My first domestic trip of 2019 was a family affair. We headed up north to Tochigi Prefecture for strawberry picking at Iwafune Fruit Park and Ashikaga Flower Park Flower Fantasy.
The timing couldn’t have been better! After a week of night weaning, I welcomed my husband’s invitation to spend a Sunday on a Hato Bus tour exploring Tochigi Prefecture.
Strawberry Picking at Iwafune Fruit Park
Our first stop was Iwafune Fruit Park (いわふねフルーツパーク), a sprawling farm that grows a variety of fruits including several types of strawberries.
By the way, Tochigi Prefecture is Japan’s leading producer of strawberries and is known for its cute and sweet Tochi Otome (とちおとめ) and the premium Skyberry (スカイベリー) giant.
Ichigo gari (いちご狩り), or “pick your own strawberries,” is a sort of national pastime in Japan from December to mid-May.
Farms across Japan welcome visitors to taste the literal fruits of their hard labor.
Our tour included an “all you can eat and pick” (in 30 minutes) course. We went up and down the rows of the greenhouse searching and sampling the strawberries.
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Three things I learned from my first time doing ichigo gari:
- The smaller the berry, the sweeter the juice!
- Ignore the “low hanging fruit” and focus on the strawberries on top/hidden under leaves
- It’s not a good idea to wear your down coat inside a greenhouse
Dinner at Rokugatsu no Mori
Afterwards, we headed to Rokugatsu no Mori (6月の森), a wedding ceremony hall and restaurant. Rokugatsu no Mori literally means, “a forest in June.” I’m sure it’s a beautiful place to have a fairy tale June wedding.
There’s also a blueberry farm on-site, and the dessert, a blueberry cake, which uses those berries!
Ashikaga Flower Park Flower Fantasy Illumination
The highlight of our trip to Tochigi was no doubt the evening spectacle at Ashikaga Flower Park.
Ashikaga Flower Park Flower Fantasy is 4.5 million lights twinkling against a backdrop of classical music and Christmas carols.
READ: Ultimate Guide to Winter Illuminations in Japan’s 47 Prefectures 2018-19 (Gaijin Pot)
In the springtime, the park comes alive with the fragrant blooms of wisteria covering large sections of the park.
But, in the winter, the wisteria tunnels and bridge are decked out in lights that look just as beautiful as the real deal.
Taking center stage is the park’s famed 150 year old wisteria tree.
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No matter how many photos or video you take, it’s never enough to do it justice.
It’s hard to grasp the scale of a huge production here. You can certainly appreciate all of the hard work that goes into such a display!
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