Japanese strawberries are known for their exceptional sweetness, made possible through meticulous cultivation and an extended growing period. Some premium varieties can sell for thousands of yen per pack.

The season runs from December through early May, with cafes and fruit parlors offering desserts that highlight famous strawberry brands. Here are three varieties grown in Kansai.

Just a five-minute walk from JR Osaka Station, Torkuchen Patisserie serves a seasonal parfait menu available only during strawberry season.

The shop offers six Instagram-worthy parfaits featuring vibrant red strawberries. They're extremely popular and often sell out, so reservations can be made by phone or online via their website.

The recommended “Strawberry and Pistachio Flower Parfait” (1,980 yen, tax included) features seasonal strawberries like the Sachinoka variety from Wakayama Prefecture. Its stunning presentation alone is enough to make your mouth water.

Layered with strawberry jelly, pistachio cream, strawberry slices, maple chiffon, almond slices, yogurt, and vanilla ice cream, it delivers a perfect balance of fresh, nutty, tangy, and sweet flavors. Torkuchen’s strawberry parfaits are available from November to May each year.

Shortcakes made with other Japanese fruits are also popular. Fruit tarts with a crisp crust topped with strawberries or muscat grapes have the perfect match of buttery aroma and fruity freshness.

From Nankai Namba Station, take the express train and get off at Sakaihigashi Station—the third stop. A 10-minute walk west brings you to Rosier, a fruit parlor run by passionate fruit lovers.

While the menu features a range of fruit-based desserts, one standout is the “Japanese Strawberry Sandwich,” available only during strawberry season. It’s made with the freshest domestic strawberries available at the time, such as the Sachinoka variety from Tokushima Prefecture.

The Japanese strawberry sandwich filling is a combination of fresh cream and yogurt, and the slightly salty bread serves to enhance the strawberries’ sweetness. It’s an exquisitely refreshing taste that’s unforgettable!

Rosier’s “Strawberry Parfait” is another standout, made with an entire pack of sweet, juicy strawberries.

This easy-to-enjoy treat also includes pistachio ice cream, pudding, fresh chocolate, whipped cream, and granola for added texture and richness.

From Hankyu Osaka Umeda Station, take the Hankyu Senri Line about 25 minutes to Yamada Station. A 30-minute walk southeast brings you to Shochikudo, a popular Japanese sweet shop that draws crowds despite its remote location.

Its signature item is “fruit mochi,” which wraps fresh fruit and white bean paste in soft rice cake for a deliciously elegant treat. The “Fruit Mochi Ichigo,” available from December through spring, features juicy Japanese strawberries like the Kotoka variety from Nara, with the selection changing by season.

The outer mochi is thin and delicately soft, melting in your mouth while complementing the strawberry with mildly sweet white bean paste.

Each bite starts with the fruit’s juicy sweetness, followed by the subtle bean flavor and a smooth mochi finish—you’ll definitely want more than one.

Shochikudo also has six other types of fruit mochi, including melon and a fun snowman-shaped version that features slices of banana and muscat grape.

If visiting the main shop is a challenge, a set of six fruit mochi is available on Tuesdays in the first basement of Osaka’s Takashimaya department store, conveniently connected to Nankai Namba Station.

These three sweet shops offer desserts that are as beautiful as they are delicious, from parfaits and strawberry sandwiches to delicate rice cakes.

While two are located a bit off the main sightseeing paths in Umeda and Namba, they're well worth the trip if you're in Osaka during the December to May strawberry season.