Ageo City is not high on many bucket lists, for neither foreign nor Japanese tourists. Its the kind of city that is great to live in, with lots of services and facilities designed for the convenience of locals. However, in terms of tourist attractions there are only a handful. They do have a couple of large events that attract people to the city seasonally, including the Ageo Fireworks. Furthermore, there is a little gem of a dairy farm located in the outskirts of the city, on the border of both Okegawa City and Kawajima Town, in a beautiful rural area along the Arakawa River.
Enomoto Farm
Enomoto Farm is a tourist dairy farm. At any one time they have between 60 and 80 Holstein Friesian cows. They also have about a dozen pigs, rabbits, guinea pig, chickens and several friendly cats.
The farm is located along the popular Arakawa cycle course. It is known fondly as "Little Hokkaido in Ageo". The farm is on a gentle hill with the river to one side and wooded lands on the other. It very much reminds me of my home country of Ireland and is probably one of the reasons we love it so much. But there is also all that it has to offer. There is a shop at the farm that sells their freshly made famous gelato as well as yoghurt and other dairy products. They also have other snacks for sale. You can, for a nominal fee, try your hand at one of five farming experiences, such as cow milking and butter making. They have a full package too, that allows you try all five in the one day for a reasonable price. You can also book to have a barbecue on the grounds. The barbecue and farming experiences can be booked in advance through the official website.
There is no entry charge to the farm and, good news for those with children, there are several things children can play with for free. They have a selection of bikes and push along rides that children can use for free around the farm. They also have a homemade adventure playground with tire swings, tire merry-go-rounds, a flying fox and a spring ride. There are a handful of old tractors around the farm that kids can sit on. They make a nice photo spot too. Plus there are several different photo spots at the farm, ideal for a commemoration photo in 2021 as it is the year of the cow!
If you can't get to Hokkaido on your Japan trip, you can get a taste of it at this charming farm in a rural part of an otherwise bustling city. The farm has some stunning mature cherry blossom trees, so a visit in spring is always nice. And in summer, it is a good spot to watch the aforementioned Ageo Fireworks. They usually stay open late on that night for the occasion. Also, they have several events during the year including their popular candle night in December.
