Strawberry season runs from winter to spring in Okayama, the kingdom of fruit. Not only can you buy sweet, ripe, fresh strawberries, but you can also pick them yourself, buy original products, and enjoy cafes with strawberry-based dishes. Here, we introduce some of Okayama's most attractive Okayama farms.
2025.01.311. Okayama Fruit Farm / Fresh Okayama Direct from the Marché(Okayama City )
Okayama Fruit Farm's direct sales store, "Toretate Okayama Sanchoku Marché ," sells local produce such as vegetables and fruits in the Saidaiji district of Higashi Ward, Okayama City. It is located about five minutes from either the Saidaiji IC or the Setouchi IC on the Okayama Blue Line. In addition to vegetables and fruits from their own farm and contracted farmers, they also stock bento boxes and bread.
There is also a wide selection of long-lasting products that can be used as gifts, such as sweets and dressings unique to Okayama. Fish is also sold on certain days of the week.
Strawberries will start appearing in stores from December, with 5-6 varieties available, including Benihoppe, Yotsuboshi, Yumenoka, and Kaorino.
In addition to packs of each variety, there are also boxes of strawberries packed with irregular sized strawberries, which are the equivalent of 2.5 regular packs! Sometimes they contain only one variety, and sometimes they contain a mix of different varieties, so it's a fun day to try them out.
If you come here, you definitely want to check out the Okayama Fruit Farm's original variety, Minataruhime. With an overwhelmingly good aroma, rich flavor, a good balance of sweetness and acidity, and a satisfying texture, it's perfect in every way. You won't find it anywhere else, so if you see it, don't miss out!
At the direct sales store, we discovered bread made with fresh strawberries! The farm's pride and joy, the fruit koppe, which has been featured on TV, and melon bread filled with fresh cream and jam from Minamiashihime.
At "Kominka Cafe & Cafe Hanare," which opened in 2023 behind the direct sales store, you can enjoy sweets made with strawberries harvested from the farm. The tarts are filled with the recommended strawberries of the day. The chocolate tart, which is a sure combination with chocolate, is also popular.
Okayama Fruit Farm offers unlimited time and all-you-can-eat strawberry picking. Strawberry picking begins in late November, one of the earliest in Okayama Prefecture, and can be enjoyed for a long period of time until early June. You can enter and leave as you like on the day, so you can spend the whole day in luxury, buying lunch boxes at the farm stand along the way and eating them, or having tea at the cafe.
Prices are as follows: weekdays (Tuesday to Thursday): 2,000 yen for adults (junior high school students and above), 1,300 yen for elementary school students, 900 yen for infants (2 years and above), free for children under 2 years old; and 2,300 yen for adults on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
* Weekdays are 1,500 yen from April 9th onwards, and Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays are 1,500 yen from May 11th onwards.
*Reservations are given priority. Unlimited time and all-you-can-eat. Reservations can be made online 24 hours a day.
[Okayama Fruit Farm]
Address: 545 Saidaiji , Higashi-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture Prefecture
TEL: 086-224-2273 Business hours: Direct sales store: 9:00-18:00, Strawberry picking (reservations required): Weekdays (Tuesday-Thursday) 10:00-16:00, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays 9:00-16:00
Closed: Direct sales store: January 1st, strawberry picking: Mondays and Fridays (closed the following day if a public holiday falls on that Monday), January 1st to 3rd
Parking: 30 standard-sized cars, large buses
2. Agricultural horticulture Kibiji Farm ( Soja City)
Nomaru Engei Kibiji Farm is easily accessible, about 7 minutes from Kurashiki IC on the Sanyo Expressway and about 10 minutes from Okayama Soja IC on the Okayama Expressway. It is one of the largest tourist farms in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions.
The farm store is packed with seasonal fruits and vegetables, flowers, local sake, and other local specialties.
The four varieties of strawberries harvested that morning in greenhouses on the premises are "Akihime," "Sachinoka," "Benihoppe," and Okayama Prefecture's new brand "Hare Ichigo." Customers start picking them up one after another as soon as the store opens. The fully ripe strawberries, completely red in color, are ripe and ready to eat "now." The straight, curved stems are proof of their freshness.
This pack contains irregularly shaped and small strawberries. Although it says "for jam," these are also perfectly ripe strawberries picked that morning. The taste is undeniably delicious, so I recommend it for home use.
