Strawberry picking is a favorite pass time in Japan, so come and find some of the best spots from each region of Japan to pick the sweetest strawberries!
Summary
Strawberry picking is a favorite pass time in Japan, so come and find some of the best spots from each region of Japan to pick the sweetest strawberries! Come and try some of the unique varieties specific to each region of Japan and check out our top tips on picking the juiciest strawberries!
When & Where You Should Go To Pick The Most Delicious Strawberries In Japan
There are a large number of unique varieties of strawberry only found in Japan such as Tochiotome, Akihime, Toyonoka and Echigohime to name just a few. Whichever season of Japan you are visiting on your trip this time round, there are local strawberry delights for you to try. Why not visit a strawberry farm and pick some of the freshest most delicious strawberries for yourself!
Japan is currently the 7th largest producer of strawberries in the world with over 150,000 tons produced every year. Even more impressively, nearly all the strawberries produced in Japan are consumed within the country!
<Hokkaido>
Marutake Takashina Farm
Hokkaido is famous for all sorts of delicious foods, and its strawberries are no exception. Also because Hokkaido is much colder than the rest of Japan strawberries are grown outside rather than in greenhouses and in Hokkaido the season can last until summer!
Marutake Takashina Farm grows the Kentaro Strawberry which has a stunning red color and sweetness. They also grow grapes, cherries, prunes, pears and various varieties of apple.
Price: 680 yen to 1,080 yen / person depending on age.
Season: Mid-June – Early July.
Reservation (Japanese): http://www17.plala.or.jp/marutake-kajyu/reservation.html
<Tohoku>
Komachino
Komachino is an agricultural co-op of local farmers growing around 22,000 strawberry plants. Their strawberries are grown in high-raised cultivation devices so you can enjoy picking clean, fresh strawberries free of dirt. Also, remember to try their soft-serve ice cream with sweet strawberries on top!
Price: 1,000 yen to 1,500 yen depending on age.
Duration: All you can eat for 30 minutes.
Season: January to late June.
Address: 44 Minamino, Ugo, Ogachi, Akita 012-1123.
Tel: +81 183-62-5415 (Reservation required).
http://www.komachino.com/
<Kanto>
Niikura Farm
Niikura Farm is located within an hour train ride from the central Tokyo. These fresh strawberries are made with organic farming methods which give an exceptional taste!
Price: 300 yen per 0.2 lb (100g).
Season: From late February (for strawberries).
Address: Ochikawa 1179, Tama, Tokyo 206-0015.
Tel: +81 80-1173-1346.
Reservation (Japanese): https://reserva.be/niikuranoen
https://the-way-of-japan.com/fruits/en/2017/04/20/269/
<Hokuriku>
Yuzawa Strawberry Village
Yuzawa in Niigata Prefecture on the Japan Sea coast of Japan is one of the less visited areas of Japan by foreign tourists but is famous for the Echigohime strawberries. The name comes from the old name for Niigata which was Echigo. An area of heavy snowfall, it is unusual to be able to pick strawberries while there is so much snow around! However, even if there is heavy snowfall, the strawberries will be waiting for you inside the green houses!
Admission: 150 yen / person over age of 3.
Courses: [Just picking] 0.2 lb (100g) for 270 yen.
[All you can eat] 1,000 yen to 1,850 yen depending on the age and season.
Season: Mid-January to late June.
Address: 750-1 Kandatsu, Yuzawa, Minamiuonuma, Niigata 949-6102.
Tel: +81 25-780-6011.
No reservation required.
https://the-way-of-japan.com/fruits/en/2017/04/20/302/
http://www.yuzawajyuki.co.jp/ichigo/
<Chubu>
Strawberry Farm Ishihara
Strawberry Farm Ishihara in Yamanashi Prefecture is a certified eco farm producing delicious organic strawberries. You can enjoy all you can eat freshly picked strawberries for 30 minutes. They grow 5 types of strawberries including Tochiotome, Akihime, Aiberry, Benihoppe and Sachinoka.
Price: 1,000 yen to 2,000 yen / person (depending on the season).
