We recently spent a day at Midori Farm, a delightful tourist farm tucked away in Ide Town, Tsuzuki-gun, Kyoto Prefecture. Just 35 minutes by JR Nara Line from Kyoto Station to Yamashiro-taga Station, followed by a gentle 15-minute walk, the farm sits in a pocket of serene countryside that feels worlds away from the city. Here, fruit picking and seasonal activities take centre stage against a backdrop of rolling hills and birdsong.

【Attraction Tickets】2026 Tokyo Ariake RÊVE DES LUMIÈRES Dream of Light Ticket【Skip the Queue, No Ticket Exchange Required】

Book tomorrow before 18:00

HKD 58 Start

Book now

【1-Day Tour Routes】Departing from Shinjuku | 2026.9.12 Gunma Fireworks Spectacular & Fukiware Falls & Seasonal Grape Picking Day Tour (Minimum 9 Pax)

Available 2026-09-12

HKD 649 Start

Book now

Grape Picking and a BBQ: A Day of Pure Joy

The headline experience this season is grape picking paired with a barbecue (running until around mid-October or until sold out — reservations are essential). Each guest gets to harvest two bunches of grapes, with one or two varieties available depending on timing. On our visit, we sampled the deep-purple Pione grapes. A quick tip from the staff: the darker the grape, the sweeter the bite — and they weren't wrong. Each cluster was a burst of jammy richness, and hunting for the ripest bunches felt like a treasure hunt through the vines.

After the picking came the real feast: a DIY barbecue with locally grown shiitake mushrooms starring in both the grill and the mushroom rice. The setting was casual and convivial — exactly the kind of slow, laughter-filled afternoon that recharges the soul. We left full, content, and already planning our return.

This is the kind of place that works for everyone: families with children, groups of friends, or couples looking for a nature-filled date. Each season brings new flavours — from mandarin orange picking in autumn to shiitake mushroom hunting. On weekends and holidays, there's even a goldfish-scooping game by the stream, which had both kids and adults equally hooked.

The Rich History and Unique Charm of Ide Town

There's more to this corner of Kyoto than fruit. The tea plantations tucked into the forests of Taga are part of a Japan Heritage site — "Japanese Tea: Eight Centuries of Tradition." While many old tea fields across Japan have been reclaimed by woodland, these survived precisely because the forest microclimate proved ideal for cultivating top-quality leaves. It's a living museum of tea culture, and the locals are warm and eager to share their stories.

Bonus stop: Taka-jinja Shrine is a mere 10-minute walk from the farm. Founded in the year 711, the shrine is home to one of Kyoto's 100 designated landscapes — the Chinju no Mori sacred grove — and holds some of Japan's earliest records of sarugaku, a precursor to Noh theatre. The surrounding area is also loved for its hiking trails, spring cherry blossoms and early-summer fireflies.

Taka-jinja Shrine

Dating back to 711, Taka-jinja Shrine has been a cornerstone of local spiritual life for over 1,300 years. Its sacred grove, recognised as one of the 100 Landscapes of Kyoto, envelops visitors in a profound stillness.