Michi-no-Eki Tomiura Biwa Club is a popular tourist destination in southern Chiba Prefecture centered around the region’s famous specialty fruit, the loquat. Combining food, nature, shopping, and hands-on activities, the facility offers visitors an opportunity to experience the local character of Minamiboso in one place.
Surrounded by colorful flowers and greenery, the facility provides a relaxing atmosphere where visitors can enjoy local flavors, discover regional culture, and take part in seasonal activities.
The café and shops at Biwa Club offer a wide selection of products showcasing the flavor of locally grown loquats. Popular desserts include loquat soft-serve ice cream, loquat sorbet, and loquat parfaits, making them particularly appealing during the warmer months.
Visitors can also try unique savory and drink options such as loquat curry, loquat tea, and loquat leaf tea. These unusual creations provide an interesting way to experience the fruit beyond traditional desserts.
The shop is also a great place to look for souvenirs. Its selection includes loquat manju cakes, loquat jam, and loquat jelly, as well as distinctive products made with loquat leaves, including soap, body wash, and rinse-in shampoo.
The facility’s own Flower Club is a spacious 14,000-square-meter garden where visitors can enjoy flowers and plants throughout the year. Seasonal favorites include poppies, gerberas, and snapdragons, while unusual plants such as bird-of-paradise flowers and coral aloe add to the botanical appeal.
The greenhouse can be visited free of charge, and visitors can participate in a variety of seasonal activities. Depending on the season, these may include flower picking, strawberry picking, cactus arrangement workshops, and loquat-leaf dyeing. The loquat-leaf dyeing experience requires advance reservation.
Beyond the atrium, a pleasant walking path follows a small stream and stepping stones, surrounded by colorful flowers. From February through March, the area is especially beautiful when fields of bright yellow rapeseed flowers come into bloom, creating a vivid scene that signals the arrival of spring.
The flower fields also provide a lovely setting for photographs and a relaxing place to take a leisurely stroll.
Biwa Club also serves as a venue for a variety of cultural events, including nature observation programs, exhibitions, and theatrical performances. The gallery features works in different artistic styles, including oil painting, ink painting, ceramics, and calligraphy.
Visitors may also have opportunities to observe traditional crafts associated with the Boso region. Workshops sometimes demonstrate parts of the production process for Boshu uchiwa fans and Tōzan-style striped textiles. These demonstrations are held irregularly, so availability may vary.
Tomiura is well known as a major loquat-growing area. From late May to mid-June, visitors can enjoy loquat-picking experiences, while strawberry picking and flower picking are available at other times of the year.
The information area provides up-to-date sightseeing information for the surrounding region, making the facility a useful starting point for planning a trip around southern Chiba.
A multimedia information corner also provides information about roadside stations throughout Japan, local events, road conditions, and weather through interactive touch panels. This makes Biwa Club a convenient stop for travelers driving around the Boso Peninsula.
Biwa Club was established in 1993 as a center for local industry and culture and has since played an important role in regional revitalization. In 2000, it received the top prize in the National Michi-no-Eki Grand Prix. In 2015, it was selected by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as a “National Model” roadside station.
With its combination of local food, beautiful flowers, cultural experiences, shopping, and seasonal activities, Michi-no-Eki Tomiura Biwa Club offers much more than a typical roadside stop.
Whether you want to taste a refreshing loquat soft-serve, pick seasonal fruit and flowers, browse local souvenirs, or simply relax among the gardens, the facility is an excellent place to experience the natural and cultural attractions of southern Chiba.
10:00-18:00
No holidays
About 3 minutes from Futtsu-Tateyama Road “Tomiura IC
From Tokyo Station, via JR Sobu Line, get off at “Tomiura Station” of Uchibo Line, about 15 minutes on foot.