My family of four went strawberry picking at Shimano Farm in Hamamatsu City.
Shimano Farm (8869 Izaicho, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture)
On Prefectural Road 65, near the intersection with Tateyama-ji Kaido.
(5 minutes by car from the Hamamatsu Nishi Interchange on the Tomei Expressway) There is no shuttle bus service, but a large gorilla visible from Prefectural Route 65 (Hamamatsu Loop Route) is a landmark.
The reception building is also painted in strawberry colors (red and green), very bright and easy to recognize.
Strawberry picking at Shimano Noen is available without reservations.
They do not accept reservations from individuals, but are open from mid-December to mid-May.
Hours of operation are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Last year we visited during Golden Week in May and there were still plenty of red strawberries!
He said that wheelchair users could also visit if they made a reservation.
However, when the number of strawberries in the greenhouses opened that day is decreasing, the park seems to close even during business hours, so we recommend that you go early (in the morning or early afternoon), especially if you visit on weekends.
Since it is close to Tateyama-ji Kaido, visitors with small children may want to visit Shimano Noen in the morning and spend the afternoon playing at Hamamatsu Zoo or Flower Park in Tateyama-ji.
Prices and features of Shimano Noen Strawberry Picking
When I visited (early April), the price was 1,300 yen for children from the first grade of elementary school and 1,000 yen for kindergarten and younger.
It seems to be a bit more expensive when the season is early (e.g. winter), but in April it seems to be 1,300 yen.
The only type of fruit is strawberries, but the strawberries are large anyway.
The size is more than 1.5 times larger than other strawberry farms.
So we can't eat a lot of them, but each one is fresh and very tasty.
Types of Strawberries
They are growing Shohime and Benihoppe.
At the reception desk, you can get condensed milk at no extra charge for a variety of flavors.
Even the little ones can learn how to eat carefully for the first time.
The farmers ranged from young to grandparents, but all were friendly and kind.
A box of bees was placed for mating, but I did not find it particularly disturbing.
We never saw moldy strawberries.
Strawberry varieties
We grow Shohime.
To be honest, as for the variety, I did not know what they were growing, but when I looked it up again, it says Shohime.
All-you-can-eat for 30 minutes if you pay the entrance fee.
If you pay the admission fee, you can eat as much as you want for 30 minutes.
However, it is not measured exactly, but seems to be about 30 minutes.
That seems to be the morale of the customers, but I have never had it for 30 minutes because I get full very quickly.
Can I take home strawberries?
Although taking strawberries home is prohibited, strawberries freshly harvested that morning are sold directly at the reception desk.
I heard that they also do layaways, but this one seems to be very popular and hard to get.
I went there in the afternoon before and it was sold out...too bad.
They also seemed to sell handmade strawberry jam and handmade dried sweet potatoes.
I once bought some strawberry jam and it was so good I devoured it in no time.
Parking and congestion
I asked the farmer about it, and it seems to be crowded during the daytime on Saturdays and Sundays.
However, there are two parking lots, the first and second, and it seems that there is no problem to park there.
We have never been unstoppable either.
We were told that if there were customers coming in large buses, we would have to consult with them separately. It is also close to the Tomei Interchange, so it might be a good idea to come here for a trip.
The clientele varies from families to couples.
There are about 3-4 lanes that are released and 1-2 pairs of customers are passed through them.
If you stay longer than that, it looks like you will be sent to another lane.
I have not had many problems with not being able to eat because of other customers or not being able to get through the lanes.
The strawberries are grown quite high, so even adults can move to the next lane by bending down.
When we were parked, we never had to wait.
summary
My family of four went strawberry picking and it was a really good memory.
When I saw my children tucking into the large strawberries, I thought I had bought them to bring them here.
Why not go strawberry picking with your family or as a couple?
