The best-known plum grove of Tanabe, one of Japan's main ume-growing towns, praised as "300,000 trees at a glance". From the ridge you look down on orchards that fold over the hills towards the Pacific. The area is part of the Minabe-Tanabe Ume System, a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.
During the open season (February 9 – March 8 in 2026) the shop is open, local produce is sold at the "Ishigami market", and events include the Baikasai festival of Kishu Tenmangu Shrine on February 11. Behind the grove, a walking trail of about 80 minutes loops through the ubame oak woods that supply Kishu binchotan charcoal (some steep parts: wear good shoes).
Being high up, the grove can bloom later than the lowlands. The Tanabe Tourism Association posts bloom updates.
