Layover in Tokyo? Go Strawberry Picking Next to Narita Airport
This article is part of our airport food survival guide, which includes tips and tricks—even a hot take or two—that challenge the notion that airport meals are always dull, overpriced, and tasteless.
Traveling to and from various parts of Asia over the years, I’ve spent my fair share of time in the Narita International Airport—but it wasn’t until recently that I discovered the very best way to spend a once-dreaded layover in the Tokyo hub.
Located just three miles away across the airport runway is the JAL Agriport: a 10-acre farm managed by Japan Airlines that's home to lush fields and greenhouses growing seasonal fruits and vegetables the airline serves as in-flight meals. Depending on the growing season, visitors can harvest grapes in the fall, pick strawberries winter through spring, and dig potatoes in the summer (fliers arriving in, or traveling through, Narita airport can book the experience by making a reservation online).
When I toured JAL Agriport last May, it was near the end of strawberry-growing season; according to the guide, the past five months had been some of their busiest in terms of guests since the farm started receiving them in 2020. It only takes one look at these perfect red-and-pink berries to understand why. They look—and, I would soon learn, taste—incredibly juicy.
As I entered the greenhouse, the guide explained that 300 species of strawberries are grown in Japan, and the Agriport plants and harvests eight of them. And there they were: Wildly (yet somehow neatly) sprouting out of rows and rows of white planters, a flurry of green vines punctuated by flashes of red and pink, the air subtly perfumed with a mild sweetness.
For about 1,900 Yen (about $12 right now), you can eat all the strawberries you want in a 30-minute, supermarket-sweep-style picking spree. But these are not your run-of-the-mill grocery-store berries; they are the same fancy fruits JAL serves to first- and business-class passengers in an array of in-flight desserts and jams.
I took my time walking up and down the corridors of planters, carefully inspecting each fruit to find the best looking ones to pluck, filling my small bag to the brim. I was immediately drawn to the Beni Hoppes, which are among Japan’s largest strawberry species. They taste a bit more acidic, so if you like your berries a little bit sour, these are the ones you want to stock up on. Tochiotome strawberries, said to be the very first species in the country, are also quite popular, as they look and taste like “classic” strawberries: dark red, and a good balance of sweet and sour. There’s also Yotsuboshi, my personal favorite, a newly developed hybrid that tastes bright and fresh, almost like a strawberry drink.
Getting to the Agriport from Narita Airport takes between 10 and 15 minutes by taxi. (There are also local buses that will get you close, but they’re infrequent.) You can book your experience in advance, which is highly recommended, and you should set aside at least two hours for the fruit-picking excursion to avoid feeling rushed. If you have time, the farm is also home to the Go-ryo-kaku Dining, a restaurant stylized like a traditional Japanese estate that serves national dishes like sukiyaki and unagi eel meals.
An agricultural adventure may sound like an unusual layover excursion, but they’re not entirely unheard of. As travelers crave more and more access to the outdoors in their airport experience, more nature-first activities make sense. When Florence’s Peretola Airport unveils its comprehensive overhaul, it will feature a rooftop vineyard. And during a layover at LAX, you can arrange a visit a farmer’s market.
Not only is the experience a calming departure from the hustle and bustle of the airport terminal, but it exposes travelers to Narita’s rich agricultural history that’s often overlooked on most Tokyo itineraries. Some travelers are surprised to learn that the Narita airport is not, in fact, located in Tokyo proper, but in the rural Chiba prefecture an hour train ride away from the city center. To help relieve overcrowding at the more centrally located Haneda airport, Narita was constructed in the 1970s on top of farmland the government seized from local landowners, prompting several years of violent clashes between protestors and Japan’s riot police (flying over the airport, you may notice one farm still remains in the middle of the runway). Visitors can learn more about the airport’s troubled past at the Narita Airport and Community Historical Museum, located directly adjacent to the airport’s south end.
After an hour or more spent digging potatoes, picking strawberries, or savoring local dishes, travelers can return to the airport with their farm fresh bounty (adhering to the usual security checks and customs screenings, of course; you'll want to eat your berries before landing in another country)—and a new perspective of Narita. What more can one ask of a layover?
Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler
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