What it’s like to picnic in a Tokyo basement…complete with fake grass
Japan has no shortage of quirky experiences, and my boyfriend and I try to work in at least one over the top activity each time we visit. Before our most recent visit to Tokyo, I saw a post about Fruit Picnic, the new Tokyo restaurant that creates an immersive picnic experience indoors. It looked so fun (and so Instagrammable!) that I had to book a visit. Here’s what it’s like picnic in a Tokyo basement:
The entrance is hard to miss, with a pastel pink door, and an ad for their strawberry sundae next to it.
Heading down the stairs, you can see the line that’s already formed…fortunately for us, we’d made reservations for the picnic area and could bypass the cafe patrons.
Just inside the restaurant, you can see a traditional cafe set up that’s first come, first serve. The picnic area is beyond the floral arch, and requires reservations. For around $30 a person, you get a 90-minute picnic with sweets, tea sandwiches and unlimited strawberries, tea and coffee.
We were a tad late for our reservation, but staff were very accommodating, and soon had us set up with our picnic.
The entire area is covered in faux grass, which was surprisingly soft and comfortable underfoot.
Picnic spots with blankets, pillows and more are scattered throughout the area. Your sweets and sandwiches are brought to you, but the carts with strawberries and drinks are self serve (and unlimited!). Fruit can be pricey in Japan, so if you’re a strawberry lover, this actually works out to be a good deal.
Our cute picnic spread with hot and iced tea, and the first plate of many strawberries!
The sweets and snacks were legitimately good. Food standards in Japan are higher in general, and this place put in some effort beyond the novelty of the picnic theme. There’s one of each item for each person, enough for a light meal/ large snack/ delightful sugar rush!
All the dried flowers hanging from the ceiling really made the atmosphere. They were difficult to photograph well, but made the space feel super lush.
And if you didn’t get enough Instagram fodder from your picnic, the hanging bench swing made for an idyllic selfie spot. We did spot some selfie taking, but overall, the vibe was much more chill and restrained than you’d find with such an Instagrammable spot in the US.
Our 90 minutes flew by, and was super relaxing. We visited during Golden Week, so the respite from the hustle of the city was especially welcome.
Update: It seems that the restaurant may be closed. Their website isn’t currently functional. Double check if you’re hoping to visit on an upcoming trip, but we do have other ideas for fun in Japan, including booking a love hotel, visiting the Pink Moss Festival, and snagging tickets to the Ghibli museum (highly recommended!)
