Strawberry picking is a popular activity in Japan Winter through Spring. There are numerous greenhouses to choose from with prices varying between farms. Prices are highest in December and January, and taper off towards the end of Spring.

Kawatsura Strawberry Farm

Kawatsura Strawberry Farm has been growing strawberries since 1964. They grow 5-7 different varieties of strawberries each season that are close to organic/pesticide free. They shy away from using chemicals and insecticides to avoid their worker bees (used for cross-pollination) and young children eating strawberries directly from the plant to be exposed adversely. They are one of the few farms that do not impose a time limit on how long you can pick and eat in their greenhouses, and they sell beautiful flowers to cut and take home for under 20 yen a stem.

Kawatsura Strawberry Picking Farm

TIPS for first-timers:

– Go early in the morning as all the ripe strawberries are eaten by late afternoon.
– Kawatsura Strawberry farm shares their land with another strawberry farm. Avoid walking into the wrong greenhouse.
– Everyone is given a plastic container with two pockets. One pocket is used to hold the sweetened condensed milk (for dipping your strawberry) and the other is to hold the leaf of the strawberry after it has been eaten. Note the strawberries were so sweet we didn`t need the condensed milk!
– Place your bags & personal belongings in their lockers (bags are not allowed in the greenhouses). Lockers are free.
– Wear comfortable shoes and clothes – the strawberries are grown low to the ground so you`ll have to do a lot of crouching.
– The temperature inside the greenhouse is stabilized at 20 degrees Celsius (approximately 68 degrees Fahrenheit) and can get rather warm on a sunny day. Wear a layer of clothing you can shed if you get too hot. Hangers are provided to hang coats near the entrance of the greenhouses.
– Don`t neglect the small, ripe strawberries. They’re very sweet and tasty.
– Have a set of wet tissues handy for your children. Eating strawberries can get messy.
– A diaper changing station is available for infants. They ask that you take the dirty diapers home with you.
– Have lunch at Kaihim Makuhari Station (halfway to Tokyo). There were numerous family-friendly places to dine at – Outback, Saizeria, AEON, Lotteria, Mc Donalds and more.

A video inside the Kawatsura Strawberry Farm greenhouse.
http://youtu.be/2uBJgCplwh8

Kawatsura Strawberry Farm Details

Address: 478 Hayafune, Sanmu, Chiba (千葉県山武市早船478)
Phone: 080-3749-3271
Picking Season: December 15 – to the end of May
Hours: Monday -Friday, 10:00 – 16:00 (*they close earlier when all the ripe strawberries are gone for the day).
Saturday, Sunday and Holidays from 9:30 but close when all the ripe strawberries are gone for the day.
Fees:

Period	Adult (over 7 years)	Child (4-6 years)	Child (under 3 years)
Dec.15 – Jan. 4	2,000 yen	1,500 yen	500 yen
Jan. 5 – Feb. 28	1,600 yen	1,300 yen	500 yen
Mar. 1 – Mar. 31	1,500 yen	1,100 yen	500 yen
Apr. 1- Early May	1,100 yen	700 yen	300 yen

Access: train 65 min from Tokyo Station http://www.kawatsura15.com/e/direction_train.html; By car: About 90 min from Tokyo http://www.kawatsura15.com/e/direction_car.html
Website: http://www.kawatsura15.com/e/index.html

For additional Strawberry Farms near Tokyo please view this list:
https://bestlivingjapan.com/strawberry-picking-tokyo-area-2017/

***********

Kawatsura Strawberry Picking Farm

***********

Did you enjoy this article? If yes, please sign-up for the Best Living Japan newsletter, so you don’t miss any great info. It is easy to sign-up just click here, and enter your email.