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For a taste of Miyoshi’s local produce, and a look at the local community, there’s nowhere better than Toretta Miyoshi. This farmer’s market opens daily to sell fresh fruits and vegetables grown in the fields of nearby farms, plus all kinds of food products made in the area, and even a selection of souvenirs perfect for friends and family back home. And when all that shopping works up an appetite, Toretta’s restaurant and the small bakery are great places to grab a bite to eat.

It’s clear that the people of Miyoshi are proud of the food produced locally, from pearly-white rice to napa cabbages bigger than your head, and quite a few restaurants in the area boast of serving local ingredients. To see it all in one place, Toretta Miyoshi is a go-to destination to get a good look at all the fresh ingredients Miyoshi has to offer. The market’s long platforms display a wide variety of produce, from leafy greens to vibrant orange carrots, cartons of juicy red cherries or whatever fruit is deliciously ripe and in season, and even dried chili peppers and sacks of beans. Against the walls, the refrigerated area stocks chilled items like locally made pickled vegetables and dairy products, in addition to some prepared foods. For travelers staying in a guest house with a kitchen, this farmer’s market is an ideal place to pick up ingredients, and for everyone else, there’s plenty of tantalizing fresh fruit and snacks to nibble on while lounging in the outdoor seating.

The shelves also hold an interesting selection of packaged products that make great gifts. Locally made jams and preserves sit next to cute bags of cookies, while bottles of various regional soy sauces and locally brewed Miyoshi sake sit on a shelf nearby. Small accessories and other handicrafts made by Miyoshi locals are sold in a little nook near the back of the building, around the corner from a shelf holding little aquariums full of medaka, also called Japanese rice fish!

There are a few different options when it comes to eating at Toretta Miyoshi. Visitors can of course pick up snacks in the main market area, and Bakery Green Mugimugi sells a selection of baked goods fresh out of the oven. Green Mugimugi is part of a local group of bakeries and cafes, and their Toretta bakery offers savory breads and sweet pastries of all kinds, perfect for enjoying in the sun outside. For a more substantial meal, Toretta runs a buffet restaurant on the other side of the building, a popular lunch spot open for just a few hours at midday. With such great access to so much Miyoshi produce, the buffet focuses on offering dishes that let those seasonal vegetables shine. Fresh salads are a staple, along with simple steamed and stewed dishes that bring out the sweetness of ingredients like kabocha pumpkin. Tempura lovers shouldn’t miss the restaurant’s lightly-battered vegetables, crisped to perfection! Between the rows of fresh vegetables and local products, the fragrant baked goods, and the flavorful restaurant buffet, it’s hard to leave Toretta Miyoshi with empty hands or an empty stomach.