MOTHER FARM IN CHIBA

Mother Farm (sounds rude but it’s a place! Promise!)
One major surprise? It’s not just fun for kids – the views were spectacular and the hillside was absolutely stunning – covered in gorgeous pink flowers ( depending on the time of year, of course.)
The staff here tell me that these pink beauties are out between Mid-May and September so that’s a nice big chunk of the year to catch them, don’t you think?
I’m surprised that more people weren’t there doing professional photoshoot (although I did visit on a Monday….) * update: I visited again on a Sunday in Winter and it also wasn’t too busy at all. The place is so big that it doesn’t ever feel crowded.

Getting to Mother Farm:
From the centre of Tokyo, car is quickest (approx 1 hour)
*If you do decide to drive, I recommend not leaving too late in the day for your return to Tokyo – especially on a Sunday afternoon/evening as traffic can be completely bonkers. As with many things in Japan, an early start and an early finish is the key! I’m talking arrive for opening and leave around 2-2:30pm in order to skip literally hours of traffic.
If you take public transport, you can take two buses from Tokyo Station and it will take approximately 1.5 hours ( I won’t tell you which buses as it depends on the time of day and google maps will work it all out for you much better than I could-with your start location etc and timing all customized – see here on why I love love love Google Maps for getting around Japan.). You can also take a train and then a bus.

Look! Even the tickets are so cute!

The kids loved eating ice-cream and running around playing hide’n’seek near the flowers but were way more excited by the animals and the animal buses (which were very retro cool.) In fact, we just got on a dog bus without even caring where it went ! Just so fun.

There are plenty of signs and pathways, but to get to see and/or milk the cows, you walk through a tunnel under the highway.

The place is so well kept and well run which makes up for the fact that it’s a bit more expensive than the other parks above + paying extra for animal buses and carnival rides etc.
It’s not the easiest place to get to but, once you’re there is it a full day with so much to do. I’m thinking of going again next weekend, actually, with the hubby too…… such a beautiful family day out.

The couple of carnival rides are pay (a few hundred yen) per ride. So make sure you have cash with you – as with most spots out of the city – paying by card isn’t always an option.

I didn’t think the food here was great in the cafes. Although most people seemed to have signed up for the all you can eat restaurants and the yakiniku spots – so maybe that is better.　Here is the information on all of the restaurants and cafes within Mother Farm in Chiba. It’s not possible to reserve a spot at the restaurant. It’s first come, first serve.
At the cafe we ate at, they did have this kids plate which was pretty good value for 750 yen.

You can also bring lunch from home or elsewhere and eat it on one of the many picnic tables around the park. I wouldn’t bother bringing drinks or desserts though as there are plenty of ice-cream stalls and also vending machines for drinks everywhere.

There is also a craft/ experience section of the farm.
There is the opportunity for children to make jam, cheesecake or yoghurt. Timewise, we signed up for the woodcraft section and my kids made keyrings.
Lucy put her name in English on one side and Japanese on the other.
If the park is busy, I recommend going to the craft area first to find out the time options for the day and put your child’s name down.

There is also a section where you can learn how to milk a cow.

Things to check before you arrive:
The Mother Farm website to see their opening hours for the day. Note that they open extra early for Golden Week!
The weather. It’s a lot of outdoor time so I, personally, wouldn’t bother going on a wet or super windy day.
Have a rough look over the events available for the day at Mother Farm and highlight which ones you want to prioritize. I highly recommend making time for the piggy races. So cute and so well done.

Things to bring:
Your lunch or snacks if you prefer not to use the restaurants.
Cash. While you can buy your ticket on the day with a card, almost everything else is cash.
A stroller – although if you forget, you can rent a stroller for 1000 yen per day. Only available for kids weighing 20kgs or less. You can still ride the cute animal buses with a stroller but it must be folded for the duration of the bus trip. For this reason, I recommend not bringing wagon style strollers.

Are there baby change and breastfeeding facilities?
Yes there are two whole areas just inside the gates at the Makiba entrance and the Yamanote entrance.

MOTHER FARM
千葉県富津市田倉940−３
940-3 TAGURA, FUTTSU, CHIBA PREFECTURE
PRICE: ADULTS 1500 YEN, CHILDREN 800 YEN (CHILDREN UNDER 4 ARE FREE)
ACCESS: FROM TOKYO CENTRE: 75 MINS IN CAR OR 95 MINS IN A TRAIN OR BUS (DETAILS ON WEBSITE)
Please note that the farm will be closed from Dec 18-22, 2023 & January 9-12 & 15-18, 2024.