12 Strawberry Picking Farms in Western Saitama

A selection of 12 Strawberry Picking farms in Western Saitama, for the 2023 strawberry picking season. Some of these farms are open from December 2022, which is included in the information below.

Western Area

There are five areas in Saitama: Central, Eastern, Western, Northern and Chichibu. The Western area of Saitama has more cities and towns than the Central, Northern and Chichibu areas combined. The cities and towns in the south of the Western area border Ome, Hamura, Higashimurayama, Kiyose, Nerima and Itabashi in Tokyo also.

Strawberry Picking Saitama

The Strawberry picking season starts as early as mid-December in parts of Saitama, but it is not until the end of January that all the strawberry picking farms are open daily. In 2020 several of the strawberry picking farms closed just weeks after opening for the season on account of the Coronavirus. In 2021, they opened later than normal due to a State of Emergency in the first two months of the year. Last year, 2022, there was a mix and match – some that opened as normal, some that opened later or with restrictions.

However, with this “new life with Corona” it is expected that most (if not all) of the strawberry farms will open for business in the 2023 season. Although, some of them may not open for as long as before the pandemic and you can expect conditions in place. For example, you will have to wear a mask and may have to have your temperature taken before entering the greenhouse.

Strawberry picking farms generally require that you book in advance, but even those that used to allow walk-ins now require advance reservations too (due to the pandemic). Please bear this in mind when making plans for Strawberry Picking in 2023.

Strawberry picking in the Chichibu area and Northern Saitama here.

The system and cost

Strawberry picking farms in Saitama are all indoor, in temperature regulated greenhouses. The system is, generally speaking, a fixed price for a half of hour of all-you-can-eat as you pick. You pay extra – by weight – to bring strawberries home.  The prices per farm differ greatly, some start as cheap as 600 yen for children, but adult costs are usually around 1,800 yen.  Most (but not all) farms do not charge for children two years old and under. I have not added the cost to each farm below, because the prices change frequently. Also, as the weather warms, it is not unusual for the farms to lower the price from April. So please do check with each individual farm for the most up-to-date costs (and information). Parking is typically free.

Strawberry picking farms by area

1. Yoshimi (#1 for strawberries in Saitama), Imanishi Strawberry Picking Farm
2. Kawajima, Strawberry Hunt
3. Namegawa, Yatsu no Sato
4. Higashimatsuyama, Higashimatsuyama Agriculture Park
5. Sayama, Berryland
6. Moroyama, Ichigo no Sato
7. Sakado, Shimura Strawberry Farm
8. Kawagoe, @Farm
9. Kawagoe, Strawberry fields Sujino
10. Tokorozawa, Kitada Farm Marche of Strawberry
11. Tokorozawa, Arai Farm Happy Strawberry Garden
12. Hanno, Hoya Fruits Farm

Yoshimi 

1. Imanishi Strawberry Picking Farm

According to Saitama Prefecture, Yoshimi is number one for strawberries in Saitama. However, while they maybe number one for volume, even taste, please note the picking farms are quite basic. Yoshimi Imanishi Strawberry Picking Farm is just one of several strawberry farms in the area. It has two greenhouses. One is barrier free.

Back up plan: Imanishi farm is part of a Coop of strawberry picking farms. Information in English for other nearby strawberry farms here (click).　There are also strawberry picking farms in neighboring Kawajima Town which is only a ten minute drive away:

Kawajima 

2. Strawberry Hunt

The farm also sells Koshihikari rice at a reasonable price. You can get 5 kilo, 10 kilo and 30 kilo bags of Koshihikari Rice at this strawberry farm also. Furthermore, it is close to the Kawajima Interchange of the Ken-o expressway. Please note this farm often closes for the day at lunch time. Moreover, in 2022 they have decided to wait until spring to choose an opening date for the 2022 season.

Back up plan: there is another strawberry picking farm very close to Strawberry Hunt called Ichigo Factory. On Google Maps here.

—— Strawberry Picking Western Saitama ——

Namegawa

3. Yatsu no Sato

For a real country / rural experience, Yatsu no Sato is the place to go. They have several different farming and picking experiences throughout the year. Moreover, there are horses and goats in the area and it has a great little café and antique shop. Please note that for the 2023 season, just like last year, it is essential to book in advance.

