With nearly 160,000 tons produced annually and 148 registered varieties, strawberries are a huge hit in Japan! And it's easy to see why: they're delicious. So why not try a slightly different activity and join a strawberry-picking session? ?
The Japanese strawberry
It was initially cultivated as an ornamental plant before being grown using Western methods in the 1880s, a period during which Japan modernized by imitating the West. The strawberry thus became a symbol of this initial modernization.
After World War II, greenhouse cultivation expanded, making strawberries more accessible. They became a symbol of Japan's postwar renaissance. However, until the late 1990s, two main varieties dominated the market: Nyoho and Toyonoka strawberries. Due to their somewhat tart flavor, they were typically eaten with milk and sugar or condensed milk. This changed when Tochigi Prefecture began producing its namesake strawberry, Tochiotome. (とちおとめOther departments soon followed suit with their own local varieties.
(Sources: France Inter / Japan.go.jp)
Strawberry picking, or いちご狩り
From January to May (or even June and July in Hokkaido), you can take a trip to a farm to pick strawberries. Strawberry picking (ichigo gari) has become very popular in recent years. A healthy, inexpensive activity that benefits the local economy, strawberry picking ticks all the boxes! The concept is simple: for a set amount of time (usually 30 minutes), you can pick and eat as many strawberries as you like. These farms use environmentally friendly farming methods, so it's an activity that doesn't harm the environment! Furthermore, the strawberries are grown at a height of about one meter, making this activity easily accessible for wheelchair users and the elderly. It costs approximately 2000 yen per adult (about 16 euros) and 1000 yen per child (about 8 euros).
Where to go for strawberries?
Tokyo is not really an agricultural region, but it is possible to find many farms nearby:
- Tokyo Strawberry Park Ichigo Lab (Kanagawa Prefecture): about 30km from Tokyo (about 1 hour), it is one of the most popular farms.
- Berry's Farm Hasegawa (Saitama Prefecture): approximately 80km from Tokyo (about 1 hour 30 minutes)
- Kawatsura Strawberry Farm (Chiba prefecture): about 70km away (about 1h30), this farm also offers the opportunity to pick poppies of various colours so you can leave with your own bouquet!
Grab your basket, let's go!
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