1 Day Private Tour from Nagano: Fruits-Picking & Family Fun Activities in a Samurai Town

Do you have a sweet tooth that only fresh fruit can satisfy? Do you enjoy home activities such as board games, crafts, or music? Connect with the more rustic areas on your Japan trip through Nagano, where you’ll have the opportunity to indulge in the seasonal delights of fruit-picking while immersing yourself in some traditional crafts and games that you may not find anywhere else on your ventures within the country. This private tour offers a tasty blend of adventure in seasonal fruits that you pick yourself and an appreciation for local culture in games and experiences that the entire family can enjoy!

Highlights

• Visit a seasonal fruit farm, where you will be allowed to pick and eat as many fruits within a scheduled time-frame.
• Enjoy a prepared lunch inside of a local restaurant in Matsushiro town.
• Participate in a rousing traditional fan-throwing game of “Tōsenkyō,” where you will compete against each other, or collaboratively to score points.
• Participate in samurai ‘katana’ (sword) practice and other period activities at the Bunbu Gakko Military Arts School of Matsushiro

Want to join this tour from Tokyo? It’s easy to do! Scroll to the bottom for our FAQs including train services that can you use to join the tour!

Description

This private tour starts at Nagano Station, where you guide will greet you at 09:35 and have you board the tour bus and head to the seasonal fruit farm, where locals work hard daily to produce the fruit for locals and foreigners alike.

On your mark, get set, pick! Get ready to explore the lush orchards of Nagano and immerse yourself in the age-old tradition of fruit-picking. Depending on the season, you’ll have the chance to pluck ripe, succulent fruits straight from the plant! Whether it’s juicy peaches in summer, crisp apples in autumn, or sweet strawberries in spring, enjoy unlimited fruit picking within the time limit, and some of the farms even let you take some home for a price! Engage your senses as you taste some of the freshest produce in Japan amidst a rural backdrop in the morning sun, and leave the farm with a happy heart toward Matsushiro Town for a proper lunch, fan throwing, and katana practice!

Please note that each fruit can only be picked at a certain time of year. Please see below for the specific fruit being picked at each period the tour is available:

January to May — Strawberry picking
June — Cherry picking
Late June to July — Grape picking
September to November — Apple picking

Please note that there are no official fruits to pick during August or December, but we do have an alternative local food creation experience with a similar itinerary in the following tour if your date is unavailable to be booked: 1-Day Samurai Food & Life Tour: Oyaki, Samurai Residences, and Katana Practice.

There also may be available peach picking in August, but as this is not a stable activity to be planned in advance like other fruits, please inquire using the general inquiry button below if you wish to see if you can schedule a peach picking time in August!

After arriving Matsushiro, take a brief stroll through the town and appreciate the various period buildings and architecture on the way to the local lunch venue.

After your satisfying lunch, you will continue your journey onward to central Matsushiro to delve deeper into the rich samurai history of the area. As the former stronghold of the legendary Sanada clan, Matsushiro was established an important strategic base during the ‘Sengoku Jidai’ / Warring States Period and thriving domain of the samurai class during the latter Edo Period. Largely undiscovered by international visitors, Matsushiro is home to some of the best-preserved samurai residences and other Edo Period buildings in Japan.

Participate in a rousing round of Tōsenkyō, a traditional Japanese fan-tossing game that originated in the Edo period. Dating back to the 17th century, Tōsenkyō involves throwing fans into a target on a wooden platform in a graceful and precise manner. The elegance of this pastime is embodied by the many different and weird ways to score points, which you will learn from your teacher, guide and judges. Time will fly like the fans you throw in this addicting game that you will be on your way to buy some Japanese fans yourself!

From there it’s onto the Bunbu Gakko Literary & Military Arts School, where sons of high-ranking samurai families studied during the Edo Period. Arriving around 14:00, your guide will introduce you to the history of the school before you can get hands-on, with ‘katana’ (sword) practice led by local instructor who will lead you through a series of maneuvers including attack and defense. Suitable for both children and adults, you’ll then have the chance to put on imitation samurai armor – a fun and engaging way to learn all about Nagano’s samurai past. You’ll then board the day’s transportation once more accompanied back to Nagano Station by your guide to say your goodbyes after a fulfilling day.

After a full day of fruits and activities, the private vehicle will depart and begin the journey back toward Nagano Station, where the tour is scheduled to conclude where it started at 17:30

Included

• Transportation fee to and between all listed destinations and activities including the selected fruit farm and Matsushiro town
• Entry fee to the selected fruit farm for fruit picking
• Private English Speaking Guide
• Various activities in Matsushiro town
• English-speaking guide
• Lunch

Excluded

• Additional travel costs including train tickets
• Accommodation

Other Information

• The specific fruit that is picked in this tour depends on the time of year. The schedule is as follows: strawberry picking from January to May, June — Cherry picking, peach picking from July to August; grape picking in September; apple picking from September to November. Please understand that you cannot pick a fruit that is not currently in season in the region.