Why fruit picking is a fun, family-friendly activity in Japan

One activity I've come to enjoy a bunch during my family's time in Japan is fruit picking. We've picked everything from apples to grapes, and blueberries to mikan, having a bunch of fun along the way. The autumn season is a great time to find a local fruit picking spot, with a lot of good stuff in season – persimmons, nashi, and various citrus fruits are just the tip of the iceberg.

These are some of my reasons why I think fruit picking in Japan is a fun family-friendly activity.

We love fruit picking as a family – for several reasons!

It's generally pretty cost-effective

The way I like to look at fruit picking is that it combines an activity that kills some time, and getting food. Sure, fruit isn't always as cheap here as it is back home, but when I consider it as an outing + getting some fresh groceries at the same time, it doesn't seem like bad value at all.

It means your fruit is ultra-fresh

The quality of fruit and veg here in Japan is so much higher than what I had access to back home, and that's doubly so when you're picking it yourself, straight from the source. You've got ultra-fresh fruit ready to wash and eat, and the local element is something that's wonderful as well. There are so many benefits to buying local, such as reducing your carbon footprint (no need to truck, ship, or fly produce in), supporting your local economy (so important for rural communities in particular), and your produce retaining all the good vitamins and minerals that can be reduced when it's stored for long periods.

There are tangible rewards

My kids (and me as a parent, too, to be honest) get a real sense of accomplishment when we pick our own fruit. As our baskets or containers fill up, we can *see* our hard work, and we get to enjoy the fruits of our labor (no pun intended!) afterwards.

It's something that promotes working together

I also think it's a great opportunity to encourage your children to work together on a task. Let's face it, siblings argue at times, but fruit picking presents a chance to focus kids on a task and watch them thrive at completing it together.

To find fruit picking places near you, search online for 果物狩り + the name of your prefecture or local area. To narrow it down more, you could add specific fruits to that search if there's something in particular you're looking for. Have fun!