Citrus workshop with Mr. Toshikazu Iwasaki Harvest Amanatsu in an orchard with a fantastic view (4 hours)｜Tourism

[Tsunagi, Kumamoto] Meet a master citrus farmer!

Citrus workshop with Mr. Toshikazu Iwasaki:
Harvest Amanatsu Citrus in an orchard with a fantastic view (4 hours)

Mr. Iwasaki's orchard overlooking the former Akasaki Elementary School

Hear Mr. Iwasaki talk about Amanatsu farming

Enjoy fresh pressed juice made from the Amanatsu you picked.

Visit the large outdoor installation “Nyukon House(Inn of Souls)” along the way

On this tour, you will meet with farmers who aim to grow citrus fruits without relying on pesticides and fertilizers as much as possible, do some work with them in the orchard, see how trees are pruned and the soil is maintained, and actually taste the citrus fruits. Visit Toshikazu Iwasaki’s Amanatsu orchard on a hill overlooking the former Akasaki Elementary School. Tour the orchard and try your hand at harvesting Amanatsu. Enjoy fresh pressed juice made from the Amanatsu you picked. Hear about what it takes to maintain the trees and soil in an Amanatsu orchard on a daily basis. This program is designed to give participants an idea of just how much time and effort goes into organic citrus production.

● Visit a citrus orchard that uses as few pesticides and fertilizers as possible.
● Experience harvesting Amanatsu oranges in a beautiful orchard.
● Taste fresh juice made from the harvested Amanatsu
● Enjoy lunch made from local vegetables.

Toshikazu IwasakiAmanatsu farmer

Mr. Iwasaki worked in the Kansai region for 45 years before retiring and returning to his hometown of Tsunagi and taking over his father's abandoned farm. After encountering many allergy sufferers in the Kansai region and experiencing a major illness himself, Mr. Iwasaki decided to grow citrus fruits without relying on the use of fertilizers or pesticides.

Destination Info

Tsunagi: A Town of Citrus and Art

With a population of around 4,500, Tsunagi Town is located in southern Kumamoto Prefecture. It is a beautiful town on the calm Yatsushiro Sea with abundant citrus groves dotting its hillsides. Tsunagi has been working on “Community Building Through Art”, an art-based initiative to reinvigorate the region in the wake of Minamata disease. Additionally, through a community farm, it aims to promote natural farming that uses as little pesticides and fertilizer as possible.

Scenery of Shiranui Sea(Yatsushiro Sea) and Citrus Fields

Tsunagi FARM Project

Tsunagi is one of the towns that was ravaged by Minamata disease. The project called “Tsunagi FARM” aims to grow produce using as few pesticides and fertilizers as possible to keep the waters clean. The farm holds regular workshops with experts like Masanori Doho, known for his revolutionary pruning methods, and Tomonori Yano, who works to spread the word about his unique soil preparation and grass-cutting methods

Program Contents

Toshikazu Iwasaki, Amanatsu farmer

Mr. Iwasaki worked in the Kansai region for 45 years before retiring and returning to his hometown of Tsunagi and taking over his father’s abandoned farm. After encountering many allergy sufferers in the Kansai region and experiencing a major illness himself, Mr. Iwasaki decided to grow citrus fruits without relying on the use of fertilizers or pesticides.

Learn about citrus fruits in a fun way

If you are interested in organic citrus and how to grow it, or you have inherited a citrus tree from a parent or friend but do not know how to care for it and make it bear fruit, then this program is right for you. We hope this tour will not only be a valuable learning experience but will also provide opportunities to exchange ideas about how to continue safe and reliable farming and make the most out of citrus fruits.

Enjoy fresh pressed juice made from the Amanatsu you picked

You can take home some of the Amanatsu you have picked, but you can also enjoy fresh pressed juice on the spot.

Nothing beats the taste of fresh juice right in the orchard

Yukinori Yanagi: Inn of Souls

Yukinori Yanagi is a contemporary artist who was born in Fukuoka, Japan. His works contain messages that question social issues and can be found in museums around the world. Inn of Souls is a large-scale outdoor piece that features a renovated swimming pool in the former Akasaki Elementary School. This work questions the history of mankind and was inspired by Michiko Ishimure’s poem called Souls. Michiko Ishimure has produced many works about Minamata, a town next to Tsunagi. In one of her poems, Michiko Ishimure described this body of water as a place where “the sea and sky join together”.Guests will stop by on the way to Mr. Iwasaki’s farm to view this work.

*Inn of Souls* was created by renovating the swimming pool of an abandoned elementary school

The surrounding herbs were grown by residents of the town

The “Icarus Cell” allows visitors to see the sea and sky reflected in indoor mirrors

Lunch made from local vegetables

For lunch, you will be served a meal made with local organic vegetables and rice.

＼Tour Participant Comments／

・Mr. Iwasaki’s explanations were very thorough. I really learned a lot. It was also great to hear his reasons for committing to natural farming methods.
・Mr. Iwasaki was very kind and easy to talk to. I was concerned about visiting his orchard by myself because of the narrow roads, but someday I hope I can go visit him again.

