The temperature has dropped in Hokkaido and autumn has arrived. Autumn is the season for food and sports! So, we would like to introduce you to "Memuro Sanso", a cycling trip where you can enjoy the charms of Memuro town.

What is Memuro Sanso, a tour that allows you to enjoy Memuro town with all five senses?

Memuro Town supports food production in Japan. Not only the food that comes from agriculture, but also the rural landscape woven by careful work that has been handed down for generations, and the people who create it. "Memuro Sanso" is an activity that allows you to experience the charm of Memuro town with all your senses as you cycle through it. Our local guides and supporters will show you the best route for that season and time. You can rest assured as they also lend out electric assist bicycles, helmets, gloves, etc. You will receive a lesson on how to ride a bicycle, and the tour will proceed at a leisurely pace, stopping along the way, so even people who don't usually ride bicycles can enjoy the tour empty-handed.

Easily ride an electric-assist bicycle up the hill to the Shin-Arashiyama Sky Park Observatory

Running briskly through the vast fields

"Memuro Walking" allows you to enjoy the town from various angles

Memuro Sanso is currently accepting participants for six tours. You can enjoy Memuro Town from various angles, such as the "Specialty Bakery Walk" that takes you around various bakeries, the "Moo Moo Walk" where you can experience feeding milk to calves, and the "Quick Walk Around Shin-Arashiyama" where you can enjoy the spectacular views of Memuro Town.

The Domingo editorial team participated in a cherry tomato and corn picking run in August, so it's not included in this list.

A harvesting experience tour where you can experience the gratitude for vegetables and the joy of harvesting

This time, I participated in a tour that started at JR Memuro Station and involved harvesting corn and cherry tomatoes. Our guide this time will be Mr. Oikawa from the NPO Qucurcus.

We rent an electric assist bicycle, helmet, gloves, etc. and set off immediately. After driving a little further out of the city, we entered a vast field.

We stopped our bikes and were taught the difference between corn for food and corn for animal feed, and we cycled for about 15 minutes, asking questions like, "What is being planted here?" We arrived at the corn field of Takano, a young farmer who practices with pride and dedication. To prevent the crops from getting diseased, we put on shoe covers before entering the fields, and then it's time to start harvesting corn!

To prevent the crops from becoming diseased, they enter the fields covered.

We've harvested some great corn!

Freshly picked corn "Gold Rush"

The variety we harvested this time was "Gold Rush." We decided to try eating freshly picked corn raw! We took a bite and found it to be very sweet and juicy! The carefully selected corn grown in Memuro Town, a major sweet corn producing area, was incredibly delicious. After enjoying the corn, we visited the cherry tomato greenhouse, which is also grown by Takano, and had the opportunity to harvest the tomatoes.

Farmer Takano

Freshly picked mini tomatoes "Carol"

Takano tells us that these cherry tomatoes are a variety called "Carol." It was a shiny, sweet and delicious tomato that I couldn't stop eating!

Takano-san and his beloved dog Aki-chan

If you're lucky, you might even get to meet Takano's cats and dogs. I enjoyed the vast landscape of Memuro Town, cycled while feeling the fresh air, and was moved by the taste of freshly picked vegetables. It was a truly fulfilling time where I was able to enjoy the charm of Memuro Town with all five senses.

We want you to enjoy Memuro Town with all your senses and become a fan!

We spoke to Mr. Oikawa from Qucurcus, the NPO that runs the Memuro Sanso event.

"At Memuro Sanso, we want participants to not just see the scenery of Memuro Town, but to have an experience that goes beyond that. We would be happy if more people become fans who want to come back to this town through the interactions and experiences they have with other people." Oikawa himself has traveled to many places and has learned from his own experience that the most important thing to get people to become fans is to "connect with people." We place great importance on communication with the people at the places we visit along the tour, as well as with our tour guides, and hope that they will be able to make connections with us. People who have experienced "Memuro Sanso" have said, "Listening to talks about vegetables and actually experiencing harvesting has changed the way I look at vegetables!" "I was amazed to see that vegetables that I had only seen in supermarkets grow like this in the fields!" "I learned about the effort and care that goes into growing vegetables, and it changed the way I eat and live my life!" There are voices saying things like this. I also participated in the tour, learned about vegetables from guide Oikawa and farmer Takano, and actually had the chance to harvest them, which made me a big fan of Oikawa and Takano, and of Memuro Town. I'm sure you'll become a big fan too if you experience Memuro Sanso!

Experience "Memuro Sanso" now

As I mentioned earlier, we are currently recruiting for six types of "Memuro Walking" events. The vegetables that can be harvested vary depending on the season, so it might be fun to participate in a program aimed at picking the vegetables you want to harvest.

This weekend, there will be a seaberry harvesting event in Shihoro! Please check it out! ■ Shihoro Walking Tour: Seabury Edition

To participate in the "Memuro Walking Tour", please fill in the application form on our website or Facebook! Please check the calendar on the website for the dates of the event before applying!