Embrace the summer and dive into nature on land and sea! We take a summer trip to Minami-Boso and relax with the animals and colorful flowers!

Journey to a mountain farm where the animals can stretch their legs

Located on Mt. Kano, which overlooks Tokyo Bay and the mountains of Minami-Boso, the vast grounds of Mother Farm are home to sheep, cattle, horses, goats, alpacas, rabbits, and other animals. There are many ways to have fun at the park, such as events where you can interact with animals, the amusement park, and hunting for delicacies! From July to September, 20,000 petunias are at their prime in the Valley of Flowers.

The grounds of Mother Farm are dotted with spots where you can interact with animals. At the Fureai Farm area, sheep, maras, tortoises, capybaras, and more live in freedom. Feel free to interact with the animals outside of the fence, and enjoy the soothing feeling of touching the fluffy backs of the sheep.

At the Goat Crossing, the goats nimbly cross over a bridge of two meters in height. They’ve got a great sense of balance. Watch out, though—it’s not fenced off and you can get right under the bridge, so goat feces might drop down from overhead.

The animals are the stars at this heartwarming show that you can watch indoors!

The Sheepdog and Pasture Friends event at the Agrodome features a variety of cute animals, including a sheepdog that listens to a dog whistle to guide sheep, ponies, miniature pigs, alpacas, and more. Meanwhile, Moa the pony shows off some great tricks, like “hoof” and “roll over.”

The Sheep Show is a fun event filled with good humor, where the shepherds introduce 19 sheep breeds from around the world. The sheep-shearing is a must-see event—all that fluffy wool gets trimmed off in a flash!

Sheep from all over the world gather on the stage! Toward the end of the show, a clever sheep dog appears and dashes through the venue before jumping on the backs of the sheep.

After the show, you can take a picture on the stage with the sheep. The big curled horns of the Dorset Horn sheep will make this a photo to remember!

Touching the freshly-shorn sheep wool. It was just as fluffy as you’d think!

Lou the Huntaway dog looking forward patiently. He was so calm and gentle, it was hard to believe that he’d just been running around on the backs of the sheep.

Try some soft-serve ice cream and baked sweets made with the freshest milk!

Once you’ve given yourself a good workout walking through the spacious area, take a break with something sweet. Soft-serve ice cream, drinks, and season-exclusive parfaits are all available at the Rosemary Cafe on top of the mountain.

The soft-serve ice cream (400 yen) in particular is a must-eat. It’s got the smooth texture of sweet, rich milk, but with a refreshing aftertaste. Don’t miss out on the limited flavors like blueberry and strawberry!

The shop is well stocked with original products from Mother Farm. The most popular item is the Mother Farm Milk Shortbread Biscuit (750 yen), which is baked with milk jam made from fresh milk. There’s even a Mother Farm Milk Shortbread Biscuit Cushion (1,650 yen) that looks just like the biscuit and would make a big impact in your living room!

At Mother Farm, there are hands-on activities like hunting for seasonal delicacies and making jam, as well as other activities like the farm zipline and farm bungee jump overlooking the mountains of Boso!

One of Japan’s greatest Buddha statues, seated in a Minami-Boso spiritual hot spot

Mt. Nokogiri is located on the border between Kyonan and Futtsu has an elevation of about 329 meters. Its name, Nokogiri, means “saw” in Japanese, and it is thought that the mountain was given this name because of its jagged appearance near the summit. On the southern slope of Mt. Nokogiri is Nihonji Temple, founded by the priest Gyoki about 1,300 years ago, where visitors can walk to visit its great Buddha statue, the towering Kannon statue (Hyaku-shaku Kannon), and the 1,500 small Buddha statues (Sengohyaku Rakan).

After paying the fee at the east gate office and climbing a few steps, you’ll arrive at the Great Buddha Square. The giant Buddha statue (Yakushi Ruriko Nyorai) was reconstructed in 1969 based on a sculpture created by Jingoro Eirei Ohno and 27 of his pupils over a period of 3 years to pray for world peace. With a total height of 31.05 meters, it is the largest Buddha carved on a rock face in Japan.

