Karuizawa Garden Farm, Strawberry Garden | Review by Gina C

Kubota Hyakuju is a well-known Japanese sake. It has a subtle rice aroma on the palate and a clean, refreshing body. Its style is light, dry, and crisp, without feeling overly sweet or cloying. It’s light and smooth to drink, with a slightly dry edge and a clean finish that doesn’t leave behind a heavy alcohol taste.

I originally thought Japanese sake would be rather harsh, but this one was surprisingly easy to drink. It pairs well with Japanese cuisine and is an easy-drinking sake that doesn’t get tiring.

Tokyo Banana is a very famous souvenir from Japan, and you’ll see it almost everywhere in Tokyo! Its cute banana shape is appealing just to look at. The outer cake is very soft, fluffy, and delicate, with a rich banana custard filling inside. You can taste the sweet banana flavor as soon as you take a bite, along with plenty of creamy flavor. Overall, it isn’t overly sweet and goes down very easily.

At Yokohama Strawberry Park, what I looked forward to most was tasting the fresh strawberries for myself! As soon as you enter the strawberry garden, you can smell a faint strawberry fragrance. Everywhere you look, bright red strawberries hang among the leaves, looking very tempting. Each strawberry is big and beautiful, making you want to pick one and eat it right away.

They really didn’t disappoint. Not only were the strawberries large, but they also had a very rich aroma. Each bite was full of sweet juice, with a fresh, tender, and juicy texture and almost no tartness. Every bite had the natural sweetness and fragrance of strawberries. Compared with the strawberries you normally buy at the supermarket, eating them freshly picked really is a completely different experience!