Spring Pickings – Strawberry Picking Around Tokyo

Jan 24, 2022

Spring Pickings – Strawberry Picking Around Tokyo

Japan has a beautiful relationship with fruit. While it tends to be a little expensive (at least to the eyes of foreigners used to supermarkets crammed with the stuff for next to nothing), fruit is revered in status: apples are grown to extraordinary sizes and prized for their taste, mangoes are packaged like prized antiques, and melons over 10,000 JPY are given as extravagant gifts.

Another connection that the Japanese have with fruit is that they enjoy picking for pleasure. Whether with groups of friends, families or on bus tours, all year round, Japanese will head to farms dotted around the country and pick fruit together. In early spring, it is the beginning of the strawberry season. This is perhaps the most popular harvest period, particularly for families with children as ‘ichigo’ are just soooo kawaii! Everyone loves strawberries, especially Japan, which currently has the largest production and consumption of dessert strawberries in the world. Luckily there are plenty of strawberry farms around Kanto that you can visit. Most cost in the range of 1,500 JPY per adult and offer tabehoudai – eat as many as you like – for a set period, usually about 30 minutes.

Below are just a few places you can visit, though details are for information purposes only, and we do not endorse any of the places listed.

Kawatsura Strawberry Farm

Kawatsura Strawberry Farm has been going for more than 50 years and wants you to taste strawberries without condensed milk and sugar. Their season runs from January to early May, with the prices decreasing in increments from 2,000-1,200 JPY for adults, 1,600-800 JPY for children aged 4-6, and 500-300 JPY for children under three. Opening times on weekdays are 10:00 and weekends from 9:20. Closing time until February is 2:30 and will change to 3:30 from March. 

Nearest station: Naruto station is approximately 90 minutes from Tokyo station.
Address: 478 Hayafune, Sanmu, Chiba Prefecture, 289-1311
Website: http://www.kawatsura15.com/e/

Wada Farm

At Wada Farm, you can pick organic strawberries from 9:00-16:00 for 2,100-1,300JPY for adults and 1,600-1,000JPY for ages 3-5. Their season opens on January 22nd. They also periodically provide live performances by local artists. Check their website for up-to-date details.

Nearest station: Keiseishisui Station is about 70 minutes from Tokyo Station
Address: Chiba Prefecture, Inzai, Hiraka, 906−1
Website: http://wadanouen.com/index.html

Niikura Farm

Opening in late February, Niikura Farm is a late starter. It is not a tabehoudai operation, though, and strawberries are sold at 300JPY for every 100g. They are open from 10:00-16:00, except Mondays and Thursdays when they open at 13:30. You can make a reservation by calling 080-1173-1346 between 9:30 and 16:00.

Nearest station: You can get to Seiseki-sakuragaoka in 50 minutes from Tokyo, and then a 20-minute bus ride takes you to the farm.
Address: 206-0015 Tokyo, Tama, Ochikawa, 1
Website: http://niikuranoen.com/

Berry’s Farm Hasegawa

With the strawberry plants at adult hip height, you don’t need to break your back at Berry’s Farm Hasegawa. Also, the strawberries are not in the soil, so there is no dirt to clean as you eat. Picking hours are from 9:30 to 16:00. Elementary school students and above cost 1,900-1,000JPY, and those younger cost 1,200-700JPY for 30 minutes all-you-can-eat.

Nearest station: You can get to Gyodashi in about 90 minutes by JR or 60 minutes by Shinkansen from Tokyo.
Address: 361-0061 Saitama-ken, Gyōda-shi, Wada, 800−1 361 0061
Website: http://berrysfarm-h.com/

賢太郎 森川 from 埼玉県さいたま市浦和区, 日本, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons