Sweet Chestnuts Ripe for the Picking

Sep 24, 2026 | News On Japan

OSAKA - Families and visitors are flocking to a farm in Minoh, Osaka Prefecture, to enjoy autumn chestnut picking, with this year's harvest producing smaller but particularly sweet chestnuts due to a lack of rainfall.

Chestnut picking began on September 13 at Nakamasaen, a hands-on farm in Minoh, where visitors can gather freshly fallen chestnuts during the autumn harvest season.

Although this year's limited rainfall has resulted in smaller chestnuts, the farm says they are sweet and have firm, well-filled kernels.

Families and other visitors gathered at the farm on September 23, the final day of the holiday period, carefully using tongs to collect chestnuts that had fallen to the ground.

"Since it's autumn, I really wanted to come," one visitor said. "There were lots of beautiful, glossy chestnuts."

Asked how they planned to eat their harvest, the visitor suggested making chestnut rice, saying that adding a little salt would help bring out the sweetness.

Chestnut picking will continue through November 3, with visitors able to take home their harvest for 1,800 yen per basket.

Source: YOMIURI

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