Ecorin Tomato Forest

AdmissionFree
Opening Hours10:00 - 17:00
Closed-
Contact0123-34-7800
NotesWorld's largest tomato plant
Garden & flower store
Local market
Restaurant on site
Free parking
Location /
Getting There
15 minute bus ride from Eniwa Station
Hokkaido, Eniwa, Makiba, 281−1 061-1421


Plenty of produce

The Tomato Forest (or Tomato no Mori) is a HUGE tomato plant, that is so big, it was certified on November 13th, 2013 as the “World’s Largest Tomato Plant”. Impressive! Found in the town of Eniwa, this plant is an ordinary variety of tomato plant and is grown from one grain, which is gown through hydroponics. This feet of botanical accomplishment has seen the tomato plant reach dimensions of around 40 square meters, and produces up to 17,000 tomatoes annually! You can buy the tomatoes from the Garden Center Flower Ranch next door.


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Entrance to store, and the tomato forest

If you’re a gardener, or if you looking like to buy fresh, local produce, then the Garden Center Flower Ranch is a great spot! You can find a huge selection of ornaments for the garden and home, furniture, herbs, and a selection of indoor and outdoor plants. During the year, this store has seminars led by herbalists and gardeners to offer advice and information! They also have a wide variety of flowers to choose from. Eniwa is surrounded by many farmlands that produce fruit and vegetables. The Garden Center has a small market of local fruits and vegetables, (especially tomatoes!). These fresh foods are great not only for kitchen, but also as souvenirs! While looking around and shopping you can also stop in at the ‘Camel’ Italian restaurant for some lunch.

Opening Hours9:00 - 18:00
Closed-
Contact0123-35-2321
NotesGarden store
Market
Location /
Getting There
15 minute bus ride from Eniwa Station
Hokkaido, Eniwa, Makiba, 281−1 061-1421



Maccali’s Market

Opening Hours10:00 - 20:00
Closed-
Contact011-212-1421
NotesOrganic supermarket
Location /
Getting There
4 minute walk from Ropeway Iriguchi tram station (Sapporo)

Sapporo, Chuo, Minami 18 Jonishi, 16 Chome−2−20, Gufo 1st floor


Plenty to choose from

Maccali’s Market is a local supermarket which excels in organic products. It aims to incorporate organic life into part of the customer’s lifestyle with the concept of “casual organic” as its concept. Based in Hokkaido, they operate as retail market, a wholesale business, and an online shop. Maccali’s Market focuses on organic products which includes vegetables, textiles, and cosmetics! The market is only a 4 minute walk from the Ropeway Iriguchi tram station and being right near Mt. Moiwa and the lookout, it’s not a bad market to drop in and take a look, on the way home!


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Rusutsu Farmers’ Market

Opening Hours9:00 - 17:00
Closed-
Contact0136-47-2068
NotesFresh local vegetables
Location /
Getting There
127 Rusutsu, Rusutsu-mura, Abuta-gun, Hokkaidō 048-1731

10 minute walk


Fresh produce

Rusutsu is famous for its ski field, resort and the outlying farmlands. These farm lands produce a large variety of fresh and delicious vegetables. Rusutsu is especially famous for its daikon (radish), asparagus (green, white & purple), and potatoes. Fresh vegetables of the season are delivered directly to Farmers’ Market, making it a popular place to buy groceries for a cheap price! This supermarket is connected right next to Rusutsu Pizza Do, so it’s also a good spot to grab some lunch.


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Flowers on sale

The selection is quite vast, and each product is brought in by individual farmers. Anything from celery to chili peppers, every product has a picture of the farmer and information about them. It would be hard to find a better bargain in Hokkaido than at Farmer’s Market. Prices for cabbages, pumpkins, onions can be as little as ¥100, so there are many bargains to be found. Not are there vegetables to be found, but there are soups, seasoning, an assortment of breads, and flowers.



Ebetsu “Yakimonoichi” Ceramic Art Fair

Dates2nd weekend in July
Contact011-391-2160
ichi@yakimono21.org
Location /
Getting There
3 minute walk from JR Ebetsu Station.


 


Ebetsu Ceramic Festival

Just one of many stores

The Ebetsu “Yakimonoichi” Ceramic Art Fair is an annual festival held in the heart of Ebetsu. Ebetsu is a town on the outskirts of Sapporo (about a 20 minute drive) and is famous for its brick making. The ceramic art fair sees hundred of artists and craftspeople congregate to sell their wares over the summer weekend. Stalls and tents are set up throughout the streets, where customers can peruse at their leisure looking for a bargain out of the thousands of hand crafted items.


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The festival is relatively easy to find. Take the JR train to Ebetsu station. You will be able to see the fair from the station, just follow the crowds! If you are driving, there is only parking near the city hall which is a 10 minute walk away. The artists range from amateur to professional and there are thousands of ceramic items to choose from, whether it be some kitchenware or a small trinket to decorate the home. Prices, of course, vary depending on the artist. Don’t be afraid to barter a better price, as it’s all part of the fun!




The main event of the festival is the domino topple. About 2000 red bricks are set up on one of the streets and toppled over domino style! The festival ranges over half a dozen streets, so there are a lot of shops to see. In the summer heat there are plenty of places to sit and rest. As with all the festivals there are food stalls and vans set up to serve tasty lunches. Local food and more exotic curries are available. The Ebetsu Yakimonoichi Festival is a great place to buy some hand crafted ceramics, walk around, or to grab a beer and sit in the summer sun!