In the spring of 2024, JA Harenokuni Okayama's Yamate Farm Shop will be renovated and remodeled as "Shunkan Hiroba." In December, a cafe restaurant offering locally produced food will also open, so why not visit this spot where you can eat and enjoy all the deliciousness of Okayama?
2025.02.06-
Table of contents
- What is "JA Harenokuni Okayama Shunkan Hiroba"?
- 1st floor / Farm and livestock product direct sales store "Sunny, then sunny"
- Fruits and vegetables, flowers, and rice section
- Meat section
- Fresh fish section
- Deli section
- 2nd floor / Cafe restaurant "SORA & SUN"
- "Okayama Wagyu roast beef bowl"
- You can enjoy local ingredients such as pork, chicken, and fruit.
- The salad bar with unlimited refills is also popular
- A delightful kids' space
- Children are also fascinated by the vegetable growing room
What is "JA Harenokuni Okayama Shunkan Hiroba"?
Shunkan Hiroba is a new complex built on the site of the former JA Yamate Farmers Market "Fureai no Sato" in Soja City. The farm and livestock market "Hare Nochi Hare" opened on the first floor in April 2024, followed by the cafe restaurant "SORA & SUN" on the second floor in December. Based on the concept of "A place where you can buy and eat authentic ingredients from Okayama Prefecture! A new encounter between food and agriculture," the facility offers a Toyotomi selection of vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood, and more, as well as a variety of menus using ingredients from the prefecture.
1st floor / Farm and livestock product direct sales store "Sunny, then sunny"
This direct sales store receives fresh, safe and secure agricultural products lovingly cultivated by local producers and shipped daily. The shelves are lined with seasonal vegetables and fruits, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a fashionable Marché. In addition, there is a wide variety and selection thanks to direct flights from Tsuyama, Niimi and Hiruzen areas. Utilizing the JA Group network, ingredients from all over the country are also collected.
Fruits and vegetables, flowers, and rice section
The store is lined with locally grown produce, including celery and strawberries, and you can tell just by looking at them how fresh they are. In the summer, many people come from far and wide to buy peaches and grapes. In addition to selling flowers, there is also a "Freshly Milled Rice Market" where you can get just the amount of your preferred brand of rice produced by JA Okayama milled to suit your needs.
Meat section
The meat section has a wide selection of Okayama 's various brand meats, including Chiya Beef, Nagi Beef Beef, Nagi Beef, Bisei Manten Pork, and Okayama Prefecture 's Morinotori. It's rare to find such a wide selection of meat from the prefecture all in one place. In addition to selling meat in bulk, the newly established face-to-face sales area also caters to specific orders, such as steaks cut to your desired thickness or weight.
Fresh fish section
The fresh fish section is also well-stocked. Local fish are delivered directly from Yorishima Fishing Port every morning, and a Toyotomi variety of seafood is available. In addition to fillets and sashimi, which are prepared in the kitchen visible from the sales floor, fish with heads and tails are also sold.
Deli section
The deli section is filled with a Toyotomi of delicious-looking items from the morning, including sushi rolls filled with plenty of ingredients, colorful chirashizushi, inari sushi, okowa (steamed rice), rice balls, etc. Popular items tend to sell out quickly, so it's best to come early.
2nd floor / Cafe restaurant "SORA & SUN"
On the second floor of Shunkan Hiroba, you'll find SORA & SUN, a cafe restaurant directly operated by the JA, with wide windows offering a view of the five-story pagoda of Bitchu Kokubun-ji Tenmple , a Soja designated important cultural property and tourist attraction in Soja, Kibiji. They serve original menu items using Okayama Wagyu beef, Bisei Manten pork, seasonal fruits, and more.
"Okayama Wagyu roast beef bowl"
JA, which has direct connections with farmers, offers a menu using Okayama Wagyu beef, carefully selected each day. Particularly recommended is the Okayama Wagyu Roast Beef Bowl (pictured), which is cooked slowly at low temperature. Other dishes include Okayama Wagyu Steak, which lets you taste the flavor of the meat directly, Okayama Wagyu Beef Vegetable Stir-fry, which is packed with seasonal vegetables, and the luxurious Okayama Wagyu Beef Udon. Photo: Provided by JA Sunny Country Okayama
You can enjoy local ingredients such as pork, chicken, and fruit.
The restaurant also offers a wide variety of dishes made with pork and chicken from the prefecture, including "Manten Pork Shabu-Shabu and Seasonal Warm Vegetables" (top left photo), enjoyed with steamed vegetables packed with umami, the hearty "Manten Pork Thick-Sliced Tonteki," "Shirindori Karaage" (bottom left photo), which bursts with juice the moment you bite into it, and "Shirindori Chicken Nanban" with its appealing homemade tartar sauce. Also, be sure to try the "Seasonal Fruit Parfait," which uses plenty of seasonal fruits, and the "Hiruzen Jersey Soft Serve Ice Cream" (right photo), made with 100% Hiruzen Jersey milk, which can only be enjoyed at this restaurant in the southern part of the prefecture. Photo: Provided by JA Sunny Country Okayama
The salad bar with unlimited refills is also popular
A special feature of the lunchtime menu is the salad bar, which is included with all menu items other than noodles. Several types of salads are prepared daily, mainly using seasonal vegetables from the farm stand on the first floor. In addition to crunchy raw vegetables, you can also find creative dishes created by the restaurant staff based on the vegetables of the day, such as a salad of beans, avocado, and peppers. You can also have unlimited refills of rice and soup made from locally grown rice, making this a restaurant worth remembering as a place where you can enjoy safe, fresh, local ingredients at a reasonable price.
A delightful kids' space
There is a kids' space at the very Oku of the store. This corner, separated by box chairs, has toys available and is a place where small children can take off their shoes and play. The wall art features colorful depictions of JA Harenokuni Okayama's specialty vegetables and fruits, livestock products and agricultural scenes, and if you look closely you can even spot the five-story pagoda of Bitchu Kokubun-ji Tenmple. This is a child-friendly corner where you can enjoy your meal while your children play safely.
Children are also fascinated by the vegetable growing room
In one corner of the building there is a vegetable cultivation room where leafy vegetables are grown hydroponically. The cafe restaurant also uses vegetables grown here. Anyone can observe from outside, so even children are very interested.
"Shunkan Hiroba" is where you can discover the deliciousness of Okayama. Why not visit this charming new spot for your everyday shopping, a lunch outing on the weekend, or a stop on a drive or trip?
[JA Sunny Country Okayama Seasonal Square]
Address: 23 Okayama Prefecture, Soja City, Okaya Soja City
TEL: 0866-93-2338 (Agricultural and Livestock Direct Sales Store "Hare Nochi Hare"), 0866-31-8092 (Cafe Restaurant "SORA & SUN")
Opening hours: Farm and livestock direct sales store "Hare Nochi Hare" 8:30-17:00, cafe restaurant "SORA & SUN" 8:30-17:00 (last orders 16:30)
*Take-out only until 11:00. Lunch is from 11:00 to 14:00 (last orders 13:30)
Closed: Farm and livestock direct sales store "Hare Nochi Hare"... New Year's holidays, Cafe Restaurant "SORA & SUN"... Wednesdays, New Year's holidays
Parking: 137 standard-sized cars, 2 large cars
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