacture the buns in Hokkaido, and sell the finished products at Muto Denki. Nowadays, many people visit the shop specifically for the pork buns.
A cool service that warms you up with the latest home appliances!
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Butaman comes in three varieties: Matsusaka Miso Butaman Rich Miso, Mellow Cheese Miso, and the recently released Anman. They can be purchased at the local supermarket Shadi, Gonzu (which I'll introduce later), local gas stations, and are also sold wholesale to electronics stores in Nagoya. They are on sale all year round.
Taking advantage of the advantages of being an electronics store, they will warm it up with the latest appliances. It will take about 2.5 to 3 minutes in the microwave. If you leave it in the oven for about 10 seconds before taking it out, it will be fluffy.
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The filling is made with minced pork from Hokkaido, shiitake mushrooms from Matsusaka, and a secret recipe for red miso, and is delicious, fragrant, and filling. The cheese is melty, and the bean-jam buns are made with bean paste containing brown sugar, giving them a rich sweetness. All of them are recommended!
The popularity of Butaman has increased, and many people buy it in large quantities when they return home to their hometowns. Why not try the carefully made Butaman sold by an electronics store? If you want to eat it right away, they also offer delivery, so please check out their official website.
*If you go to buy directly, the road is narrow and there is no parking lot, so please purchase at the nearby "Shaddy Saladkan Mikumo Store."
Local ingredients are available. Shunzen Kobo Gon Mame
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About a 15-minute drive from Matsusaka Station, next to the vast rice fields and farmland, is Shunmae Kobo Gonzu. Run by Gongenmae Agricultural Cooperative Co., Ltd., which was established by farmers living in the area to protect the local agriculture and farmland, the shop sells fresh local vegetables, rice, processed foods, side dishes, rice balls, and more.
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Freshly picked vegetables and fruits are lined up, delivered directly from the source, and the refrigerated cases carry a wide variety of items, including pickles and processed soy products. In particular, the Ureshino daikon and Ureshino soybeans, named after the region, and the brand rice "Gongenmai" are home-grown crops made using fully ripened compost from Matsusaka beef. Pickled Matsusaka red cabbage, a traditional Matsusaka vegetable, is also a specialty.
Among them, Ureshino soybeans are used in a wide variety of processed products such as miso, pickles, and edamame paste! This lineup is unique to the agriculturally thriving Mikumo/Ureshino region.
Ureshino Daikon is a popular souvenir in the local area!
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Among them, the Ureshio Daikon is so popular that some people come from far away to buy it. Some people put it in gift bags and give it away as a New Year's greeting or souvenir. The best-selling size is the extra large one, weighing about 2 kg per stalk, up to 4 kg for the larger ones.
There are also souvenirs from neighboring areas of Mie Prefecture that are processed outside of Matsusaka City, such as roasted nori and Ise udon noodles from Ise-Shima.
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At the counter near the entrance, side dishes and freshly made rice balls made with plenty of local ingredients are lined up. The rice used in the rice balls is "Gongenmai" grown in the rice fields right in front of the shop.
Onigiri rice balls made with love, one by one
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To order onigiri, check the onigiri you want on a piece of paper and hand it over to the shop staff. The most popular is chicken and green onion miso. There are about 15 other varieties, including shiitake mushroom, ginger, flavored rice (seasoned rice), and onigiri that are only available that day.
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The onigiri, made with 130g of rice, is large and filling. The chicken and green onion miso I ordered was sweet and spicy, and went well with the rice, so I couldn't stop eating it. I also recommend the onigiri sprinkled with chopped ginger. The subtle ginger aroma is irresistible for ginger lovers. If you order a set with hot pork soup, you're all set to enjoy delicious onigiri!
Gon Mame, which stocks local ingredients and souvenirs from Mie Prefecture, has a huge variety of products, making it a recommended spot where you can discover fun local specialties. Please be sure to visit.
Carrot juice made from Matsusaka carrots is a hot topic
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There are many souvenirs from Matsusaka, but there are still many popular items. The very vivid and eye-catching "Matsusaka Carrot Juice" is a hot topic, having been commercialized by a female farmer in her 20s.
Inspired by the way his boss enjoyed farming, he decided to become a farmer himself. He started by growing sweet potatoes and broccoli, and when he sold them at a farmer's market, the word spread quickly that they were "delicious!" So he was asked if he would like to try making carrot juice, and he started working on commercializing it.
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In order to use the whole carrot, they researched cultivation methods until they were satisfied with the taste. Currently, the carrot juice made from carrots with a sugar content of over 10 degrees that they have successfully cultivated is very popular. It has a smoothie-like texture and the unique sweetness of carrots. It is safe and secure as it does not contain any coloring agents, flavorings, or preservatives. It is popular because even children who don't like carrots can drink it. They also have a "Matsusaka Carrot and Apple Mix Juice" which contains 30% apples.
Why not take one with you on your walks around town or as a souvenir from Matsusaka? It's also recommended as a gift for health-conscious people.
◆Product Overview
Product name: "Matsusaka carrot juice" "Mixed juice of Matsusaka carrots and apples"
Capacity: 200ml/bottle
Price: From 1,715 yen (tax included) / Trial set of 2
Company name: Farm Stage Co., Ltd.
Available at: Gon Mame, Iitaka Station Roadside Station, Matsusaka Community Products Center, online shopping sites, etc.
*All ingredients are domestically produced (carrots are from Matsusaka)
In the Mikumo and Ureshino areas, attention is focused on local ingredients such as strawberries and pork buns!
The Mikumo and Ureshino area has a lot to offer, including a strawberry farmer's direct sales store, an electronics store selling pork buns, and shops selling fresh local ingredients. All of these places are about 15 minutes by car from Matsusaka Station, so why not combine your visit with sightseeing in Matsusaka city?
For more gourmet spots in Matsusaka, be sure to check out this article:
We will also introduce various other Matsusaka specialties and local products! ▼
Other articles related to Matsusaka are also available! Check them out! ▼
Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture is located almost in the center of Japan, where you can enjoy world-class gourmet Matsusaka beef, rich history and culture, and beautiful nature. During the Edo period, Matsusaka was the final post town for pilgrimages to Ise-mairi (a pilgrimage to Japan's highest-ranking shrine). These merchants succeeded in trading Matsusaka cotton in Edo and brought prosperity to Matsusaka.
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