A good day for strawberries

The 15th of each month is Strawberry Day Ichigo no Hi イチゴの日 in Japan. The reason for the date is because 15 can be read as 'ichigo' which means strawberry. Originally, the 15th of January was marketed as "good strawberry day", because of the extra 1 for the month of January, which can be read as "ii" as in 'good'. But at some point they dropped it and just call it "Strawberry Day".

However, January 15th really is a good... a great ... day for strawberries, because the season really takes off from mid January. The strawberry season in Japan is on average from mid January to mid April. Some strawberry picking farms open earlier, from mid December, occasionally even November. Likewise, the end of the season can be as late as the end of June at some farms. Moreover, you can even find all year round picking farms too. But January is the prime time for them.

In recent years, Saitama Prefecture, where I live, is particularly known for its high quality strawberries. We have varieties that were designed and cultivated in the prefecture and have become popular nationwide, such as Amarin and Benitama. But Tochigi Prefecture remains "Strawberry Kingdom", as it is affectionately called. Tochigi Prefecture remains the top producer of strawberries in all of Japan.