An Ukiha Harvest–Persimmon Picking
Ukiha-machi is located in southeastern Fukuoka Prefecture near the Chikugo River. Blessed with extremely fertile soil, it has become a verdant agricultural village known for terraced rice paddies, green tourism, and orchards and vineyards. Fruit cultivation flourishes in this area, and the fields are laden with brilliantly colored fruit throughout the year–strawberries in spring, peaches and grapes in summer, and Japanese pears and persimmons in fall. Fall is also the season for pleasure trips, overlapping the peak period for the fruit harvest. The orchard and vineyard area in town is called the Ukiha Fruit Village and has become a popular sightseeing destination. Many families and couples make special trips to Ukiha to enjoy harvesting the fruit. Pruning shears in hand, they carefully check the look, fragrance, and shape. The sweetness of the fresh fruit is exceptional when eaten freshly picked. Activity this time of year is focused on the persimmon harvest from mid-October to the end of November. There are eight farms in town where visitors can pick persimmons and enjoy their delicious sweetness on the spot. Admission to all the farms is free. Pickers pay 550 yen for each kilogram of persimmons they pick to take home!
Persimmon picking / Orchards in town
Ichinose-yaki Ceramics Festival
Ichinose-yaki was popularized by the ceramicists Toyotomi Hideyoshi brought back to Japan from Korea. The kilns were shut down several times over the years, but a group of volunteers in the town refired the kilns and resumed operations in 1959. There are currently five kilns in operation using time-honored techniques, keeping the tradition alive for future generations.
