Fruit Picking in Hokkaido, Japan

Who doesn’t love snacking on some sweet, juicy fruit every now and then?  Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you see it) for people living or traveling in Japan, buying fruit turns into buying a luxury product, more or less.  It won’t take you long to realize that fruits here are rather expensive and that having a daily breakfast that includes fruits will not be very economic for your budget.  No wonder Japanese give fruits sometimes as a sort of fine gift..

You may have seen them before, big square shaped watermelons, bright colored pink peaches, or succulent looking grapes, among other kinds.  Those certified ‘perfect’ fruits can cost up to ten thousand yen, sometimes more!

However, eating fruit in Japan does not have to be necessarily a forbidden thing.  In fact one of the popular activities for Japanese locals during the weekend, and even for tourists visiting Japan (especially Hokkaido), is fruit picking at a local farm.  While it’s not the cheapest way of eating fruit, it certainly is the best way to eat lots of fresh, hand picked fruits that are cultivated and raised by local farmers.  It’s also just a really fun experience.

Due to some regional differences between Hokkaido and the rest of Japan, the soil and weather around Hokkaido provide different growing conditions for the fruits cultivated here, giving them a slightly different color and taste to those grown in other parts of Japan.  Fruits that grow better in cold temperatures such as: peaches, apples, blueberries and strawberries make some of the variety of fruits you can get around here.

There are so many places to visit in Hokkaido for fruit picking, and at reasonable prices as well.  Read on to learn about the seasons of Hokkaido’s fruits, our recommended places to go fruit picking, and some extra Japan fruit tips!

Unfortunately, not all fruits are available throughout the entire year, therefore, it’s important to check the month(s) in which your favorite fruit might be available to harvest so that you can get the most out of this experience:

There are so many places to go fruit picking in Hokkaido.  No wonder with all the plots of land available here, right?  Many farms open up their properties for guests to come and pick the fresh fruits from its source.  Can it get any more local than that?

Moreover, many of these farms are committed towards protecting the Earth, so many of them avoid using chemical fertilizers, instead using their own sustainable compost – which farmers say, helps to enhance the flavor of their delicious fruits. Also many of them do not use agricultural chemicals, which means that you can eat the fruit on the spot, safe to devour!  A few of these farms may even be able to communicate on English or Chinese language, as they receive a fair amount of foreign tourists.

Here are our farm & fruit-picking recommendations that we think you should definitely try..

One of the well-most known sightseeing fruit farms in Hokkaido.  Yamamoto Orchard offers a huge variety of fruits from June until November such as strawberries, peaches, blueberries, apples, cherries, grapes, Japanese pears and even Japanese chestnuts.  The best thing is you can have a ‘tabehoudai’, or an all-you-can-eat, for an unlimited time.  And, you are not limited to one type of fruit only – it just depends on what is available during the time you visit!

One of the fruits you must try in Yamamoto’s are the cherries!  They have over 10 varieties of cherries – the Sato Nishiki, the Benishuho, summit, and Nanyo cherries to name a few.  Yamamoto Orchard uses their own compost and limits the use of agricultural chemicals.  This commitment to Earth’s sustainability pays off by allowing you to eat the fruit as soon as you pick it!

Located in Yoichi, around an hour away from Sapporo.  Yamamoto Orchard can be accessed in a relatively short amount of time by car.  It’s also a great option to join a Yoichi tour with Travel Hokkaido.  We can build a tour for you to this area (& Otaru) which will include this farm visit!

This one is another great destination to check out for a day and do some fruit picking.  A small town in the west coast of Northern Hokkaido, Mashike is full of historical buildings, beautiful views, delicious seafood and good spots to pick fruits. Travel Hokkaido does a great day tour around Mashike, with the main attraction being, of course, picking fresh fruits in an all-you-can-eat! 

The area features two great spots to pick fruit: the Maruzen Sato Orchard, which has a history stretching longer than 100 years, and Shukaen.  Running from late July up until late October, you can pick (and eat!) apples, blueberries, peaches, strawberries or cherries.  Again all you can eat for a reasonable price!

Another great location on the list, located near the famous hot spring town of Jozankei.  Jozankei Farm is one of the largest farms in all Japan!  There are various kinds of fruits throughout the seasons, such as strawberries, apples, prunes, grapes, plums and their specialty – cherries.

