If you’re in a jam about what to do this winter, you may want to pick something sweet.

While I tend to associate strawberry picking with the early summer in my corner of the world, strawberries in Japan are often associated with the winter months, thanks to the abundance of climate-controlled greenhouses and the use of the fruit on desserts like the ubiquitous strawberry shortcake Christmas cakes. Japanese-developed cultivars are also steadily gaining international recognition, with the premium Amaou variety from Fukuoka Prefecture perhaps taking the cake.

Furthermore, all-you-can-eat fruit-picking has become a popular leisure activity for city-dwelling families, friends, and couples in Japan who are looking to get back to their roots. With all kinds of creative activities to choose from–even drive-through strawberry picking in the middle of the pandemic–there are so many ways to get your fill. Today, we’d like to introduce five places to pick strawberries, largely located in the Greater Tokyo Area with unique offerings that are now welcoming visitors. Get ready to taste these sweet deals!

The Farm Hoshizora Strawberry Garden (Katori, Chiba Prefecture)
Recommended plan: Student Support Plan (学生応援プラン) 
Duration: Weekdays in March
Website

The Farm is what’s referred to as a “farm resort,” a place where people can stay overnight and take part in agricultural activities. Under the special Student Support Plan, if there’s at least one person in your group who’s a high school or university student and they present their student ID in person, the whole group can take part in a free 60-minute all-you-can-eat strawberry-picking experience as part of their overnight plan. The four varieties of available strawberries include Benihoppe, Kaorino, Yotsuboshi, and Amaotome. The Farm offers plenty of different unique amenities as well, including glamping, barbequing, natural hot springs, and saunas.

Keisei Rose Garden (Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture)
Recommended plan: Land of Oz Strawberry Hunt (オズの国のストロベリーハント)
Duration: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays through April 30
Website

Strawberry-picking is an annual event at Keisei Rose Garden, one of the largest rose theme parks in the Kanto region. This year’s theme is “rainbow” and features a massive rainbow decoration approximately 6 meters (6.6 yards) wide over the strawberry area. The event’s aesthetics also take inspiration from the imagery of The Wizard of Oz. “Strawberry hunter” guides will show you around the facilities, and in a first for this event, there’s a plan that will allow you to assemble your own mini strawberry rainbow cake using the berries that you picked.

Kyukamura Tateyama (Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture)
Recommended plan: Plan with a 30-Minute All-You-Can-Eat Strawberry Picking Ticket (いちご狩り30分食べ放題チケット付きプラン)
Duration: Weekdays through April 23
Website

At resort hotel Kyukamura, there’s an overnight plan that comes with a 30-minute all-you-can-eat strawberry-picking experience. Strawberries grown here are of the highest quality, having been presented to Japan’s Imperial Family for over 60 years. A potential downside is that the strawberry-picking center is about 30 minutes by car from the hotel, but the fact that visitors can enjoy tasting a plethora of berry varieties including Benihoppe, Akihime, Yayoihime, and Kaorino should help to make up for that.

Yuenchi Musashi no Mura (Kazo, Saitama Prefecture)
Recommended plan: “Strawberries” Strawberry Festival (ストロベリーゼのいちごフェス)
Duration: Irregular weekdays through March 15
Website

Musashi no Mura is a family-friendly amusement park with a number of facilities that largely focus on nature. During the Strawberry Festival, you can pick and eat as many Benihoppe strawberries as you’d like at the on-site Wakuwaku Farm. Day-of reservations are required and begin being accepted 30 minutes before opening. You can also purchase sets to do a taste comparison of different Saitama-grown strawberries as well as plenty of strawberry-themed baked goods. Don’t miss the giant strawberry photo spot!

Aquaignis (Komono, Mie Prefecture)
Recommended plan: 40-Minute All-You-Can-Eat Strawberry-Picking (いちご狩り 40分食べ放題)
Duration: Through June 7
Website

As the farthest location from Tokyo on this list, Aquaignis is a Nagoya-area composite resort complete with a hot spring and Tsujiguchi Farm, which is overseen by world-renowned patisserie chef Hironobu Tsujiguchi. The farm holds an annual strawberry fair, and this year’s edition boasts 22 varieties of strawberries ripe for the picking, including Benihoppe, Akihime, Tochiotome, Mouikko, Oi C Berry (Oishiiberry), and Starnight in a 40-minute session. Visitors can also indulge in a sweet menu made with Tsujiguchi Farm-produced berries.

Hopefully these berry-picking experiences will add a splash of color and sweetness to these colder days. Worst-case scenario, if you need to cancel your trip for any reason, you could always do what this woman did to save her strawberry-picking date.

Top image: PR Times
Insert images: Pakutaso, PR Times (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
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