{"id":89968,"date":"2016-08-25T12:13:43","date_gmt":"2016-08-25T03:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?post_type=feature&p=89968&lang=en"},"modified":"2017-06-13T12:58:12","modified_gmt":"2017-06-13T03:58:12","slug":"grape-fig-picking-in-tanushimaru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/grape-fig-picking-in-tanushimaru\/","title":{"rendered":"Grape & Fig Picking in Tanushimaru"},"content":{"rendered":"

The town of Tanushimaru is famous as the birthplace of Kyoho grapes, known as the \u201cking of grapes\u201d. It\u2019s also where the first vineyards in Japan were opened to tourists. The area is blessed with beautiful natural scenery including the Chikugogawa River (the largest river in Kyushu), the lush green Chikushi Plains and the Minou Mountain Range. Fruit farms are everywhere and await your visit!<\/p>\n

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\nA kappa<\/em>, mischievous imp, holding some of Tanushimaru’s signature fruits.<\/p>\n

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Fruit-Picking Time<\/strong>
\nOnce you\u2019ve tasted freshly picked, tree-ripened fruits, you\u2019ll never go back to store bought!
\nGrape: Aug. 10 ~ late Sep.
\nFig: mid-Aug. ~ mid-Nov.
\nPersimmon: mid-Oct. ~ late Nov.
\nClementine: late Oct. ~ late Nov.
\nStrawberry: late Jan. ~ mid-May<\/p>\n

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Grape Picking<\/strong>
\n1. There are approximately 150 vineyards in Tanushimaru, 59 of which are members of a growers\u2019 association. Look for their green signs.
\n2. Entry is free; includes some (limited) tasting.
\n3. Peek inside the hole in the paper bag to check size and color. Then use scissors to cut the stem.
\n4. You pay for what you pick. Prices vary by season, but generally \u00a51,100 ~ \u00a52,000\/kg.
\n5. There are various kinds of grapes, including their famous dark purple Khoyo, green Muscat and others.<\/p>\n

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Fig Picking<\/strong>
\nYou can also pick naturally grown figs at two farms in Tanushimaru. Varieties include Banane figs from France, which have green skins and can be eaten without peeling, and the honey-sweet Toyomitsuhime figs.
\n\u2022 \u00a51,000 ~ \u00a51,500\/kg
\n\u2022 Free entry, tasting allowed.
\n\u2022 Eco Farm Yokomizo-en (0943-73-0808), Seiko Farm (090-4349-2104)<\/p>\n

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Kyoho Grape Winery<\/strong>
\nBrewing wine from 100% Tanushimaru-grown Kyoho grapes, this is Kyushu\u2019s oldest winery (since 1972), with a wine-making process unique to Japan. Besides Kyoho grapes, they also produce fruit wine from fruits such as blueberries, Amaou strawberries and persimmons picked from neighboring farms. Tours of their underground cellar and wine tastings (and shopping) are available, and there\u2019s a very pleasant cafe serving meals (Restaurant Heurige).<\/p>\n

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Kyoho Grape Winery<\/strong>
\n246-1 Masuoda, Tanushimaru-machi, Kurume
\nTel.: 0943-72-2382
\nOpen: 9:00~17:00
\nClosed: New Year\u2019s period
\nwww.kyoho-winery.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Restaurant Heurige<\/strong>
\nLunch: 11:00~15:00, Cafe: 15:00~17:00 (L.O.: 16:00), Dinner: reservations required
\nClosed: Tue. (following day if Tue. is Hol.), New Years period
\nTel.: 0943-72-2877<\/p>\n

Chez Sagara<\/strong>
\nLocated just a few minutes by car from Tanushimaru Station, this bakery offers 50 kinds of heavenly baked goodies every day. The owner trained at popular shops and bakeries before opening this bakery in his hometown in 2003. The bakery has since grown in popularity; now, it is not only loved by locals, but some pilgrimage here from far, far away. If you\u2019re lucky, you\u2019ll arrive just as they set out a fresh batch of flaky, buttery croissants. This not just another countryside bakery, but one that would be raved about even in the most sophisticated cities. Prepare to be impressed.<\/p>\n

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Chez Sagara<\/strong>
\nAddress: 873-12 Masuoda, Tanushimaru-machi, Kurume, Fukuoka
\nTel.: 0943-73-3680
\nHours: 8:00~17:00 (Sun.: 8:00~18:00)
\nClosed: Tue. and Wed.
\nhttp:\/\/www.chez-sagara.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Access<\/strong><\/p>\n

Car<\/strong>
\nVia toll road: Fukuoka IC ~ Amagi IC, \u00a51,190 (approx. 40 min.); then head southward on Route 33 for approx. 15 min. Arrive at Tanushimaru Sta.
\nVia Urban Expressway & toll road: Tenjin Kita ~ Dazaifu, \u00a5620 (approx. 20 min.); Dazaifu IC ~ Amagi IC, \u00a5880 (approx. 25 min.)<\/p>\n

JR Train<\/strong>
\nHakata Sta. ~ Tanushimaru Sta. (incl. 1 transfer), \u00a51,110 (approx. 1 hr. 10 min., excl. transfer time)<\/p>\n

Detailed breakdown:
\nTake the Kagoshima Honsen Line (bound for Omuta): Hakata Sta. \u2192 Kurume Sta. (approx. 35~40 min.)
\nChange to Kyudai Honsen Line (bound for Hita): Kurume Sta. \u2192 Tanushimaru Sta. (approx. 30 min.).<\/p>\n

Nishitetsu Bus<\/strong>
\nNishitetsu Tenjin Expressway Bus Terminal ~ Tanushimaru Chuo (incl. 2 transfers), \u00a52,180 (approx. 2 hr. 25 min., excl. transfer time)<\/p>\n

Detailed breakdown:
\nTake the Nishitetsu Bus (Rapid) Airport Bus (bound for Fukuoka Airport International Terminal): Nishitetsu Tenjin Expressway Bus Terminal \u2192 Fukuoka International Airport.
\nChange to Nishitetsu Bus (Expressway) (bound for JR Kurume Sta. (Nawate)): Fukuoka International Airport \u2192 Nishitetsu Kurume
\nChange to Nishitetsu Bus No. 20 or 23 (bound for Yoshii and Ukiha): Nishitetsu Kurume \u2192 Tanushimaru Chuo<\/p>\n

Bike Rental<\/strong>
\nRental station: JR Tanushimaru Sta.
\nRental hours: 9:00~17:00
\nClosed: Tue., 12\/29 ~ 1\/4
\nGeneral and children\u2019s bikes: \u00a5300 (for 4 hrs or less), \u00a5500 (1 day)
\nMotorized bicycles: \u00a5500 (for 4 hrs or less), \u00a5800 (1 day)
\n*Bicycles are available to rent until 30 min. before closing time.
\nReservations recommended.
\nTel.: 0943-72-4956 (Kurume Bureau of Tourism and International Exchange, Tanushimaru Office)<\/p>\n

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Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn213<\/a>, Sep. 2016)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The town of Tanushimaru is famous as the birthplace of Kyoho grapes, known as the \u201cking of grapes\u201d. It\u2019s also where the first…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"89968","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4914],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-others","location-kurume","en-US"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/fn213-tanushimaru-2016-026.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89968"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99412,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89968\/revisions\/99412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}