The town of Mito is one of the leading production centers of yuzu citrus fruit in the Chugoku region. From the end of autumn through winter, you can see yellow fields of yuzu all around town. There is also Mito Onsen, popular for its beautifying waters. Spending a day in the town will refresh you in both body and mind.
The Kanetani Jozan cherry tree, located at the site of the Irifuneyama Castle ruins in Kanetani, has a circumference of over 7 meters, and attracts many tourists in spring when its beautiful flowers bloom. In addition to fresh fruit, processed foods including juice and ponzu sauce are available for sale, so you can enjoy fragrant yuzu in many forms.

Guests opening the front door at Horiya in Mito are greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Hori with smiles, as if coming back to grandpa's house.

The Horis lived in many places in Japan for work; after retirement, they returned to Mito-cho in Masuda, the city of Mrs. Hori's family home.
"This city has nothing new, but it always entertains people. It shows different landscapes in the spring, summer, fall, and winter," says Mr. Hori. The couple appears to thoroughly enjoy the scenery and foods that changes with the seasons.

They say they wanted to open a guest house or pub when they originally built the house, and so the living room has a large irori hearth.
Talking to cheerful Mr. Hori while enjoying good food, time passes quickly.

A good cook, Mr. Hori and his wife makes chirashi sushi and inari sushi together with another couple living nearby, and ship these to supermarkets in the city. Naturally, there is also a dedicated processing plant.
Known as a good cook by people in this area, Mr. Hori is able to teach many genres of cuisine.

He is willing to take on any challenge, regardless of his age.
You can learn many things from him, not limited to cooking and photography.