Ushimado Town in Okayama Prefecture faces the Seto Inland Sea, which is sometimes referred to as the Aegean Sea of Japan. This is in part due to the abundance of produce that is grown successfully around the sea's shoreline, including olives. Around 2,000 olive trees are cultivated at the Ushimado Olive Garden, and there is an annual festival held here which has been running for almost 30 years.
The festival includes a wide variety of fun activities for attendees, including an olive harvesting experience, demonstrations of how olive oil is extracted from olives, tastings of the aforementioned olive oil, and guided tours of the olive garden.
Admission to the event itself is free, but there will be various olive products for sale – bring some yen if you intend to make a purchase.
Getting there
The Ushimado Olive Garden can be accessed via bus from Oku Station (JR Akō Line). Take the Tobi Bus bound for Ushimado, and the entrance to the olive garden takes around 20 minutes to reach.
Kim Bergström @kim.b
Almost 12 years living in Asia. Passionate about Japan's off-the-beaten-path spots, family-friendly travel, flower events (all of them!) and the amazing tea culture here. 🍵🌼🌸
