The New Year Dawns, and Iyokan Season has Finally Arrived.
This is the season when citrus fruit, raised with ample time and love by the farmers who grow them, finds its way to the masses.
In Part 2, we’ll cover the harvest celebration known as the Ehime Mikan Festival where participants celebrate the coming of the citrus harvest season.
Enjoy a look at the countless smiling faces of producers and visitors alike at the festival.
We visited Ehime’s most prominent “citrus festival” where citrus from all over the prefecture come together.
A Vast Array of
Approximately 30
Ehime Citrus Varieties
A Festival Clad in Orange
The Ehime Mikan Festival, where an abundant variety of Ehime citrus fruit is on display and for sale, was held once again this year over the two day period of January 20th and 21st.
This year was the 40th installment of this festival which aims to bring producers and consumers together.
The venue boasted an array of approximately 30 varieties, including Iyokans, satsuma mandarin oranges, and the premium citrus known as beni madonna!
Visitors to the festival were able to enjoy the atmosphere to their heart’s content by taking Iyokans and other seasonal fruits in hand and checking their refreshing scents for themselves, sampling each variety, and purchasing those that caught their attention.
Every Variety On Site is Available for Sampling!
The best part about the Ehime Mikan Festival is that every citrus variety found at the festival can be sampled.
It’s not often that you get a chance to try a whopping 30 citrus varieties in one place!
The day we visited was bustling with activity from the early morning with families, local grandmas and grandpas, couples, and all other sorts of guests.
We were told that there are many guests who visit the festival every year excited to try that year’s samples.
Sweet, Sour, and Juicy.
The Flavor of the Season is Exceptional!
“This year’s Iyokans have a deep crimson color and are on the larger side. They’re packed with juice and really tasty!” This was the comment we received from the producers and members of the JA in their Iyokan-colored happi coats.
I had them peel one for me and immediately gave it a taste. The fruit practically burst open in my mouth and released its sweet and sour juice.
When I excitedly remarked “Wow! It’s so juicy! This is completely different from any Iyokan I’ve ever had!,” I was met with the response “Right?” and a big smile.
This must be what they call the “flavor of the season.”
Plenty of Events for the Whole Family!
Smiling Faces Everywhere You Look
In addition to the display and sales of citrus fruit, there was a Mikan Speed-Peeling Competition for children, a Mikan Capsule Vending Machine where visitors had a chance to win beni madonna or setoka fruit, mikan-flavored popcorn, a faucet from which mikan juice flowed (!) called the “Pon Juice Faucet,” and many other events!
A four-year-old boy with a sweet smile who participated in the Mikan Speed-Peeling Contest told us “There were lots of citrus fruits I’d never seen before. The Iyokan and beni madonna were really good!”
A two-year-old girl who tried her hand at the Mikan Capsule Vending Machine smiled and told us “I’m gonna eat a lot of different mikans after this.”
Approximately Two Hours From Matsuyama City by Car
A Visit to Omishima Island, a Place on the Shimanami Kaido
Known as “Citrus Island”
Next, we headed for the expressway known as “Shimanami Kaido” which connects Imabari, Ehime Prefecture with Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture. This 60km-long sea road links together six islands floating in the Seto Inland Sea and is gaining popularity as the first cycling road in the country which crosses over a large channel of water.
Hearing that a farmer on one of these islands, Omishima Island, performs organic citrus cultivation and produces essential oils, we decided to go have a look for ourselves.
Island Time Enjoyed With a Salty Sea Breeze
Omishima Island, located almost right in the middle of the Shimanami Kaido, is the largest island in the prefecture.
The island is dotted with interesting locations and art spots, such as the Oyamazumi Shrine for the guardian deity of the sea, art galleries, and museums.
One can find interesting rest spots as well, such as cafes and coffee roasteries, and it is a place which makes you want to slowly explore over a long day.
Enchanted by the Scent
of Citrus, One Couple is Hard
at Work Creating
Original Essential Oils.
Citrus & Aroma - Shimakobo, run by the husband and wife duo of Yasuhiro and Eriko Matsuda who immigrated here from the Kanto region in 2012, is situated on the northeastern part of Omishima Island. Hoping to fulfill their long-time wish of living in the country and working a farm, the couple immigrated here to Omishima Island as members of the Community-Reactivating Cooperator Squad. “I was shocked by the aroma of the citrus flowers I experienced in a mikan field in May when they begin to bloom. ‘What a wonderful smell!,” I thought. When I went on to think of how I might make that aroma into a product, I came across the idea of making original essential oils.” This was Eriko’s comment when thinking back on considering whether or not she might be able to spread the allure of Oshima Island, known as “Citrus Island,” through the citrus fruit for which it is famous. Ever since that time, they have been producing island citrus through natural farming with “no pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, and no herbicides” and, with a business based on their sales of that citrus fruit, produce original items such as essential oils and floral water (herbal distillates) as well.
A Different Aroma
for Every Variety
Finding the Aroma That Fits
Your Own Personal Tastes is
Fun Too!
They produce a wide variety of original essential oils, including “Shima Lemon,” “Shima Iyokan,” “Omishima Navel,” and the green-skinned varieties of summer such as “Aomikan” and “Green Lemon.”Japanese essential oils crafted completely organically are quite rare, and they are popular among therapists as well.
We were told that they are currently being used at aromatherapy salons, hospitals, and nursing homes both within and outside of the prefecture as well.
Visiting the Place Where Island
Citrus Blessed by the Seto Inland
Sea are Born
We also paid a visit to the Iyokan fields located near the workshop where the fruit was just on the verge of harvest.
These Iyokans are showered with the sunlight and sea breezes of the Setouchi region and have a hefty weight.
The flesh of the Iyokans harvested for processing is used to make juice and jam, and the fruit’s peels are used in the creation of essential oils and floral water.
“Since we do everything ourselves by hand, from cultivating the base ingredients to harvesting, distillation, and packaging, we consider our ability to produce safe and secure products to be one of our strengths. We cultivate small amounts of a wide variety of fruit, so we can produce a variety of aromas as well. We love it when people can find the aroma that fits their tastes from our wide variety of citrus,” comments Yasuhiro.
“We’d like to focus some energy on making citrus-based cosmetics, such as soap and serums, as well. I feel like there are still a lot of things we can do with citrus fruit!” This comment from Eriko, along with her cheerful expression, gave us a sense of power just hearing it.
The workshop underwent renovations last June, and they now offer a new Hands-On Island Citrus Distillation Lecture. This new offering allows participants to harvest citrus flowers, leaves, and fruit themselves and distill them into their own floral water extracts.
This hands-on lecture is held in the spare moments between farm work and essential oil production and is quite rare and valuable, making it so popular that reservations fill up in the blink of an eye.
I fully enjoyed the Iyokan fruit at the peak of its harvest!
Our report this time began with the citrus harvest festival. I bought a ton of Iyokans at the Ehime Mikan Festival and sent them home!I was also fortunate enough to receive organic Iyokans as souvenirs from my time reporting on Omishima Island. After returning home, I was able to have an Iyokan festival all over again with my friends and family! I had my fill of the shining, orange “blessing of Ehime!”
Register with Pocky to get the latest details!
Share a JIMOTO Pocky story with your friends!
