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Mikan trees heavy with fruit on a hillside above Sagami Bay

Seasonal guide · October to December

Mikan picking in Yugawara.

Every autumn the orchards on the hills above town open for picking. Eat as many sweet Yugawara mikan as you like, looking out over Sagami Bay, for ¥500.

When to go

Yugawara's mikan ripen from early October, while the hills from Oku-Yugawara up to Hakone turn red. In 2026 the orchards open Sat 10 Oct – Thu 17 Dec, 9:00–15:00.

The office closes in rain and bad weather, and nobody picks up the phone on those days, so check the forecast before you set out.

How it works

  • Start at the office

    The mikan picking office is under the JR railway bridge by the Chitose River (5-22-14 Doi). Pay there, and staff drive you out to the orchards. You can't drive to the orchards yourself.

  • Eat all you like

    In the orchard, eat as many as you like: adults ¥500, children ¥400, under school age ¥300. Mikan to take home are extra.

  • Coming by train

    Call the office on 0465-63-1920 (9:00–15:00) for a pickup from Yugawara Station. If there's no answer, they may be driving other guests; try again a little later.

Rows of mikan trees with ripe fruit, the sea behind
Mikan trees on the hills above the sea · Photo: Matt Ketchum

By car

On Route 135, turn at the Yugawara Onsen Iriguchi lights and follow the road along the Chitose River until you reach the JR railway bridge. The office is underneath it.

Getting to Yugawara

Make a day of it

Picking takes a morning, and the office is by the Chitose River near the station, so it pairs well with lunch in town and a bath in the afternoon. From mid-November to early December, the maples at Ikemine are worth the trip up the valley.

Lunch near the station

Arai Shoten serves Peruvian lunches from 12:00 (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays), Kappo Shirako has fish set lunches and Saluté has pizza and pasta (both closed Mondays), and Chaos makes burgers until 14:00. With children, add the Chibori sweets factory by the station.

A bath before the train

Hotel Shiroyama, two minutes from the station, opens its baths to day visitors until 22:30. Miyakami no Yu is a riverside day bath with no regular closing day, open from 7:00, a short bus ride up the valley, and Kogome no Yu by Man'yō Park is the town's own (closed Mondays).

Where to stay

For a group, Shiroyamakan (formerly Shiroyama Bekkan) rents out the whole annex of an onsen inn two minutes from the station, with a spring-fed bath and room for 12. Treeside is four minutes from the station, with rooms and apartments. On a budget, Yugawara Share House has private rooms 13 minutes up the hill. Matt's friend Masato runs it. Up in the onsen district, Hotel Shikisai runs a microbus from the station and is easy with children, and Genzan Uenoya is old Yugawara in a 1930 wooden inn. Friends of Matt's run Shiroyamakan.

Quick answers

When is mikan picking season in Yugawara?

In 2026 the orchards open Sat 10 Oct – Thu 17 Dec. The office is open 9:00–15:00 every day of the season, except in rain or bad weather.

How much does it cost?

Adults ¥500, children ¥400, under school age ¥300, and you can eat as many as you like in the orchard. Mikan to take home cost extra.

Can I drive to the orchards?

No. Park at the mikan picking office under the JR bridge by the Chitose River, and staff drive you out to the orchards.

I'm coming by train. How do I get there?

Call the office on 0465-63-1920 (9:00–15:00) and they'll pick you up from Yugawara Station. If no one answers, they may be out driving guests; try again a little later.

Official event page (Japanese) ↗What else is on in Yugawara →Ikemine maples →

Bathe and stay nearby

Day baths

Every day bath in Yugawara, compared →

Places to stay

All places to stay →