Cherry Picking in Tendo Fruit Land

A deliciously delightful day trip to Yamagata

Radica Sooknarine Jun 23, 2014 - 2 min read

<p>Japanese cherries waiting to be picked</p>

<p>You have free reign here. Choose your tree and choose your cherries.</p>

<p>After tasting one from this bunch of black cherries, I had to finish off the rest.</p>

<p>One of the many shops that allow you to purchase cherry-related goodies. As a reminder of your cherry-picking experience, they take your photo and print it on the spot for you. </p>

<p>It's pricey, but totally worth it because of the size and quality</p>

<p>Before they let you loose in the orchard, you'll be given a little lecture on the do's and don't's of cherry picking: DO taste the cherries from all the trees. DO enjoy what you eat. DO return to the tree you like best. DO spit the seeds on the grass. DO try to beat the "seed-spitting" record. DO use the ladders to reach the higher branches. DO sit and relax on the chairs as you enjoy the cherries. However, DON'T break off the stems with the cherries and DON'T pick the yellowish ones.</p>

<p>It's no surprise that their street lights are, you guessed it - cherries!</p>

<p>A perfect example of what NOT to pick. They are as sour as they look.</p>

<p>Proof that not all cherries are the same. You be the judge of which is the sweetest.</p>

<p>Cherry jam, candies, and other food creations were also on sale</p>

<p>You can see the difference in the shades of red. Always remember the golden rule of cherry picking: The redder they are, the sweeter they are!</p>

<p>These are very cute! I love the cherry stopper on top</p>

Yamagata produces seventy percent of Japan's famous cherries, and from mid-June to July, you can experience "sakurambo" during the cherry-picking season. The prices vary from orchard to orchard, and it's also dependent on the size of the cherries you want. My friend chose the Tendo Fruit Land as it was easily accessible from Sendai by train, bus, or car. For 2000 yen, we were able to enjoy eating as many of the large Japanese cherries as we could in half hour. There are several shops in the Tendo City area that offer cherry-picking so if you find one that is very busy, just continue down the road and you will find one with fewer people. Here is a list of cherry picking places nearby in Japanese and English. There are several other attractions in the area, such as the Rose Festival at Higashizawa Rose Park if you are lucky enough to arrive in season.