The largest strawberry producer in Japan!
Visit Tochigi for a fun-packed farm experience.
Tochigi offers a wide variety of nature, food, and farm experiences!
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· Where is Tochigi Prefecture, the Strawberry Kingdom?
– Just an hour away from Tokyo by Shinkansen – - · Countryside Food
– Try freshly picked food – - · Countryside Stays
– A memorable experience in farming villages – - · Recommended trip plans for farm experiences and sightseeing in Tochigi
- · Other recommended locations
Tochigi is close to Tokyo. It is about 100 km away from Tokyo and takes only about an hour if you use Shinkansen. Tochigi leads Japan in many areas of farm production such as strawberries, pears, Chinese chives, and raw milk. For strawberries in particular, Tochigi boasts Japan’s largest production. Such rich production in Tochigi is the result of the local environment suitable for cultivation, including abundant water resources, fertile soil, and long hours of daylight. Tochigi offers visitors an attractive experience in farming villages. Picking and tasting of fresh, seasonal fruits such as strawberries at tourist farms and staying at a farmer’s house to experience their daily life are just a few examples. Please come and stay at a farming village, interact with local people, and enjoy the unique features the area offers. "
(1)Fruit picking
Tochigi is the largest strawberry producer in Japan. December to May is the strawberry season, and you can pick and enjoy strawberries at tourist strawberry farms. Some strawberry farms are stroller- and wheelchair-accessible, and some sell processed strawberry products or have a mini-café offering strawberry sweets. There is also a rare summer strawberry picking opportunity in Tochigi (August to October).
Tochigi also grows a lot of grapes. Tochigi City has an area with about 60 grape farms. Grape picking season is August and September. In addition to Kyoho, the all-time popular breed, and Shine Muscat with edible skin, you can pick rare breeds that can only be tasted there.
Map of strawberry picking farms
Grapes picking
(2)Buying fresh or processed
farm products
At a farmer’s market in facilities such as tourist farms or roadside stations, you can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables delivered by farmers. They are all carefully produced in pursuit of safety, reliability, and tastiness. There is also a rich lineup of processed products including jam, confectionery, and drinks that feature the natural flavor of farm products.
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- Kaneda Orchard
- Pear picking and direct sales of pears grown by a uniquely and carefully developed method.
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Roadside Station
Domannaka Tanuma 
- Fresh vegetables from local producers fill the shelf every morning. You can also buy processed farm products that are perfect as a gift.
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Roadside Station
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Roadside Station Meiji
no Mori Kuroiso 
- You can buy local vegetables and original processed products made with milk, which is a local specialty.
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Roadside Station Meiji
(3)Eating at cafes
and restaurants
You can enjoy meals prepared using local farm products at a restaurant, and café attached to a farm. They offer dishes and sweets fully bringing out the flavor of each ingredient.
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Wakayama Farm
Bamboo Forest 
- In addition to a walk in the bamboo forest, you can enjoy lunch featuring bamboo shoots harvested in the farm and vegetables from local farms.
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Wakayama Farm
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- Clover Steak House
- Carefully produced ingredients such as Tochigi Wagyu are deliciously prepared through creative ideas.
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- Yoshimura Nouen
- You can pick strawberries of many different breeds. There are also strawberry sweets at the café for you to enjoy.
Column [Farm Products in Tochigi]
Tochigi has been the largest strawberry producer in Japan for over half a century. Long hours of daylight and a large temperature difference between the day and night makes for delicious strawberries. In Tochigi, you can try the taste of very sweet Tochi-Aika, the breed developed by the Tochigi prefectural government, Tochiotome with a good balance of sweetness and acidity, Skyberry featuring big fruit and an elegant flavor, a very rare variety Tochihime, Natsuotome a summer delight, and Milkyberry literally white like milk.
Nikkori is a breed of pear developed by the Tochigi prefectural government. It is big and each pear wights as much as 1 kg. It is sweet, crisp, and very juicy.
In 2013, Washoku: Traditional Dietary Cultures of the Japanese was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Rice plays the central role in washoku, and rice export has been increasing. Rice eaten in Japan is called Japonica rice and is characterized by short grains that become soft and sticky when steamed. Rice breeds typically grown in Tochigi include Koshihikari, shiny grains that produce a fine aroma when cooked, and Tochigino-Hoshi featuring large grains that remain tasty even after becoming cold.
