Things I didn't try early on: strawberry picking

In this series "things I didn't try early on" I am talking about things I didn't try in my early years in Japan. Like a couple of my other examples, this one could also fall under the heading of "things I may never have tried if I didn't have children!" Because, long story short, it was thanks to the children that I ended up researching strawberry picking in Japan.

I think the first time I went I only had two children. Even still I was in Japan many years at that stage. I had no idea that strawberry picking was so different in Japan to my home country until I tried it. There were three things in particular that really surprised me about strawberry picking in Japan on my first visit. One, that it is mainly a winter activity. Two, that it is done in greenhouses. Three, that you eat as you pick (or pay extra if you want to bring them home).  This is in stark contrast to my home country (Ireland) where it is a summer activity done outdoors and you put the strawberries in a punnet to bring home!

After visiting once, and really enjoying it, not only for fresh delicious strawberries, but also the warmth of the greenhouses, I have been back many times since! Some of them have extra appeal, with things such as play areas, as per the photo in this post. Now I sometimes bring visitors from overseas too, because I know they will be surprised by the same things I was. Moreover, Japanese strawberries are exceptionally delicious, and everyone should try them once in their lifetime! And there's nothing quite like eating them off the vine!