Ehime Mikan — Citrus Capital of Japan

**Premium citrus varieties:** Beyond standard mikan, Ehime produces luxury citrus: (1) Kara mikan — thick-skinned, intensely sweet, ¥1,000–2,000 per fruit, available Dec-Jan. (2) Beni madonna — seedless, deep orange, ¥500 each. (3) Kanpei — world's heaviest mandarin (500g+), ¥3,000+ each, limited production. These premium varieties are sold at department store fruit sections and airport shops as gifts. **Fruit picking experience:** Orchards offer tabehoudai (all-you-can-eat) mikan picking October–March. You're given a basket and 30–60 minutes to pick and eat unlimited fruit directly from trees. Most farms restrict taking fruit home (separate purchase required). Popular farms near Matsuyama include Shimanami Mikan Farm (reservation required, ¥800/person, 089-123-xxxx). **Mikan juice variations:** Fresh-squeezed mikan juice (¥300–500) is sold from vending machines, station stands, and cafes throughout Ehime. 'Mikan juice faucets' at Matsuyama Airport (free samples) and some hotels dispense unlimited juice in bathrooms — a quirky Ehime tradition. The juice is unpasteurized, so it has a short shelf life but superior flavor to commercial products. **Citrus-flavored products:** Ehime souvenir shops overflow with mikan products: mikan jelly (¥500), mikan wine (¥1,500), mikan ramen (¥800, surprisingly not terrible), mikan beer (¥600), and mikan-shaped gummies (¥400). The most practical souvenir is bottled 100% mikan juice (¥600/500ml) — shelf-stable and actually delicious.