For a relaxing day away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, Narita Dream Farm (or Narita Yume Bokujo) offers a chance to get a little closer to nature.

Flowers, Animals, and Plenty of Tranquil Farm Atmosphere

The name Narita might bring up visions of the largest airport in the Tokyo area, or for more prolific travelers, perhaps the historic local Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. Experienced Narita sightseers, on the other hand, might think of a farm filled with cows and flowers! Narita Dream Farm, in Chiba's city of Narita, is both a functional dairy farm and a sightseeing attraction, and it's about 7 times the size of the Tokyo Dome baseball stadium! The ranch opened in the 20th year of Japan's Meiji period (1887) as "Akiba Bokujo" (秋葉牧場), and focused on producing high-quality dairy products for a whole century before finally opening to the public in 1987.

Nowadays visitors can spend their time sampling all the dairy products that Narita Dream Farm is so proud of, like their milk, ice cream, and yogurt, while also meeting the cows who work so hard to make it all! The Japankuru team dropped by this spring, and thanks to the farm's groves of cherry blossom trees and meadows of canola blossoms (also called rapeseed blossoms) blooming in every direction, it's a great time of year to grab an ice cream cone and wander through the flowers. Little mini sightseeing trains circle the fields of canola, for riders of all sizes, and on weekends during the cherry blossom season, the trees are specially lit up into the night. Of course, the farm is also a great place to see flowers in the summer, when sunflowers and other summer blooms take over!

When the tall cherry trees are in full bloom, the whole farm sings with springtime.

Alongside the cows, the farm keeps a number of other animals, including goats, sheep, and rabbits, many of which can be petted and fed snacks. We particularly definitely recommend venturing into the goat and sheep enclosure! All the bleating can get a little loud and hectic, and sometimes they'll start nibbling on your clothes, but the feeling of the sheep's soft, warm wool is so soothing, you won't even notice the ruckus. Plus, all the goats and sheep have nametags, so you can call their names and chat with them while you pet their smooth backs and cozy fleeces.

You can buy snacks for the animals outside the enclosure, and feed them from these special openings in the fence.

We don't recommend bringing any food into the enclosure, though. The sheep and goats can go a little wild, and their enthusiasm can be overwhelming (and a bit brutal).

When the Japankuru team visited the farm at the very beginning of cherry blossom season, some of the trees were just starting to bloom, including the ones surrounding the canola fields. But with different flowers coming into season throughout the warmer months, and plenty of cute animals all year-round, we definitely recommend a visit!

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