Delicious all-you-can-eat kiwis, and handmade activities that you won’t find anywhere else! A place where you can enjoy nature and interact with cute animals to make you feel at ease… This farm, which offers a wide range of things to see and do, is located in Kakegawa City in the western area of Shizuoka Prefecture. Its name is Kiwi Fruit Country Japan! In this article, we will be introducing many of the attractions that you can enjoy here.
This farm, which is about three times the size of Tokyo Dome (10ha), is the largest tourist farm specializing in kiwi in Japan and was started when Masatoshi Hirano, known as one of the leading kiwi growers in Japan, brought back a spoonful of kiwi seeds from the United States. His son, Koshi, has since taken over the management of the farm as the second generation manager and runs the farm primarily with other family members, including his father Masatoshi, who now serves as the director of the farm.
Kiwi Fruit Country Japan offers various activities such as all-you-can-eat kiwis all year round, outdoor leisure activities such as barbecuing and camping, and feeding sheep, goats, ponies, and other animals. Why don’t you take a big deep breath and enjoy the relaxing nature?
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Conveniently located for access by car
Kiwi Fruit Country Japan is conveniently located and is just a 5-minute drive from Kakegawa IC on the Tomei Expressway, a 10-minute drive from Kikugawa IC on the Tomei Expressway, and a 10-minute drive from JR Kakegawa Station.
However, the entrance is a bit confusing, so if you’re visiting for the first time, you may wonder if you’re in the right place. Once you find the #2 Parking Lot, the key is to continue proceeding along the road. Soon there should be a sign with a large picture of a kiwi, which is the entrance.
The reception desk is located at the store on the right as you proceed through the entrance. This store was originally used as a barn, but Koshi converted it into a store. The Hirano family is very particular about making things by hand, and a variety of handmade items will appear throughout this article!
Let’s not waste any time and start enjoying the all-you-can-eat kiwi!
As you enter, you can’t help but be impressed by the large plastic greenhouse. The Nakayoshi House is filled to the ceiling with ripe kiwis.
They always have two or three varieties of kiwis inside a cooler box that are ready to eat (sometimes one or two, depending on the season). This is because kiwis are too sour after they are picked, and they need to mature for about two weeks before they’re ready to be eaten. If you compare kiwis, you can see the difference in sweetness and acidity of each variety. There is no time limit, so you can eat as many kiwis as you want from here.
If you normally buy imported kiwis, you may not be aware of this, but the kiwi harvesting season here is from around October to January. The kiwis that we tasted when we visited the farm in September were harvested around November of last year. The ripeness of the kiwis is adjusted so that they can offer ones that are ready to eat all year round. I had no idea that kiwis were a fruit that could be preserved for such a long time. (*Depends on the variety.)
From October to January, visitors can experience kiwi harvesting, as well as barbecuing (you can come empty-handed or bring your own food and supplies), making art objects and wreaths out of nuts, camping, night yoga, and many other activities. It’s nice to know that even in the rain, you can still enjoy a barbecue in such an atmospheric setting!
There are many handmade activities to enjoy in the kiwi fields!
Let’s walk around the farm with the hiking map I received at the entrance! After leaving the Nakayoshi House and continuing through the kiwi fields, there is a short hill on the right that leads you to a spectacular viewpoint! Everywhere you look there are kiwis! Kiwis! Kiwis! And more kiwis! The kiwi fields are so vast that you may think to yourself, “Am I really in Japan right now?”
The Ookusu Swing, another handmade item built by Koshi, is a popular photo spot! Adults can also ride the swing, and you can also climb up the tree behind the swings so feel free to relive your childhood.
If you continue further on, there is a second spectacular spot where you can enjoy a view of the vast tea plantation below. From April to October, visitors can also experience tea picking. When I think about tea, the image in my mind was that they grew on short trees like this (see photo above), but when I was guided through a children-only maze that utilizes what has once abandoned farmland for tea cultivation, I was surprised at the sight of its appearance. I had no idea tea trees grew this big (see photo below)! They also have benches inside as you go through the maze.
The farm is also full of animals that you can freely interact with, such as sheep, goats, ponies, and silkie chickens. Strolling around the farm takes about 45 minutes. It’s strange because taking a walk while looking at the countless ripe kiwis makes me feel so happy and fulfilled.
Kiwi Fruit Country Japan, an SDGs-oriented recycle-based farm that goes one step further
After studying cultivating fruits in the United States for two years, Masatoshi brought kiwi seeds back to Japan in 1976. Kiwi Fruit Country Japan, which has now become a tourist farm with 1,200 kiwi trees of about 80 varieties, is actually a recycling-oriented farm.
The peels of the kiwis eaten by visitors are then eaten by the chickens and sheep, and their droppings are then used as fertilizer. The garden does not use any herbicides, so weeds are growing in places, but the ponies eat them and keep the farm clean, and various other SDG initiatives are also implemented here, which is one step ahead in terms of sustainability.
Koshi has also traveled to Zambia and Nepal to disseminate these environmentally friendly, recycling-oriented agricultural technologies in developing countries.
It is a great initiative for visitors to know that having fun and eating kiwis can lead to the SDGs and that they can play a role as part of a system that sustainably protects the environment! This is indeed a spot where you can feel such a positive mood.
Vitamin-packed kiwi smoothie and kiwi burger!
After taking a leisurely two-hour walk through the farm, I returned to the store at the entrance. A “Kiwi Cafe” is attached to the store where you can enjoy tasting food and beverages that you can only experience at a kiwi farm. The cafe’s most popular item is the kiwi smoothie, which is available in two types, “normal” and “premium”.
Since I’m here, I took the luxury of choosing “premium”. It is made with kiwis plus oranges and bananas, so it is full of vitamins and very thick. It felt more like eating a high-grade kiwi dessert rather than drinking it. The natural sweetness of the sugar-free smoothie convinced me why it is the undisputed most popular item on the menu.
The healthy yet hearty Kakegawa Kiwi Burger is packed with herbed chicken, avocado, cream cheese, lettuce, and of course, kiwi! The kiwi buns are handmade by Koshi’s mother and can be purchased at the store.
Furthermore, there is the “Tree House & Hammock Cafe,” which feels more like a secret hideout that children will definitely enjoy.
There is no admission fee if you use the cafe only. If only there were one in my neighborhood, I’d come here every day to drink this smoothie!
The store sells kiwis, as well as stationery items, miscellaneous goods, accessories, T-shirts, hats, and various other kiwi-related items.
As I looked at the various items, I couldn’t help but want them for myself.
“Huh? Were kiwis always this cute?”
After walking around the farm, being soothed by nature, and enjoying the delicious kiwis, I became utterly enchanted by the world of kiwis before I knew it.
Kiwi Fruit Country Japan is a valuable place for visitors to experience nature and learn about agriculture, food, the environment, and SGDs through kiwis.
So let’s go to Kiwi Fruit Country Japan!