Tochigi Wagyu is a Japan top-level wagyu brand. It is a Japanese Black breed raised with a lot of care by designated producers in Tochigi. The beef features a dense flavor and aroma.
Tochigi exports strawberries and pears (Nikkori) mainly to Southeast Asia and beef (Tochigi Wagyu) to countries such as the USA and Singapore. Please try them when you find them in your country.
(1)Spend time like living
at a farmer’s house (Stay)
Farming and mountain villages in Tochigi are blessed with rich and dynamic nature and a unique culture developed from the environment. Staying at these villages will give you the privilege of experiencing the charm of the local community through beautiful scenery of different seasons, a wide variety of local food, a traditional cultural experience, and heartwarming interactions with local people.
Tochigi has a number of accommodations renovated from traditional Japanese houses and storehouses in farming villages. At these accommodations, you can communicate with farmers and savor food and experiences unique to the area.
Iizuka-tei is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. Featuring the combination of the atmosphere of a traditional Japanese house and the latest equipment, Iizuka-tei is a hotel that guarantees you a relaxing stay. The hotel closely works with the local community. During the stay, you can customize your stay style by for example having meals delivered from a restaurant in town or visiting a farmer’s house to savor local food.
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- Iizukatei
- A stay to remember at a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. The hotel offers a wide variety of activities.
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Hanazono sou /
Agriturismo in Ohtawara 
- An accommodation operated by a rice farmer using a storehouse. Guests can experience rice transplanting, rice harvesting, and miso making.
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Hanazono sou /
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- Tsuki noco
- A bakery selling wild yeast bread and offering a farm stay.
(2)Activities in farming
villages (Experience)
Exposure to the climate, lifestyle, and culture unique to the Japanese countryside will make your trip truly memorable.
A farm stay will offer you an opportunity to try farming of the season and cook dishes using freshly harvested farm products. Some facilities have an activity menu including making fermented food such as miso and nature biking.
Yana fishing, a traditional Japanese fishing method, takes place in rivers in Tochigi. Accordingly, there are many places for tourists to experience yana fishing. These places are open roughly between August and October. While feeling the powerful river flow over your feet, you can try catching sweetfish by hand and enjoy dishes prepared with wild sweetfish or eel.
Tochigi has ranches on highlands. At these ranches, you can pet animals living peacefully in a vast natural landscape. A wide variety of activities are also available there, including making butter from raw milk and horseback riding.
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WAIN – Vintage Rice
Barn in Nasu /
Agriturismo in Ohtawara 
- An accommodation renovated from a storehouse. You can try various activities including biking, baking sweet potatoes and pizza in a wood stove, and so on.
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WAIN – Vintage Rice
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- Oose Yana
- You can try yana fishing, a Japanese traditional method of catching freshwater fish such as sweetfish.
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Nikko Kirifuri Highland
Ozasa Farm 
- You can experience horseback riding, petting goats and sheep, and making butter using milk fresh from cows on the ranch.
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Nikko Kirifuri Highland
This section introduces recommended trip plans for experiencing nature, food, and farming in Tochigi.
- Trip to get the most out of Tochigi,
the Strawberry Kingdom - This trip plan features many opportunities to fully enjoy the strawberries of Tochigi, the largest strawberry producer in Japan. You will visit a farm for strawberry picking and shops offering sweets and processed items using strawberries. During winter, when delicious strawberries are available, you can also enjoy illuminations and landscape lighting. You can experience the luxury of being in a special space created with nature.
- Activity-packed family summer trip to Tochigi
- This summer trip plan is designed for a family to actively spend time in Tochigi through various activities in great nature, including trying kayaking and traditional Japanese freshwater fishing. The plan also includes visiting a farm for picking rare summer strawberries and a vast sunflower field.
- Trip to experience a farm stay and Japanese traditional culture
- This is a trip plan including special stays at a hotel renovated from a Registered Tangible Cultural Property and a farmer-run accommodation renovated from a storehouse. You will be introduced to Japanese history and culture in depth through the experience of harvesting seasonal farm products, having local food, trying traditional Japanese culture activities such as pottery and weaving, and interacting with local people.
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