If your kids love Pocky, a day trip out to the Pocky Factory is a must. The Glico Pia East Factory is where both Pocky and Pretz snacks are produced. You can sign-up for a free one hour tour online. The trip from central Tokyo takes about 2 hours, so I recommend you combine with a trip to the beautiful town of Kawagoe (about 30 mins away) or the train museum in Omiya (between Tokyo and the Pocky Factory).
The tour is conducted in Japanese only, although the visuals will support non-Japanese speakers. If you are heading to Saitama, check out our recommendations in Saitama with kids.
POCKY FACTORY (Saitama)
Once you sign-up for a tour on the online system, you will receive an email confirmation and also a phone call the day before. Arrive about 15 mins early and check into the lobby. The tour groups are about 15 people per group. When you enter the lobby you will be asked if you would like to decorate Pocky after the tour – 500 yen per person to decorate two very large pocky. I do recommend it.
The tour is comprised of a video about the history of Glico and then a tour through the factory. The day we visited they were making a new edition of salad flavored Pretz. My kids really enjoyed learning about the entire process of making Pretz and Pocky and then tasting samples at the end. The gift shop is also conveniently located in the parking lot to pick-up snacks for friends and family. There are many props for photos in the lobby display area, but once you are inside the factory photos are not allowed.
About 20 mins away you can enjoy indoor sky diving at Flystation located near the huge Laketown Mall and Outlets.
POCKY FACTORY (Saitama)
Address: Glico Pia East, 9-55 Nakamaru, Kitamoto, Saitama (google map)
Hours: Open Everyday except National Holidays: 9:30 -16:00
Cost: Factory tour is free; making Pocky is 500 yen per year
Access: 1.5 hours via car (free parking on site), or 2 hours via train then shuttle bus to the factory
POCKY FACTORY (Saitama)
Other Day Trips or Weekend Trips from Tokyo
If you visit the facility in Saitama we also recommend making a day trip of it and visiting the following locations:
The Railway Museum (Omiya, Saitama)
FlyStation (Koshigaya, Saitama)
Little Edo – The town of Kawagoe
Tokyo Metropolitan Area Underground Flood Control Discharge Area (Kasukabe, Saitama)
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