March 31, 2016 • mccsokinawa.com
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P
ossibly the most decadent of fruits, the striking red, fragrant, heart-shaped and juicy strawberry is the fruit of choice for gods and lovers. Dunked in chocolate, whipped cream or chomped straight off the plant, there can be no wrong way to enjoy that which is divine by definition. The ubiquitous sweet is not a berry at all but in the same family as roses, apples and almonds. The versatile fruit can be used in juices, pies, ice creams, milkshakes, chocolates and is known as an aphrodisiac. Strawberries as we know them today were first bred in France during the 18th century. Prior to then, strawberry plants were used for medicinal purposes. It wasn’t until a French spy smuggled a sub-species of the strawberry plant and the two plants were bred—the fragaria chiloensis and the
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fragaria virginiana—that the strawberry was born Today, you don’t need the assistance of a spy to get fresh, ripe strawberries, but you may think you need the paycheck of one. It’s no secret that fruit in Japan is expensive. This is because fruit is a labor of love—carefully cultivated by farmers at their small family-owned farms. They strip excess fruit from the plants, closely monitor soil beds for optimum moisture levels and even hand-pollinate some fruit to perfection. Some farmers call their plants “their babies,” and after all this nurturing, it’s easy to see why. The best time to get your strawberries on Okinawa is now, and MCCS Tours+ can take you on a strawberry spree to a local farm on April 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Now is your chance to try the cultivated perfection and eat as many as you
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"...strawberry is the fruit of choice for gods and lovers." want during your visit. Take a pack home for ¥450 each. The price for adults is $30, $20 for children 7–12, $16 for children 2–6 and FREE for children under 2. For more details, call MCCS Tours+ at 646-3502 or visit mccsokinawa.com/tours. —Ryan Anastoplus
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