Higashimatsuyama

4. Higashimatsuyama Agriculture Park

The strawberry picking farm at Higashimatsuyama Park was recently upgraded. In addition, there is now a cafe and a play area. As it is a municipal facility it is one of the cheapest places to pick strawberries in the Western Area of Saitama. It is also one of the earliest to start their season. Priority is given to people with an advance booking.

Sayama

5. Sayama Berryland

The Sayama Berryland farm is probably the best known among the foreign community. Moreover, it is the largest strawberry picking farm in all of Kanto (the Greater Tokyo area). Apart from strawberries, this farm also has blueberries and mushrooms. The season start for this farm differs greatly from year to year. Last year it started on November 30th (2021)! But this year it will start on Wednesday December 14th. And you can start booking online from Sunday December 11th.

Moroyama

6. Barrier free Ichigo no Sato Moroyama

Ichigo no Sato has two different farms AND an all year round shop Strawberry Garden. This information is for their farm in the Nishiokubo area of Moroyama. Picking at Ichigo no Sato is a 50 minute session and they offer all-you-can-eat toppings for free. It is a popular strawberry picking farm that features on TV often. Moreover, it is normally one of the first to open, but that has not been the case since the pandemic began. You need to book in advance, but it can only be done a day in advance. From February, the 11th of the month is “Wanko no Hi” and dogs are welcome for the afternoon sessions.

Sakado

7. Shimura Farm

This was my favorite place to pick strawberries when my kids were toddlers. And as you can see in the photo – it has a lovely play area. Actually since I wrote this post, and the detailed blog post about the farm Strawberry Picking with a play area, the farm has continued to evolve and improve.

Kawagoe

8. @Farm

At or @ Farm is the newest and trendiest strawberry picking farm on the list. They only started their strawberry picking in 2020. But it is an initiative by Sankyo-Mokko who’ve been operating in Kawagoe for more than a 100 years. In 2022 they only opened Tuesday to Friday. (That is, closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays). But for the 2023 season they are aiming to open every day but Mondays. Moreover, this year they are offering picking from mid December on select dates. Booking is already open for the December dates. The farm also grows tomatoes for picking and they have a lovely cafe on the grounds that is open all year round.

9. Kawagoe Strawberry field Sujino

Combine a trip to the historic “Edo” period Kawagoe town with some strawberry picking. Located just outside the tourist area in the rural part of Kawagoe, yet still close to the site of the old Kawagoe castle and several other attractions.

Tokorozawa

Tokorozawa is the new hot spot in Saitama that opened while Japan was closed to the rest of the world. Sakura Town, TeamLab Acorn Forest, Kadokawa Culture Museum and the EJ Anime Hotel are among the new facilities in Tokorozawa. It also has several other long standing notable attractions too, such as the Seibuen Amusement Park, Sayama Indoor Ski Resort and the Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park and Aviation museum.

10. Tokorozawa Kitada Farm Marche of Strawberry

Tokorozawa Kitada Farm Marche of Strawberry has large sized BGM strawberries. There is a nice rest area in the greenhouse. They offer 40 minute picking sessions. You need to book in advance, but you can only do it from the day before you want to pick.

11. Arai Farm Happy Strawberry Garden

Only an hour from Tokyo and accessible by public transport – a bus from the east exit of Tokorozawa station to Shiro bus stop. This farm also has 40 minute picking sessions.

Hanno

12. Hoya Fruits Farm

I have not been to this one myself, but it has a very good reputation. They also have grape and pear picking in the Autumn.

—— Places to pick strawberries in Saitama ——

This year, 2023, is still quite different to pre pandemic, but thankfully things are better than last year and 2021. Of course, the situation with the pandemic could easily lead to last minute changes in hours and even availability. Please, do always check with the official website or ring ahead for the latest information. If you would like more information in English on a particular farm, please ask in the comments and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Also, please feel free to add your own recommendations in the comment area.

Strawberry Picking in Saitama was first published on January 18th 2014. Nine years later and its still going strong. It is actually one of my all time favorite pieces to date and one of the most successful ‘evergreen’ posts on the blog 🙂 . Thank you very much for your continued support. It was moved to the events section of the blog in January 2019. It was completely revamped and moved back to the main section of the blog in October 2020! Last update: January 14th 2023.