Next to a roadside station in the Asagiri Highlands at the foot of Mount Fuji, a spacious food park has been built to showcase delicious locally produced food products. There are five specialty stores and a restaurant.
Asagiri Milk Factory
View the milk being processed and bottled in the factory, then try it for yourself. Maybe your palate will be able to discern that it came from cows raised in the clean air and vast green pastures of the Asagiri Highlands, drinking snow melt from Mount Fuji.That has to be good for the cows, right? And what is good for the cows must be good for the milk! You can buy butter, cheese and ice-cream here as well as milk.
Fujimasa Suzo Brewery
High quality water makes good sake, so it is no surprise to find a sake brewery here. As with the milk factory, you can view the sake production through a window. You can also sample various sakes, and buy a bottle or two to take home. However don't let the driver try the sake! Don't forget to check out the skin care products which take advantage of the beneficial effects of sake.
Kakutani Sweet Potato Confectionery Factory
Did you realize there are many different kinds of sweet potato? The well drained volcanic ash soil around Mount Fuji is very suitable for sweet potato cultivation. Sweet potatoes have lots of dietary fiber and vitamin C, and beta-carotene. All that adds up to pretty healthy sweets (I hope!)
Sweets Asagiri Confectionery Studio
Ueno Confectinery makes superb seasonal sweets, both traditional and modern, like youkan, manju, cream daifuku, kusa mochi, jellies, pudding and cookies. To see their incredible sweets, check their web page and drool! I think the sakura youkan sounds wonderful! Apparently if you go to Asagiri Food Park in winter, they also offer delicious pork buns.
Green Tea Shop Fujien
Shizuoka is famous for green tea, and the climate in this area is perfect for tea growing. If you buy soft cream here, it will come thickly sprinkled with matcha powder - a divine combination! If you don't feel like eating ice-cream, the store also offers other tea and sweets sets. The tea is rather expensive, but it is definitely superior quality. If you want the best, you have to pay for it.
Buffet Restaurant Fuji-san
Last but not least, let me tell you about the buffet restaurant. Weather permitting, you can enjoy splendid Mount Fuji views while dining on a sumptuous array of local foods including Yogurton Pork ( a special Fujinomiya brand name) and trout caught in the area's beautiful rivers.
Asagiri Kogen Road Station
The Food park is right next to Asagiri Kogen Road Station, and even if you don't have time to go around the park it is worth stopping in here to take a break. The road station also offers a selection of all the local produce, as well as the usual souvenirs. They have delicious soft cream, and stalls along the front of the barn-like building offer fresh fruits and vegetables, and even some cute bonsai trees!