Tour Code	GKTN06
Dates	Tour days: Up to 10 people per group; 2 tours per group per year Late February – early March (tentative)
Duration	4 hours
Schedule	12:00 Meet; introductions; lunch made from local vegetables (Tsunagi Hyakkado(Tsunagi Store)) 13:30 Make your own way to Mr. Iwasaki’s citrus orchard (15 mins. by car, one-way) 13:40 Visit the large outdoor installation “Nyukon House(Inn of Souls)” along the way (view the exterior or pay to enter) 14:20 Tour the orchard; harvest Amanatsu; drink fresh juice 15:30 Recap and discussion (End time: 16:00)
Language	Japanese
No. of Participants	Minimum: 5 / Maximum: 10
Meeting place	Tsunagi Hyakkado(Tsunagi Store) 1601 Iwaki, Tsunagi Town, Ashikita-gun, Kumamoto Pref. ※By public transportation 1) Take the Kyushu Shinkansen from Hakata Station to Shin-Minamata Station (about 1 hour and 10 minutes). 2A) From Shin-Minamata Station, take a cab (about 15 minutes). 2B) From Shin-Minamata Station, take the Hisatsu-Orange Railway to Tsunagi Station (10 minutes). Take a cab from Tsunagi Station (about 10 minutes). 2C) Rent a car from in front of Shin-Minamata Station (about 15 minutes) ※By Car Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes from Hakata. Free parking is available.
Dress code	・ Clothing that can get dirty, hat (to provide protection from the sun) ・ Boots or hiking shoes
What to bring	・ Work gloves ・ Writing utensils ・ Water bottle
Nots about Citrus workshop	・ Farmers from the orchard or our staff will lead the way from Tsunagi Hyakkado(Tsunagi Store) to the orchard. Please follow in your own car or a taxi. Please let us know if you need help arranging a taxi. ・ Due to the weather or other factors, you may not be able to harvest Amanatsu on the day of the tour, and you will be given other Amanatsu to take home with you. Thank you for your understanding. ・ Students of elementary school age and younger must attend with a parent or guardian. We ask parents to keep an eye on their children as this is a working orchard, not a tourist site, and there are some dangerous areas like stone walls. ・ If you want to purchase more Amanatsu, you can place an order at Tsunagi Hyakkado(Tsunagi Store).
Other Notes	・ This is a program that requires participants to travel to the meeting place on their own. ・ UNA Laboratories staff will not accompany guests on this program. ・ All photos are for illustrative purposes only. ・ The insurance included in the experience fee is Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company Ltd.’s 1-day leisure insurance, which covers liability (for the person himself/herself only): 100 million yen, accidental death insurance: 3 million yen, accidental hospitalization insurance: 90,000 yen, broken bone insurance: 90,000 yen, and emergency medical expenses: 2 million yen. ・ The tour will be canceled in the event that it becomes difficult to smoothly conduct the tour due to the new coronavirus infection situation, wind and wave conditions, or other factors. If the tour is canceled, the full amount of the tour fee will be refunded.
Cancellation Policy	If you wish to cancel your reservation, please contact us as soon as possible. In the event of cancellation due to the customer’s convenience, the following cancellation fees will apply: – Cancellation 7 to 2 days prior: 30% of the fee – Cancellation on the day before: 50% of the fee – Cancellation on the day of the reservation: 100% of the fee Please note that we may not be able to accommodate requests for changes due to the time of year or availability of reservations.

UNA Laboratories COVID-19 Prevention Measures

UNA Laboratories is committed to ensuring the safety of our customers, staff, and community. In accordance with municipal, national, and industry guidelines for the prevention of infectious diseases, UNA Laboratories is implementing the following measures:

1. Guides will wear a face shield during tours.
2. Guests are requested to wear a mask.
3. Hand-sanitizing alcohol will be provided.
4. We will check your temperature and general physical condition at the start of the tour. UNA Laboratories reserves the right to refuse tour participation if a customer’s temperature is over 37 degrees Celsius.
5. We strive to maintain adequate social distance throughout the tour, so the maximum number of participants will be capped at six.

Travel Planning: Implementation

Tsunagi Town Hall (2123 Kotsunagi, Tsunagi-machi, Ashikita-gun, Kumamoto)

Contact for consignment sales and inquiries

UNA Laboratories Inc. (Fukuoka Prefectural Governor Registration #2-951)
3-12-22-302 Yakuin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka Prefecture 810-0022
TEL: 092-982-7956E-MAIL: tour@unalabs.jp
Domestic Certified Travel Supervisors:
Aya Tamura, Noriko Yahata, Rei Watanabe
Business Hours:
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (Closed Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays)
*Requests received outside of business hours will be processed the following business day.
*Domestic Certified Travel Supervisors are responsible for transactions held at the sales office that processes customers’ travel. Please do not hesitate to contact the aforementioned Domestic Certified Travel Supervisors with any questions or concerns regarding the travel contract.

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