[2019 Edition] Ten Recommended Spots Near Tokyo for Strawberry Picking

1. JA Ashikaga Agriland (Tochigi Prefecture)

Strawberry picking can be enjoyed from early January through May in Ashikaga City of Tochigi Prefecture, which is easy to get to from Tokyo. You can eat as much as you want of Tochiotome, one of Japan’s most representative strawberry varieties, distinguished by its high sugar content and large size, for 30 minutes. The fee ranges from 1,200 JPY to 1,700 JPY depending on the time of year. No reservations are necessary for individual guests, so stop by at your leisure. There is also a store for purchasing strawberries, including the new Tochigi Prefecture variety, Skyberry. The popular tourist destination, Ashikaga Flower Park, is nearby, so you can visit it on the same trip.

*The photograph is for illustrative purposes only.

2. Japan Berry (Shizuoka Prefecture)

This is the largest greenhouse in Japan - about three times the size of a soccer stadium - where you can enjoy picking strawberries. It is located in Fujieda City in Shizuoka Prefecture, and is open from mid-January through the end of June. The picking experience includes 40 minutes of all-you-can-eat strawberries at rates ranging from 800 JPY to 1,800 JPY. A variety of strawberries - including the sweet and soft Akihime, the richly flavored Beni Hoppe, and Kaorino, which has a refreshing sweetness - can be sampled. The greenhouses have state-of-the-art equipment set up so that you will not be touching any dirt. This means that you can casually stop by without putting on any special clothes!

*The photograph is for illustrative purposes only.

3. Dragon Farm (Chiba Prefecture)

This is a tourist farm in Chiba City where you can pick and taste a wide range of strawberries between January and mid-May. Indulge in 30 minutes of all-you-can-eat strawberries for 3,000 JPY from Monday to Saturday and 2,000 JPY on Sunday. Seventeen different varieties, including Akihime, Oi C Berry, Tochiotome, and Beni Hoppe, are cultivated here, so you can enjoy comparing them. Reservations are required from Monday to Saturday, while the Sunday experience is on a first-come-first-serve basis, so be sure to check which day you are going. It is warm in the greenhouse, so wear layers that can be taken off if you get hot.

*The photograph is for illustrative purposes only.

4. Nikko Strawberry Park (Tochigi Prefecture)

Popular varieties, such as Tochiotome, Skyberry, Beni Hoppe, and Yayoi Hime, can be picked and eaten for 30 minutes at this place. These strawberries are grown organically, using organic fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and are the only strawberries to get the Link-T certification from Tochigi Prefecture, which is given to agricultural produce that are specially grown to be safe for consumption. Strawberry picking is available from mid-December to early June at a fee ranging from 1,600 JPY (incl. tax) to 1,800 JPY (incl. tax). There is also a shop that sells strawberries and products made with strawberries like jam. The park is in a convenient location roughly 15 minutes by car from the popular tourist destinations of Nikko and Kinugawa.

*The photograph is for illustrative purposes only.

5. Kawatsura Strawberry Farm (Chiba Prefecture)

The strawberry picking experience at Kawatsura Strawberry Farm, which is conveniently just over an hour from Tokyo Station on a limited express train, comes with 40 minutes of all-you-can-eat strawberries. It is available from mid-December to early May, and is priced between 1,200 JPY and 2,000 JPY. The strawberries are made without pesticides as they are eaten without washing. On a good day, you can pick and try about five different varieties including the most popular, Fusanoka. Fusanoka is a rare Chiba variety with limited output, so it is a great deal to be able to eat it as part of an all-you-can-eat plan. There are individual lockers to put your belongings in, so you need not worry about them.

*The photograph is for illustrative purposes only.

6. Sayama Berryland (Saitama Prefecture)

This is a vast 80,000 sq.m. berry farm close to Tokyo where you can enjoy picking strawberries. Strawberry picking is available here for 2,000 JPY for 30 minutes, including all-you-can-eat, between mid-December and late May. The strawberries are cultivated high off the ground, so you can easily pick them without having to squat. They are on two levels, so children and people in wheelchairs can also pick them easily. There are multiple greenhouses that are rotated into the picking experience, ensuring that customers can always enjoy sweet and plump strawberries. There is also a gift shop with original products, such as strawberry daifuku mochi and strawberry noodles.

*The photograph is for illustrative purposes only.

7. Izu Fruit Park (Shizuoka Prefecture)

Here, for an unlimited amount of time, you can eat a variety of strawberries, including Beni Hoppe, which is a registered variety of Shizuoka Prefecture, and the sweet Akihime that has little sourness. If you want to change up the flavors, eat them with lots of condensed milk, which is freely available. Rates range from 1,296 JPY to 1,944 JPY, and reservations are required. It is about 50 minutes from Shinagawa Station on the Tokaido and Sanyo shinkansen (bullet trains) to the nearest station, so it is easy to get to from Tokyo. There is a large restaurant on site and a view of Mt. Fuji on a clear day.

*The photograph is for illustrative purposes only.

8. Chichibu Fruit Farm (Saitama Prefecture)

Chichibu Fruit Farm, situated in nature-rich Chichibu, is a place where you can enjoy picking strawberries standing up from early January through early May. A wide variety of strawberries are cultivated here, including the popular Beni Hoppe and Yayoi Hime, and the sister Chichibu varieties Amarin and Kaorin. The strawberries are all cultivated in soil with no chemical fertilizers or weed killers, so they are all tasty and nutritious. You can get 30 minutes of all-you-can-eat strawberries at rates ranging from 1,200 JPY to 1,700 JPY. There is also a plan to enjoy the strawberry picking together with stone-grilled BBQ.

*The photograph is for illustrative purposes only.

9. Hamamatsu Fruit Park Tokinosumika (Shizuoka Prefecture)

This is a tourist farm in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, that lets you pick 15 different types of fruit throughout the year. The strawberry picking, which is available from mid-December to late May, includes four different varieties: the sweet Akihime, rich Beni Hoppe, Kaorino, and Yotsuboshi. The strawberry picking experience, which includes 30 minutes of all-you-can-eat strawberries, costs between 1,000 JPY and 2,000 JPY (there is a separate park entrance fee of 700 JPY). The strawberries are cultivated off the ground so they can be picked standing up. The vast park also has facilities like a BBQ garden and winery, so you can enjoy your time in a variety of different ways.

*The photograph is for illustrative purposes only.

10. Kojima Farm (Tochigi Prefecture)

At Kojima Farm in Mooka City, Tochigi Prefecture, you can enjoy picking Tochiotome, which is a variety of strawberries that the prefecture is famous for. The price is set at a reasonable 1,300 JPY to 1,500 JPY for 30 minutes of all-you-can-eat strawberries. The strawberries are carefully cultivated using organic fertilizers, and they get plenty of sun, so they are filled with nutrients and minerals. Tochi Hime strawberries, which are not distributed commercially, are sold in their shop. Nearby are Mooka City tourist spots such as Osaki Ebisu Jinja, a shrine with the largest statue of Ebisu, the deity of commercial success, in Japan.

*The photograph is for illustrative purposes only.

Strawberry picking can be a fun experience well worth including in your travel plans, but many farms close when the strawberries run out, so plan to be there earlier in the day.