Tokyo Strawberry

Strawberry season is really popular in Japan.  It actually starts in January, as strawberries are grown greenhouses so they have a much longer season.  My son is a HUGE fan of berries.  We've always grown a variety of berries at our house in Seattle.  We grew blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and strawberries.  My son has always been able to eat as much as he wanted from our yard.  Over the years, we've never brought a single blueberry inside the house.  Between him and the birds, the bushes are striped every day. 

Luckily, we've always had enough strawberries to take some inside for jam and freezing (usually used in smoothies and popsicles throughout the winter).  Since we are used to having a lot of strawberries, I have been buying a lot of strawberries.  It's expensive, but we all enjoy them and they are quite tasty. 

While riding our bikes, we passed by some signs with strawberries on them.  I stopped and asked my husband what they were advertising.  As soon as he saw them, he cheerfully reported that we were right next to the greenhouses of Kato Farm, the producers of Tokyo Strawberries.  These strawberries are designer strawberries, a known label around these parts (and probably many other parts of Japan, too). 

After buying a small bowl of berries for ¥650 ($6), my husband asked the woman who sold us the berries if I could look inside the greenhouse.  Following protocol, she went inside to inquire and then let me inside.  She instructed me to stay in a certain area. 

The set up was really neat and unlike any I had seen before.  The planters were raised to chest height so the pickers didn't have to bend over.  The berries are not grown hydroponically, but the dirt was compact.  They pick only the "perfectly ripe berries" and either send them to market or sell them in front of the greenhouse.

Buying the berries at the greenhouse felt a little like visiting a weird Japanese farm stand.  Every couple of minutes the door would open and more plastic covered berries would appear.  There was a line outside that is popular for anything exciting in Tokyo.  Everyone was excited about these berries.  Once we tasted them, we all agreed they were delicious.  Not quite $6 for 10 berries delicious, but yummy nonetheless.  My son was ready to move in, or at least befriend the owners.