As the season gets warmer, it’s only a matter of time when people start setting off to various outdoor activities; from a family get-together camping to a laid back day with friends at the beach. Clearly, everyone is down for a little bit of sun before it gets unbearable by the time it hits summer.

Speaking of the seasonal activities, one of the lesser known things to do in Japan (for foreigners and locals alike) is fruit picking. This type of activity somehow requires quite a strenuous road trip since most of these so called fruit farms are in such specific locations outside the metropolitan.

For no less than a two hour drive, we drove off to the mountainous Izu Peninsula. Yes, you may have remembered this place when I wrote about their Cactus Park and their famous Mt. Omuro in my previous blog.

Anyway, this time, we drove farther to their beautiful  Hinokuchi-en, Izu. This place is found in the higher areas from their beach coast. Getting there by car will might be the best option although buses are also available.

Orange Picking

For 500 Yen, you can enjoy roaming to their vast orange farm while picking from their various kinds of orange trees. You will be given some tools and an area to slice up and eat your freshly picked and delightfully tasty oranges.

Which means, you got to eat what you picked. The best part? It’s unlimited! You can also take some home which is priced separately. There will be a guide to help you out choose the best (tree) but clearly that wouldn’t be a problem since you can already tell that these fruits are of high quality.

Strawberry Picking

Just across the orange tree farm are a group of green houses that grow strawberries. I have tried strawberry picking in other fruit-picking farms before but I think what’s cool about this place is that, unlike the conventional way of planting strawberries on the ground, the plants are elevated enough for the fruits to hang on their stems without touching any surface.

So when you picked one of those sweet mouthwatering strawberries, you have nothing to worry about eating them straight. Note that strawberry picking is priced differently (strawberry picking is priced for 1,100 Yen). You can either choose one or do them both.

Nowadays, my holidays are mostly spent in big cities or dining in prep- meals. So it’s nice to finally try something fresh. I used to remember picking fruits around my neighborhood in my childhood years – and although it wasn’t exactly the way it was before, I somewhat relived those days again.