Family Farm Fun at Mokumoku in Mie
Why not try something totally different and great for all ages? When travelers come to Japan there is the list of must do’s, temples, sushi, samurai history– but sometimes the biggest memory makers will be something totally unexpected. I had a chance to explore food and local agriculture from a completely unique perspective and realized that there was so much to be gained from having experiences that are both global and special to Japan. The experiential farm of Mokumoku in Mie was so much fun and I know this would also be especially enjoyable for families!
All of the buildings at Mokumoku have a friendly farm vibe
The full name in Japanese of this interesting location is “Iga no Sato Mokumoku Tezukuri Farm” (locally known as Mokumoku Farm). Tezukuri is the way to speak about DIY and handmade or having a real experience where you use all of your 5 senses. It is a super engaging, agricultural theme park located in Iga, Mie prefecture.
Map of the Agricultural theme park (downloadable as a pdf on their website)
The area of the park is huge, and there are so many things to see, do, eat and experience. You can see from their map that there are different themed locations and wonderful trees, greenery and walking paths. This is a great place to get out some excess energy for kids on their Japan journey and very different from the traditional touristic activities. One interesting aspect is that you can enjoy the familiar atmosphere of a farm but still experience some specific only-in-Japan moments. Plus it is such a nice break in a busy trip, to take some time out and enjoy nature.
Visitors can enjoy food edu-tainment, (education + entertainment) seeing how products are grown, but also getting active harvesting food or cooking, making and eating something right on site.
Some of Mokumoku’s famous sausage products
Mokumoku is famous for their high quality meat products, especially sausages! I had the delicious pleasure of joining a sausage making class in one of the cooking studios. I learned all the steps, made my own link sausage from high quality pork, and then cooked and ate them with the lovely Mokumoku staff.
The cooking classrooms are wonderful, clean and spacious. After washing up and getting some general instructions we got to work making sausages together. We learned all the steps for making tasty sausages. The ones for this session were frankfurter style but there are different experiences to choose from. In addition to sausage making there are baking and other cooking experiences available too.
If you just want EAT sausage and not make it, they have you covered. There are great beer and sausage eating spots, both a sit down restaurant and various food stalls. And something I really loved were the handmade and charming signs and displays throughout the park. They are full of whimsy and are sure to make visitors smile!
You can learn how shiitake grow, pick your own and even try grilling and eating them! This is a unique experience and people interested in Japanese cuisine will love to learn more about this delicious mushroom variety that has become famous the world over.
Of course no farm experience would be complete without the chance to meet farm animals and learn about raising livestock. Mokumoku has a wide range of happy furry friends in their care, pigs, cows, ponies, donkeys and goats are just a few of the residents on this farm.
There are educational classes and shows about the animals and chances to get up close and personal with the local creatures. I particularly enjoyed meeting one of the newest residents, an adorable baby cow and saying hello to a friendly donkey while I was there. There are events scheduled every day throughout the day so you can pick and choose what you want to put into your farm-stay schedule.
Mokumoku farm has another amazing feature to make your experience even better. You can book one of their cute mushroom shaped cottages for an overnight stay.