Duration: All you can eat course for 30 minutes.
Season: Late December to late May.
Address: 1250 Omagaricho, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-0841
Tel: +81 55-241-2809.
Reservation (Japanese): http://www.strawberryfarm-ishihara.com/
<Kansai>
Berry Farm Uji
Berry Farm Uji is a well-organized strawberry farm located within an hour’s train ride from Kyoto Station. During a 30-minute all you can eat session, you can pick as many strawberries as you like! They also allow you to bring condensed milk which goes perfectly with the strawberries. It is best to make a reservation on their website before you visit the farm!
Price: 1,600 yen to 2,000 yen / person (depending on the season).
Duration: All you can eat course for 30 minutes.
Season: Late December to late May.
Address: 143 Hatanuki, Makishimacho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0041.
Tel: +81 80-8510-1115.
Reservation (Japanese): http://www.agrism.com/
<Chugoku>
Yasuhara Strawberry Farm
Located a 15-minute drive away (30 minutes by bus and walking) from Kurashiki Station, Yasuhara Strawberry Farm offers quality strawberries. Their strawberries are produced via the tank farming method, allowing the fruits to stay away from the ground so that you can always enjoy clean, sweet strawberries.
Price: 1,700 yen / adult, 1,500 yen / children aged from 6 – 12, 1,000 yen / children aged from 2 – 5.
Duration: All you can eat course for 40 minutes.
Season: February to mid-May.
Address:433 Hayataka, Kurashiki, Okayama 710-0022.
Tel: +81 86-482-0990.
Reservation not required.
http://yasuhara15.net/
<Shikoku>
Yukimoto Farm
Yukimoto Farm in Ehime Prefecture is known for its generous offer of all you can eat strawberry picking with unlimited time. Also, deliciously soft cream and smoothies using their sweet strawberries attracts many visitors.
Price: 1,500 yen / adult, 1,100 yen / children aged from 6 – 12, 600 yen / children under 6
Duration: Unlimited all you can eat course.
Season: Mid-January to late May.
Address:1805-1 Tanbaracho Ikeda, Saijo, Ehime 791-0508.
Tel: +81 90-9552-9788.
Reservation: https://www.facebook.com/yukimoto.farm/
<Kyushu>
Kichijien Strawberry Farm
Kichijien Strawberry Farm is the biggest strawberry farm in Kumamoto with 45,000 strawberry plants. They grow a rare type of locally-developed strawberries called “Beni Ayane” which are hardly distributed even within the prefecture. You will instantly be amazed from your first bite by the intense sweetness of this super rare strawberry, Beni Ayane!
Price: 1,300 - 1,800 yen / person (depending on the season).
Duration: All you can eat course for 50 minutes.
Season: December to May.
Address: 552 Uekimachi Kitome, Kita, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture 861-0151.
Tel: +81 96-273-2544.
Reservation (Japanese): http://www.kichijien.jp/ichigogari.html
<Okinawa>
Ginoza Strawberry Farms
Located an hour drive away from Naha Airport in Okinawa, Ginoza Strawberry Farms grows the fresh and sweet strawberries Sachinoka and Benihoppe. In order to make a reservation, please call the farm between 15:00 – 18:00 one day before your visit. They will prepare the necessary items for strawberry picking, so you just need to bring yourself and enjoy the juicy strawberries!
Price: 750 yen for 0.8 lb (400 g) or 1,350 yen for a 40-minute all you can eat course.
Season: From February.
Address: Ginoza, Kunigami, Okinawa 904-1304.
Tel: +81 90-9782-0407.
Reservation (Japanese): https://www.facebook.com/ginoza.strawberry.farms/
How To Pick The Sweetest Strawberries
● The Colder, The Sweeter
Strawberries retain more sweetness when it is colder. Many farms offer strawberry picking until spring, however it is recommended to go in colder months such as January and February to taste sweeter strawberries.
● How To Tell A Fully Ripened Strawberry
Check the following to find the perfect ones to pick!
