An Early Summer Tradition in "The Village of Plum Blossoms" — Ume Plum Festival in Kakuda

The rice paddies are filled with water and the satoyama hills are deepening into lush green. Today we'd like to introduce a local festival in early summer Kakuda where you can savor the season's best.

Kakuda City is known as the "Village of Plum Blossoms" for its thriving plum production. The "Ume Plum Festival in Kakuda" is held every year at peak green plum season at Michi-no-Eki Kakuda — just about 10 minutes by car from MARUKI Saifuku — making it a beloved early summer tradition.

The star of the festival is "Shiraga" (白加賀), a premium variety of large, high-quality green plums considered ideal for making umeshu (plum wine) and plum juice. Prized for their generous flesh and rich aroma that produces a mellow finish, these plums are so popular that long queues form before the doors even open. The venue also features an array of homemade products from local producers — umeshu, umeboshi (pickled plums), plum sweets, and more. The classic "old-fashioned sour and salty umeboshi" unique to Kakuda is a must-try.

Doors open at 9:00 AM and sales continue until sold out, so an early visit is recommended. It's the perfect stop after check-out or as a morning outing the day after your stay.

Preparing homemade umeshu or plum preserves at home — "ume-shigoto" (plum work) — is a special ritual where every time you open the jar, memories of early summer in Kakuda come flooding back. When staying at MARUKI Saifuku, why not make it a trip to bring home seasonal Shiraga plums?