1. Wagodaira, Asahi Town, famous for apples

Wagodaira is a perfect environment for growing apples

Located almost in the center of Yamagata Prefecture, Asahi Town has the Asahi mountain range to the west, the Zao mountain range to the east, and the Mt. Gassan hills to the north.

The Wagodaira area, northeast of Asahi Town, is located at an altitude of about 250m, and is an area with a large temperature difference between morning and evening compared to flatlands.

It is said that the temperature difference tightens the apples, and the coldness before harvest accelerates the maturity at once.

In addition, it is said that the clayey soil of Wagodaira gives apples their unique texture, such as crispness and deep richness, making Wagodaira and Asahi Town the perfect area for growing apples.

A premium experience of growing yout own unique apple.

The plan to introduce this time is a premium experience of growing your own unique apple at an orchard!

As a souvenir for yourself, as an unforgettable experience for your child, or as a gift for your loved ones, why not experience making premium apples?

2. Experience flow

Now let’s take a look at the flow of the experience!

Let us know what text or design you want to include

Omotenashi Yamagata will contact you once you have completed your application.

You can either specify the text to be inserted or send us your own design.

Place an originally designed seal on an apple

The characters and designs sent by the participants are made into seals and placed on apples still green that will grow deliciously.

A little technique is needed to put the sealon a spherical apple.

The apple orchard staff will carefully place it according to the spherical surface.

Since the black part of the seal blocks the light it will prevent coloration on that spot and the characters or design will be displayed in white on the apple.

Check color regularly

After sticking the seal on the apple, the apple will ripe and grow red.

At Kosaku Apple Orchard, they check every day whether the apples of the participants are growing sufficiently and whether there is issues with sunlight and such.

A few weeks after the sticker is applied, the apple, which was still green, will turn bright red.

3. Apple picking experience

And when the long-awaited harvest comes…

Harvesting with your own hands

Come directly to Kosaku Apple Orchard and pick your own original apples with your own hands.

I’m going to lick the seal by myself…

Only one seaweed apple in the world has been completed!

It is truly a premium experience that can only be done here.

All you can eat apples! (1 hour)

After harvesting your own designed apples, enjoy all-you-can-eat apples !

Bring your favorite apples that are lying in the garden…

Bite on the spot!

Freshly picked apples are exceptionally fresh and juicy!

Plenty of honey.

*The degree of honey content varies depending on the individual.

Being able to eat freshly picked apples on the spot is a rare and valuable experience.

Available for purchase

After enjoying apple picking, those who wish can purchase Kosaku Apple Orchard apples.

Takeout is good as a souvenir, and direct shipping is also good on the spot.

How about sharing apples with your family and friends?

4. Product Overview

Two plans to choose from

In addition to the Harvesting with your own hands plan introduced in this article, there is a Home delivery plan for the grow your own original apple experience, and you can choose either one.

A. Harvesting with your own hands
*This plan is introduced in this article.

When the apples turn red and it’s time to harvest, come to Kosaku Apple Orchard and pick your apples on your own.

Flow
① After applying, please let us know the characters you want to put on the apple.
(Either simply specifying the characters to be inserted or sending your own design is fine.)
② Kosaku Apple Orchard will carefully grow your apples with letters
③ When the apples turn red and it’s time to harvest, come to Kosaku Apple Orchard to pick the apples by yourself
④ Enjoy the apple-picking experience (all-you-can-eat apples)
*Souvenirs not included

Kosaku Apple Orchard provides tables, chairs, tissues/wet wipes, rubbing alcohol, etc. to enjoy apple-picking.

In addition, they usually prepared kitchen knives and cutting boards, but due to COVID-19 they stopped so you will need to bring your own knife and board if you want to cut the apples on site.

B. Delivery plan to your home
Kosaku Apple Orchard staff will harvest the apples for you and deliver them to your home.

“I want an apple with original characters, but it’s a bit difficult to go to Asahi Town, Yamagata Prefecture”
“I want you to send the designed apple directly to the person you want to give as a gift!”

For such people, we recommend Plan B.

Mr. Sato, CEO of Kosaku Apple Orchard

Flow
(1) and (2) are the same as plan A.
(3) Kosaku Apple Orchard staff will harvest the apples on your behalf and deliver them to your specified destination.