Not only can you go fruit picking here, but you can also take part in other workshops and activities on offer.  You can try mountain stream fishing, making your own pizza, tree-trekking, and enjoy the beautiful views of the flowers in the recently opened Orchard Garden!  Later, pass by the hot spring town and end the day relaxing in an onsen – Jozankei has some of the best onsen in Hokkaido.

Even though Jozankei has a smaller variety of fruits compared to some of the other farms, you’ll still find some of the best cherries here.  It is said that the land where the farm is located has excellent water drainage compared to other lands in Japan, which increases the sweetness of the fruits cultivated here.  Cherries are a must try, especially the Sato Nishiki and Gassan Nishiki cherries.  And if the fruit isn’t enough; how about the beautiful Orchard garden, different outdoor seasonal activities and its close proximity to Sapporo.  These all make it a very attractive destination for the day, wouldn’t you say?

This farm features a big variety of fruits to pick with more than 10 kinds of fruits; strawberries, cherries, grapes, apples and more.  Many recommend trying their cherries, from which they have over 20 different types!  Who knew more than 20 different cherries even existed, right?

Much like the other farms around here, Hamada Orchard limits their usage on chemical fertilizers and instead use their own compost, making their fruits safe to eat on the spot.  More products can be purchased within the farm store such as local made jams, freshly made juices, cakes and apple pies!  You can taste some of their food specialties (made from their own harvests) in a great location near Lake Toya!

The farm is located about 15 minutes away from Toyako Onsen, so while you’re there you should take the opportunity to watch the summer fireworks at night, go to an onsen, climb Mount Uzusan (one of Hokkaido’s active volcanoes) while feasting on the delicious orchard produce.

Okay, technically this is not a fruit picking place per se, but definitely a hidden gem amongst the must do things in Hokkaido during the summer!  Yubari, once a city driven by the coal mining industry, is nowadays a ghost town.. intrigued?  Read on..

Although pretty quiet, the region does excel in one particular area, cultivating delicious melons.  One of the best fruits you can try in Hokkaido are melons – and Yubari Melon Dome is definitely the place to go.  Moreover, you can try amazing melon flavored products, such as melon ice cream, melon smoothie, or meet Melon Kuma (bear) – the slightly disturbing, slightly cute mascot of Yubari…

Available from Mid June until Mid August, you can take part of two activities: the Yubari Melon Observation tour or the Yubari Melon all-you-can-eat (or choose to do both activities at the same time!)  What better way to enjoy Hokkaido’s summer than tasting the famous Yubari melon and eating until your stomach is fully packed.

When summer is inching closer, fruit picking can seem like the perfect way to spend the afternoon.  Feasting on some delicious fruit that can be eaten straight from the trees – YES!   In my opinion, the value that you get for most of the fruit buffets is very reasonable for their cost. Although fruit can be quite expensive in Japan, you can find some reasonably priced fruits in local supermarkets.  This is especially true for stores in the suburban areas, and some of the fruits that you can pick in these farms sell their fruit to these stores anyways, so why not try them straight from the source?  There’s nowhere fresher and truer to Hokkaido’s produce than at the farms themselves!

Not only do you get to eat the local fruits and try other local treats that come out of these farms, but because of their locations they make a great incentive for exploring the nearby towns where there are many other types of local activities on offer here too.

• Always pay attention to the instructions given to you before you go and pick your fruits.
• Be careful of not damaging the crops, trees, or fields while harvesting your fruit!
• Some farms have an all-you-can-eat option while others weigh your fruit and give you a total cost depending on the weight – make sure you know which option you’re doing!
• Some places will let you grab all kinds of fruit while others will limit you to one specific kind of fruit – be careful!
• Always make sure that the place you want to go will allow you to pick the fruit of your choice.  Some farms may not have all fruits available, or may specialize in a certain fruit only.
• Check whether your favorite fruit is in season – some farms have different season schedules, so always double check!  Most of the above farms operate from late spring until November, but the fruit seasons will differ.

As a final word, I’d just like to say that I really hope that you get to try the fruit in Hokkaido when you visit!  Especially try the Yubari Melon if you visit between June and August – Hokkaido people love these and I’m sure you will too!  Don’t leave Hokkaido without trying a fruit picking experience.

Some of the locations are a bit retired or not easy to get by public transport, so definitely have us in mind if you would like to take a tour to one of these locations.  You can get in touch with us to customize a day trip so that it includes a fruit picking experience across Hokkaido too!