There is also a Toyotomi of original menu items made with freshly picked strawberries. The cake workshop offers a roll cake made with a generous 350g of strawberries, the cafe offers a parfait filled with strawberries both inside and on top, the bakery offers special strawberry sandwiches, and even sushi made with vinegared rice mixed with strawberry sauce and topped with fresh strawberries.
There is also a wide variety of strawberry products made with Nomaru Gardening's strawberries, including "Icchigo Rusk," "Icchigo Drops," "Icchi's Strawberry Milk Popcorn," and "Icchigo Sugar," all printed with Nomaru Gardening's cute character, Icchi.
You can also enjoy strawberry picking in the prefecture's largest greenhouse, with a total area of approximately 7,500m2. Multiple varieties are grown in one greenhouse, so you can enjoy tasting and comparing them.
Admission fees are 1,980 yen for adults (junior high school students and above) on weekdays and 2,200 yen on weekends and holidays, 1,650 yen for children (elementary school students), 990 yen for infants (3 years and above), and free for children 2 years and under.
*Reservations are given priority, and all-you-can-eat for 40 minutes is available. Reservations can be made online up to 3 days in advance.
* Registration available on the day (registration will end once capacity is reached, and there may be days when registration is not available depending on the strawberry situation)
[Nomaru Gardening Kibiji Farm]
Address: 411-1 Nishigori , Soja City, Okayama Prefecture Prefecture
TEL: 0866-94-6755
Opening hours: Direct sales store: 9:00-18:00, strawberry picking (reservations required): ①From 9:00, ②From 10:30
Closed: New Year's holidays
Parking: Maximum 340 standard cars, large buses allowed
3. Waterwheel Village Fruittopia ( Yakage Town)
Located in the eastern part of Yakage Town, "Suisha no Sato Fruittopia" is a popular tourist spot where you can experience harvesting and crafting, shopping, and enjoy empty-handed barbecues. Although it is located in the suburbs surrounded by nature, it is easily accessible from the expressway, about 20 minutes from the Kamogata IC on the Sanyo Expressway.
Immediately upon entering the building is the direct sales area. Seasonal fruits harvested from the company's own farm and nearby areas are lined up. From winter to spring, the sales floor is covered in the red of strawberries! The freshly picked, ripe strawberries are shiny and glossy, and as you approach, a sweet fragrance tickles your nose.
The strawberries that are picked every morning and delivered to the store include "Saga Honoka," which has a good balance of sweetness and acidity, "Akihime," which has a high sugar content and soft flesh, and "Yotsuboshi," which has recently become increasingly popular and is characterized by its rich sweetness and red inside. Many customers come from outside the town to buy them, and they are also attracting attention as a hometown tax donation for Yakage Town.
The direct sales store also sells processed products made with strawberries, such as jam, gelato, and drinking vinegar. The cafe's display case is also lined with homemade sweets available for takeout, including strawberry tart, Mont Blanc, panna cotta, and more.
The parfaits, which are made with an abundance of fruits and produce and allow you to taste the seasons, are extremely popular. They are also known for their cute appearance and photogenic nature, so there is no end to the number of people who visit just for them.
The cafe at the Oku of the farm store has a great view. You can also enjoy making sweets such as parfaits, French toast, and crepes using the strawberries you picked yourself.
Three types of strawberries are grown in greenhouses on the premises using water from the foot of Mine The greenhouses are well maintained and the pathways are wide enough for strollers and wheelchairs to pass through easily. Another great feature is that the strawberries are grown on elevated platforms, making them easy to pick.
Admission fees are 2,200 yen for junior high school students and above, 1,900 yen for elementary school students, 1,400 yen for those 3 years of age and above, and free for children 2 years of age and under (Prices as of February 2024).
*Reservation required, 40 minutes of all-you-can-eat. Online reservations available on the official website.
*Please call to inquire about availability on the day.
In addition to the elevated greenhouse, there is also a soil greenhouse nearby. Delicious strawberries with a rich flavor are grown here. If there are not many red berries in the elevated greenhouse, you can go strawberry picking here.
[Waterwheel Village Fruittopia]
Address: 3974-20 Higashiminari, Yakage-cho, Yakage gun, Okayama Prefecture Oda County
TEL: 0866-83-3423
Opening hours: Direct sales store: 9:00-17:00, strawberry picking (reservation required): 9:00-17:00
Closed: Wednesdays (open on public holidays), New Year's holidays
Parking: 90 standard-sized cars, 6 buses
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