Melo Villareal
Inside Gamagori Orange Park in Aichi Prefecture, Japan
During our second day in Japan, we spent the morning touring one of Toyota’s plants to see up close the manufacturing processes that have made Toyota the world’s most successful automobile producer.
After our visit to Toyota Motor, we headed straight to Gamagori Orange Park in Aichi Prefecture to have lunch and pick some oranges.
Situated on the coast of Mikawa Bay in southeastern Aichi Prefecture, Gamagori is known as the regional commercial center and fishing port, and is also noted for its orange production.
Gamagori also features onsens, or hot spring resorts, and some of them are located near its beachfront. Most of the hot springs are famous for the medicinal properties of their water. This is why many local and foreign tourists visit these hot spring resorts.
Gamagori Orange Park Shop
Upon arrival at Gamagori Orange Park, we proceeded to the restaurant to try out their famous Asari Kamamabushi Gozen lunch. This meal consists of clam kamameshi, kishimen pot, tempura, eggplant miso, grilled Pacific saury, seasoned cod, sardine roe, Tsukudani clams, and pickles.
Spicy Japanese Noodles for Lunch
Lunch Set at Gamagori Orange Park Restaurant
One of the restaurant’s staff members was exceptionally friendly, and to our surprise, she spoke Tagalog. She definitely helped us decide what to order, and she even recommended that we try their freshly squeezed orange, which was picked directly from their farm.
How to Pick Oranges
Our lunch experience was followed by a quick visit to Gamagori Orange Park to pick oranges ourselves. Although orange picking can be done year-round, our visit was perfect, since October to December was actually the best period for picking oranges.
Orange Picking at Gamagori Orange Park
Upon reaching the orange orchard, we noticed a Filipina-looking staff. And we were right! We verified she was Pinoy after hearing her say “Kamusta po kayo?” She then assisted us and explained how to properly pick and how to spot a sweet one.
Gamagori Orange Park
Inside the park, our entrance fee already includes a license to eat as many oranges as we can consume. However, bringing oranges outside the orchard involves an additional fee. Gamagori Orange Park has a 2.5-hectare orange farm with 25,000 mandarin orange trees and a 2.4-hectare greenhouse area where strawberries and melons are grown at different times of the year.
Melo at Gamagori Orange Park
Flights from Manila to Nagoya, Japan
Cebu Pacific Air, the leading airline in the Philippines, flies between Manila and Nagoya (Chubu Centrair International Airport) every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Book your flights through CebuPacificAir.com. For updates and seat sale announcements, check out www.facebook.com/
Gamagori Orange Park
Address: Ogurimi 1-93, Seida-cho, Gamagori-city, Aichi 443-0002
Phone: (0533) 68-1101
Fax: (0533) 68-2321
Email: mail@orepa.jp
Website: http://www.orepa.jp/
