In the spring of 2024, the Yamate Farm Shop of JA Harenokuni Okayama will be renovated and refurbished as "Shunkan Hiroba." In December, a cafe restaurant offering locally produced dishes will open, so why not visit this spot where you can eat and enjoy 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, sunny days"
- Fruits and vegetables, flowers and rice section
- Meat section
- Fresh fish section
- Prepared food 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 Farm Shop "Fureai no Sato" in Soja City. The farm and livestock shop "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 "Buy and eat the real thing! A place where food and agriculture meet in a new way," the facility offers a wide selection of vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood, and more, as well as a diverse menu using ingredients from the prefecture.
1st floor / Farm and livestock product direct sales store "Sunny, sunny days"
This is a direct sales store where fresh, safe and secure agricultural products, grown with great care by local producers, are shipped out every day. In a fashionable market-like atmosphere, the shelves are lined with seasonal vegetables and fruits. In addition, there is a wide variety and selection thanks to direct flights from Tsuyama, Niimi, and Hiruzen areas. Taking advantage of the JA Group network, ingredients from all over the country are also collected.
Fruits and vegetables, flowers and rice section
The farm 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 away 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 JA Harenokuni Okayama rice polished to suit your needs.
Meat section
In the meat section, you can find a wide variety of Okayama brand meats, such as Chiya beef, Bitchu beef, Nagi beef, Bisei Manten pork, and Okayama Prefecture's Morinotori chicken. It is rare to find a place where so much meat from the prefecture is available in one place. In addition to selling in packs, the newly established face-to-face sales area can also accommodate detailed orders, such as adjusting the weight or cutting steaks to your preferred thickness.
Fresh fish section
The fresh fish section is also well stocked. Local fish are delivered directly from Yorishima Fishing Port every morning, and a wide variety of seafood is available. In addition to fillets and sashimi, which are processed in the kitchen visible from the sales floor, fish with heads and tails are also sold.
Prepared food section
The deli section is filled with a wide variety of delicious-looking items from the morning onwards, including sushi rolls filled with plenty of ingredients, colorful chirashizushi, inari sushi, okowa (steamed rice balls), and onigiri (rice balls). Popular items sell out quickly, so we recommend coming to the store early.
2nd floor/cafe restaurant "SORA & SUN"
On the second floor of Shunkan Hiroba, there is a cafe restaurant "SORA & SUN" operated directly by JA, where you can see the five-story pagoda of "Bitchu Kokubun-ji Tenmple", a nationally designated important cultural property and a tourist spot on the Kibiji route in Soja, from the wide windows. They serve original menus using Okayama Wagyu beef, Bisei Manten pork, seasonal fruits, and more.
"Okayama Wagyu roast beef bowl"
JA has direct connections with farmers, and the restaurant serves dishes that use carefully selected "Okayama Wagyu beef" that is selected daily. Particularly recommended is the "Okayama Wagyu Beef Roast Beef Bowl" (pictured), which is cooked slowly at low temperature. Other dishes include "Okayama Wagyu Beef 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: Courtesy of JA Sunny Country Okayama
You can enjoy local ingredients such as pork, chicken, and fruit.
The restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes using pork and chicken from the prefecture, including "Manten Pork Shabu-Shabu and Seasonal Warm Vegetables" (top left photo), which can be enjoyed with steamed vegetables that pack a rich umami punch, the hearty "Thick-Sliced Manten Pork Tonteki," "Shirindori Karaage" (bottom left photo), which overflows with juice the moment you bite into it, and "Shirindori Chicken Nanban," which has a 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), which is made with 100% Hiruzen Jersey milk and can only be found here in the southern part of the prefecture. Photo: Provided by JA Hare no Kuni Okayama
The salad bar with unlimited refills is also popular.
A distinctive feature of the restaurant at lunchtime is the salad bar, which is included with any menu item other than noodles. Several types of salads are prepared every day, mainly using seasonal vegetables from the farm shop on the first floor. In addition to crunchy raw vegetables, you can also find original dishes created by the restaurant staff after looking at the vegetables of the day, such as a salad of beans, avocado, and peppers. You can also have as many 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 back of the store. This corner is separated by box chairs and has toys available, making it a place where small children can take off their shoes and play. The wall art features colorful illustrations of JA Harenokuni Okayama's specialty vegetables and fruits, livestock products and agricultural scenes, and if you look closely you can even see 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 growing room where leafy vegetables are grown hydroponically. The cafe restaurant also uses the 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 new and attractive spot for your everyday shopping, a lunch outing on the weekend, or a stopover on a drive or trip?
[JA Sunny Country Okayama Shunkan Hiroba]
Address: 23 Okaya, Soja Soja City
TEL: 0866-93-2338 (Agricultural and Livestock Products Direct Sales Shop "Hare Nochi Hare"), 0866-31-8092 (Cafe Restaurant "SORA & SUN")
Business hours: Agricultural and livestock product direct sales store "Hare Nochi Hare" 8:30-17:00, Cafe restaurant "SORA & SUN" 8:30-17:00 (last order 16:30)
*Take-out only until 11:00. Lunch is from 11:00 to 14:00 (last order 13:30)
Closed: Farm and livestock direct sales store "Hare no Chi Hare"... New Year holidays, Cafe restaurant "SORA & SUN"... Wednesdays, New Year holidays
Parking: 137 regular cars, 2 large cars
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