- Fully red from top to bottom
- Deep red at the top and orangey red at the tip
- Stalk has opened up (meaning the fruit is at the ripest stage)
● From Tip Or Top?
Strawberries are sweeter at its tip and a bit sour at the top where the stalk is. Therefore, you can better enjoy its sweetness if you bite it from the top.
Taste The Premium Strawberries At Karuizawa Garden Farm
The Secret Of Their Premium Taste
Karuizawa Garden Farm is located in the highlands of Karuizawa at 3,280 ft (1,000 m). The contrast of temperature between day and night helps the strawberries to create more sweetness. At the Karuizawa Garden Farm, they purposely pick some strawberries out to enhance the taste of others – even though it means less production amount. This is how the extremely sweet, juicy strawberries are produced.
Try The Unique “Black Strawberry”
Karuizawa Garden Farm offers two types of strawberry picking courses depending on how many kinds you would like to try. The most popular kind is Benihoppe which is unbelievably sweet and tasteful! Also, there are other kinds of strawberries including “Shinku no Misuzu”, a rare kind of deep red color with a black shade. This is a perfect place to try Japan’s premium quality strawberries!
Tips To Fully Enjoy Strawberry Picking
Ready to go strawberry picking in Japan? Here are some tips to make the most of the experience:
● Start From The Back
Many people start picking as soon as they step into the greenhouse, which leave many juicy unpicked strawberries further back as people get full. So the areas further back tend to hold many juicy ripe strawberries!
● Use The Restroom In Advance
Strawberries contain a lot of water and you don’t want to have nature call during your all you can eat session! So make sure to visit the little boy’s or little girl’s room before you start picking.
● Bring Wet Tissues
While you eat strawberries, your hands and mouth often become sticky and you might get soil on your hand. Bring wet tissues to stay pleasant and clean!
● Wear Comfortable Clothes & Shoes
Although many farms are well-organized and maintained, you are still on a farm after all. Also, you will need to bend down often to pick up strawberries. So make sure to wear comfortable clothes you can easily move in, as well as shoes suitable for walking around a farm.
● Enjoy Strawberries Only At The Fields
Many strawberry farms offer all you can eat strawberry picking. However, it does not mean you can pick as many strawberries as you want and take some home with you. You are only allowed to pick strawberries and eat them at the fields. Please follow the instructions on site and have a great time!
Information
From Tokyo to Karuizawa, Nagano Take a JR Hokuriku Shinkansen bound for Nagano from Tokyo Station. It takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes to arrive at Karuizawa Station.Access To Karuizawa Garden Farm
By Car: Around a 15-minute drive from Karuizawa Station.
By Bus: Take aloop bus from Karuizawa Station and get off at Shimohotch stop (around 15 minutes). The farm is around a 15-minute walk from the bus stop.
*Free shuttle bus services are offered by Karuizawa Garden Farm. Please contact the farm for details.
Karuizawa Garden Farm
Address: 2062−1 Hotchi, Karuizawa, Kitasaku, Nagano 389-0113
Tel: + 81 267-48-3620
Website: http://www.aipy.co.jp/
Price:
[Standard Course – 30 minute all you can eat of Benihoppe]
Seniors (Over 70) ：1,200 yen
Adults (Over 13) ：2,300 yen
Child (Aged 6-12) ：1,200 yen
Small Child (Aged 4-5) ：800 yen
Under 4 years old: free
[Premium Course – 40 minutes all you can eat of various types]
Seniors (over 70) ：1,700 yen
Adult (over 13) ：2,800 yen
Child (Aged 6-12) ：1,700 yen
Small Child (Aged 4-5) ：1,300 yen
Under 4 years old: free
Season: Mid-December to June.
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 15:00.
Booking: Please make a reservation at least 3 days before your arrival.
Reference List
https://the-way-of-japan.com/fruits/en/
http://jpninfo.com/7838
http://www.komachino.com/?mode=f6
http://www.niikuranoen.com/
https://ichigo.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0938s38190/
https://strawberry.okinawa/
https://jo-shiki.com/event/4553/
