Visit Ehime Prefecture on the Japanese island of Shikoku in summer and you will quickly discover a fixation with the citrus fruit. Travelling along the coast you can almost imagine you are in Spain as you pass by hills of citrus orchards against a pale blue sea.
Matsuyama, the prefectural capital and largest city in Shikoku, has a wealth of sights, including the famous 3000 year old Dogo Onsen and an original castle overlooking the city. After the long walk down under a summer sun there’s no better way to cool off than with some chilled citrus juice or gelato at the 10 Factory cafe, just down the street from the cable car/chairlift to the castle.
Your main problem will be selecting which variety of mandarin you want to try. Fortunately, the growers association provide this handy online guide to Ehime citrus varieties.
Keep a lookout for other citrus based specialities as well, such as these limited edition citrus KitKats we picked up on our trip there in 2014.