Fees

🍎 Activity fee
Each apple with letters: 2,000 yen (tax included)

🍎Price includes
A. Your own harvest plan・Original apple making experience fee ・Apple picking experience fee (1 hour all-you-can-eat)
*Free experience for 1 person per 1 apple with letters
B. Home delivery plan・Original apple making experience fee ・Original apple shipping fee

🍎 What is not included in the price・Transportation expenses ・Stamp fee when sending the design ・Shipping fee when ordering additional apples

Pets are also welcome

Variety and timing of apples

You can grow apples with designs on two varieites, Shinano Sweet apples or Bagless Fuji apples.
Please note that the harvest time and application deadline are different for each.

🍎 Shinano Sweet

Shinano Sweet, which originated in Nagano Prefecture, is also actively cultivated in Asahi Town, which has a similar climate.
It has almost no sourness, and is a variety that is popular with people of all ages for its light sweetness and crunchy texture!

Application Deadline
Mid September

Harvest experience/Delivery period
Late October to Early November

🍎 Bagless Fuji apple

Asahi Town is the birthplace of Bagless Fuji apples. In the past, Fuji was cultivated with individual bags in order to improve the coloring of the skins. Bagless Fuji apples, which are not covered with a bag, are sweeter and have just the right amount of sourness.

Application Deadline
Early October

Harvest experience/Delivery period
Mid-late November to early November

5. Notes

Design

Original apple design

・Omotenashi Yamagata will contact you after you apply, so please let us know your design preferences at that time. We recommend using bold simple characters or illustrations (silhouettes), as characters and detailed designs may not be able to be finished well.
・If you specify the characters you want to write, Omotenashi Yamagata will adjust the size and shape of the characters and create a sticker.
・Depending on the design and the number of characters, Omotenashi Yamagata may adjust the size and layout in order to make it look good. If you have any concerns, please contact us in advance.
・If you would like to create your own design, please send the design by email or postal mail.

The black part of the sticker will not be colored, and the other part will be colored red.

Disclaimer

Please note that refunds and replacements cannot be provided in the following cases
The schedule for the apple-picking experience could not be coordinated with the customer, and the apple picking and apple delivery could not be carried out at the appropriate time.
The customer was not able to receive the apples due to reasons such as absence, the apples were rotten, or the apples were returned to Kosaku Apple Orchard, and the customer was unable to receive the fresh apples.
The customer feels that the coloring is insufficient due to the influence of sunlight, etc., although the letters and designs can be discerned.

Dealing with apples falling or rotting due to weather, etc.

In implementing this plan, we will grow two design apples per application, including one spare, in preparation for unforeseen circumstances.

At Kosaku Apple Orchard, we take great care in growing our customers’ seaweed apples. , Apples may not grow enough by the time of harvest.

If you are unable to harvest the apples you designed due to the above circumstances, we will respond as follows. Please select one of them.
①We will harvest/send apples grown in Kosaku Apple Orchard with different characters (characters such as “smile” and “happy”) as substitutes (refunds and returns cannot be accepted).
②This experience product itself will be canceled and a full refund will be given.

In addition, if both design apples grow safely, we will give you two, including a spare.
In the event that the spare one unfortunately rots or falls, we will give you 1 grown design apple and 1 replacement seaweed apple.

access

If you search for “Kosaku Apple Orchard” on your car navigation system, depending on your departure point, a route via Prefectural Route 143 may be displayed. However, some of the roads are so narrow that oncoming vehicles cannot pass each other, so it is not recommended.

Therefore, here we will introduce the route (commonly known as the Apple Line) from National Route 287 to Wagodaira.

If you take National Route 287 in Asahi-machi from the south (toward Shirataka) to the north (toward Sagae), you will see a sign on the right hand side that says “Bagless Fuji apple birthplace Wago”, so turn right (east side) here.

Follow the town road (commonly known as Apple Line) for about 5 minutes and you will come to a large reservoir (Otsutsumi), so turn right on the T road.

Soon, the “Community Center Wagodaira Ringo Koryukan (Public Hall)” will appear on your right.

Next to it is “Kosaku Apple Orchard”.

6. Finally

Message from Kosaku Apple Orchard

Representative Sato Mr. and Mrs. and their children

“There is also a technique of printing on colored apples afterward to make apples with letters, but this technique of adjusting the coloring by blocking light before it turns color has no copies and is even more rare .

Why don’t you take this opportunity to enter your favorite characters and have a premium experience making the only apple in the world ?”

Application/Inquiry