Mikan is a type of citrus fruit, specifically a mandarin orange. They bear fruit in winter. It is one of the features of winter in Japan. When we think of mikan, we are reminded of the scene where every family member sits around the kotatsu table with a heater inside, eating mikan.

When you eat a mikan, first you have to peel the skin with your hands, and if necessary, remove the white pith, and then eat it.

This is called Satsuma outside Japan. Satsuma, now known as Kagoshima, is not associated with mikan for Japanese people, so it is interesting how it got the name. Perhaps, the export location was Satsuma.

It refers to a harvest-experience program on farms, such as picking fruits, sweet potatoes, chestnuts, mushrooms, and other produce.

Mikan Gari is a tour for picking mandarin oranges on the farm. On this farm, mikan trees bear fruit low enough to be picked easily. Even children and people in wheelchairs can have a fun time picking them. Many people visit the farm to pick and taste the sweet oranges.