Fantastic tour and facility that is fun for adults and an ice cream workshop that is also great for kids. You need to make a booking online but if you are a foreigner you can call in and request a reservation. You will need one to even enter the gift shop in the secure facility. The staff are professional, friendly, and helpful, and many here speak some English. Ana our tour guide spoke excellent English and provided a polished tour. Although it was all in Japanese, an English guide booklet was provided and she was able to answer all our questions. At the end of the tour we were given a Papico ice cream which we saw being created during the tour. The tour was for you but we also paid an extra Y1500 to do an ice cream making workshop which was fun and delicious. Mashiko did an excellent job helping everybody and explaining the workshop. The kids would really enjoy this but it was fun for us adults too. The entrance foyer had many photo opportunities and the gift shop also had many items that could not be found elsewhere for a reasonable price. The location is a little bit outside of Tokyo and a little inconvenient to get to without a car, but we had lots of fun walking 30 minutes from the station through small countryside streets. TIP: You should be given a survey upon arriving, so don't forget to fill that out to receive a small free gift (like a packet of cookies) at the gift shop when...
Read moreReservation beforehand is required. Punctuality is a must and they ask you to account for traffic jams or other things that might delay your arrival.
The optional Glico Kitchen course was closed, but the factory tour was very interesting. Recommend to bring a cooler box and some ice packs (you can buy dry ice on the spot, though). Brought one and bought many different flavors of Papicos...
Read moreFun for the whole family - free guided tour, guid was very knowledgeable. Drove there so not sure about public transport. Need to book ahead of time. Learned a lot and you get free ice cream at the end! Time there about...
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