On June 28th I went with my friends strawberry picking! After our fail last year, my friends and I were determined to go this year. I figured out the fruit farm we wanted to go to only does strawberry reservations online, so I hopped on the site at 9am sharp. I barely managed to get us a slot before they all filled up!
On the morning of, my friend came to pick me up, and we arrived at Nitori Tourist Orchard a little past 10:30am. Since our reservation was for 10:30, we figured we’d just suck up the loss of our 30 minute reservation time. Luckily for us, when we went to reception, they said they’ll push us to 11. (Ironically, we wanted 11 anyway, but the online slot filled up.).
When 11 rolled around, we were debriefed on how to pick strawberries with the rest of the 11 people. Each of us was allotted a small box with a cup of condensed milk to dip strawberries in. It was super hot especially in the small greenhouse, but the ripe strawberries were so good and fresh. Better than anything I can find in a grocery store. For strawberries, there’s an all-you-can-eat with a limit of 30 minutes.
We were debating thinking about going cherry picking after since cherry season just started. Most of us were full though, so some of us opted to buy the pre-packed boxes, or other things in the shop. I bought the freshly baked apple pie, which was super good. Big soft apple chunks, with crispy pie layers. For anyone interested, the cherry picking on its own is 2000 yen, but you can get a discount at 1200 yen if you also went for strawberry picking. There’s also no time limit!
We took some pictures outside the main reception area for the memories. While we were outside, we saw a sun halo!
For lunch, we decided on Narutoya, the Otaru fried chicken place. This was my second time overall, and first at the Yoichi location. The menu here concentrates on set meals (mostly fried mains or curry), or some sides. Even though it’s a chicken specialty place, I ordered something with no chicken, ha! The aji-fry was really calling to me.
The miso soup and rice were pretty basic, but the main was really good. It comes with two perfectly fried triangular, horse mackerel pieces. Hot and crispy on the outside, and soft meat on the inside.
After lunch, we headed over to my friend’s place to chill, and my friends who came by car went home. Since I had plans around the area the next day, I had a sleepover at my friend’s house! We watched some Netflix, made some convenience store runs at night, and ended the night with Kpop Demon Hunters (highly recommend!).
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