Strawberry Picking
What else would you do in winter but go to pick strawberries and eat as many as you can? Strawberry picking or "イチゴ狩り (Ichigo Gari)" is a popular pastime in Japanese winters. Even though this year hasn't been as cold, you can still find lots of places to stuff your face.
The prices at the farms vary depending on the month. The most expensive is January and it gets cheaper the closer you get to May. Of course the quality of the strawberries also goes down, so best to get in early.
The price usually includes 30–60 minutes inside the farm, in which time you are allowed to eat as many strawberries as you can. Most places are not very strict with the time limit. There is an extra charge if you want to take some of the strawberries you picked home with you.
Strawberries are known to be a rich source of vitamin C, which is great in preventing scurvy. If you are planning a long boat trip soon, then this is a must-do activity!
The Vitamin C Foundation also recommends that people who are sick or are pregnant should take in 3000 mg or more of vitamin C per day. According to Wikipedia, one cup (144 g) of strawberries contains 82 mg of vitamin C, so to reach the quota, you will need to each 5.3 kgs each day. If each strawberry weighed 24 g (http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?id=107
), then that's around 220 strawberries a day. Maybe possible . . . if you had 60 minutes at the farm, you would need to eat 3.6 strawberries each minute. . . .
The usefulness of such a high dose has been questioned by many health groups, so the World Health Organization has a more reasonable recommended intake of 45 mg per day. In that case, you wouldn't even need to eat a whole cup, but you might as well anyway because its so very oishii!.
But why not give it a try anyway, for fun and health!
Large groups often get discounts.
| Name (English) | Name (Japanese) | Dates Open | Prices | Town | Address (English) | Address (Japanese) | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usami-en |
いちご狩り うさみ園 | Jan–May | 800–1300 yen | Hokota | 2334-15 Tokushuku | 鉾田市徳宿2334-15 | 029‑136‑2011 |
| Marukaku Strawberry Farm |
マルカクいちご園 | Jan–June | 600–1200 yen | Ishioka | 140 Tsuji | 石岡市辻140 | 029‑942‑2244 |
| Tobita Strawberry Farm |
飛田いちご園 | Jan–May | 840–1155 yen | Kasama | 3310-2 Kasama | 笠間市笠間3310-2 | 029‑672‑2881 |
| Fukasaku Farm |
深作農園 | Jan–May | 800–1100 yen | Hokota | 361 Dainigorisawa | 鉾田市台濁沢361 | 029‑139‑8560 |
| Hyakushōtai |
協同組合元気百笑隊 | Dec–April | 900–1300 yen | Hokota | 318-10 Kami-gama | 鉾田市上釜318-10 | 029‑134‑4631 |
| Nakamura Strawberry Farm |
なかむらいちご園 | Jan–May | 600–1200 yen | Ishioka | 225 Asahi | 石岡市朝日225 | 029‑942‑3112 |
| Strawberry House Nomunomu | いちご家のむのむ | Jan–May | 1300 yen | Ishioka | 1416 Obata | 石岡市小幡1416 | 029‑942‑4126 |
| Ikeda Strawberry Park | 池田いちご園 | Jan–May | 800–1500 yen | Kasumigaura | 1016 Shimo-tsuchida | かすみがうら市下土田1016 | 029‑959‑2489 |
| Ikeda Strawberry Farm | いけだファーム | Jan–May | 800–1500 yen | Kasumigaura | 967 Shimo-tsuchida | かすみがうら市下土田967 | 0120‑152‑305 |
| Ōzeki Strawberry Farm | 大関いちご園 | Jan–May | 800–1500 yen | Kasumigaura | 231 Gotanda | かすみがうら市五反田231 | 029‑959‑5508 |
| Suzume-ko Forest |
すずめっこ森 | Jan–May | 800–1500 yen | Kasumigaura | 972 Yamamoto | かすみがうら市山本972 | 029‑959‑3477 |
| Tasaki Farm | タサキファーム | Jan–May | 800–1500 yen | Kasumigaura | 523 Kami-saya | かすみがうら市上佐谷523 | 029‑959‑5987 |
| Maron Center's Kouda Nouen |
農事組合法人マロンセンター古宇田農園 | Jan–May | 800–1500 yen | Kasumigaura | 1233 Shimo-tsuchida | かすみがうら市下土田1233 | 029‑959‑2559 |
| Iso Strawberry Farm |
磯イチゴ園 | Jan–May | 800–1300 yen | Kasama | 4766 Kasama | 笠間市笠間4766 | 029‑672‑9105 |
| Yanaka Tourism Strawberry Farm |
谷中観光いちご園 | Jan–May | 800–1300 yen | Kasama | 4693 Kasama | 笠間市笠間4693 | 029‑672‑3634 |
| Pocket Farm Dokidoki |
ポケットファームどきどき | Mar–Apr | 1000 yen | Ibaraki-Machi | 1945 Shimohaji Aza-takayama | 茨城町下土師字高山1945 | 029‑240‑7777 |
| KEK Iwase Farm Stand | KEK直営・岩瀬農場 | Jan–May | 700–1200 yen | Sakuragawa | 34-7 Shimo-izumi | 桜川市下泉34-7 | 029‑676‑0744 |
| Chiyoda Tourism Fruit Farm | かすみがうら市千代田観光果樹園 | Jan–June | 800–1500 yen | Kasumigaura | 461 Kami-tsuchida | かすみがうら市上土田461 | 029‑959‑2116 |
| Farm Ai | ファームあい | Dec–May | 1500 yen | Tsuchiura | 815 Ōhata | 土浦市大畑815 | 029‑829‑2130 |
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