Make a wish on a small Jizo

There is a wishing Jizo statue in the Great Buddha Square, and if you make a wish on a small Jizo figure (500 yen each) and leave it with the statue, perhaps your wish just might come true. There’s an incredible number of Jizo figures left here that have been dedicated to the statue.

A cute little Jizo figure that fits in the palm of your hand. Write your name down carefully and make a wish!

On the way from the Great Buddha Square to the top of the mountain, you can see 1553 statues of Rakan, and the approximately 30-meter tall Kannon statue carved into the rock face. And you can also get the thrill of gazing down into the stone quarry 100 meters below from the Jigoku Nozoki (“Peek into Hell”)! It takes about two hours to walk to the top of the mountain, but you can also go by car or ropeway.

Incredibly fresh food at great prices at this popular fisherman’s restaurant!

Banya is operated directly by the Kyonan Hota Fishery Cooperative, meaning that there’s a great variety of fantastically fresh seafood that’s easy on the wallet. This photo shows the most popular item, the “Big Catch Feast,” or Tairyo Gozen (2,970 yen). This hearty rice bowl dish has nine kinds of toppings, such as conger eel, tuna, salmon roe, and whelk.

The Aji Kurabe (1,760 yen) consists of Boso aji (horse mackerel) served as namero (minced and seasoned), tataki, and sashimi. Make your dream set meal by adding rice or miso soup (605 yen) or choosing individual dishes from the menu!

A host of individual dishes that make you want to keep ordering more

The recommendation when we visited was the deep-fried whale tatsuta-age (1,430 yen). They only get enough for 20 servings, so don’t miss it if it’s available.

For the Kochi (flathead), you can choose a cooking method such as simmering or deep frying (from about 700 to 1,200 yen each, depending on market price). It seems kochi is a popular type of fish in Kyonan, and its delicate white meat tastes great with a sweet and salty sauce.

Before we realized it, we’d end up ordering this much. But we’re going to eat it all!

The menu changes depending on the weather and the catch of the day, so when you visit the restaurant, make sure to first check the menu board and see what the recommendations of the day are. There is a fish tank in the restaurant, and they’ll prepare the seafood swimming inside for you right there.

The restaurant, facing the fishing port. Don’t miss your chance to try this fisherman’s feast—you won’t find it anywhere else.

Dive into the old days at a school campus reborn

This Roadside Station repurposes the former Hota Elementary School building. The classrooms of the old school building have been remade into restaurants and accommodation, while the music room now serves as an event space, and there’s a market at the gym. The entire school has been reborn as a place for people to interact and experience the charms of Kyonan.

Outside the school building is a vista of the Kyonan heartland. This relaxing space makes for a great photo opportunity.

Time for a snack—let’s check out the old-school menu

Snacks and light meals like burgers, bread, and desserts are available at Cafe Kinjiro. The fried bread (250 yen) comes in three varieties: sugar, peanut, and kinako (roasted soybean flour). Some other classic school fare on the menu includes soft noodles and bottled milk.

Meanwhile, their specialty ikamenchi minced squid (400 yen) contains a hearty helping of squid and cabbage, which combines with the crispy fried batter for a fantastic taste and texture. The ikamenchi burgers are a popular item too.

Check out the original retro sweets at the market!

Kyonan Market has a variety of specialties from Kyonan and the wider Chiba area. The original Hota School Karinto (972 yen) comes in a retro-style package with a design based on a school route sign.

The Peanut Cream Sandwich (540 yen) has been a long-selling item since the school opened, and comes printed with an image of the school building and the school badge.

Elsewhere in the old school building, you’ll find the Community Concierge, the Children’s Plaza, and the Learning Inn, all located in former classrooms. Dive in and experience a taste of what school days were like in Japan back in the day.

Check out the buzz about new workplaces for regional revitalization

The Hotel Familio Tateyama resort hotel is surrounded by the rich natural environment of Minami-Boso Tateyama and looks out on the Pacific Ocean. Featuring a concept room with a private terrace, a family room with a tatami mat space, and a guest room where you can stay with your pet, it meets the needs of all kinds of visitors.

Check in at the bright and spacious lobby. The nearby ocean plays host to various experience programs such as kayaking and SUP, and you can apply for local activities and sports bike rental right at the front desk.

A teleworking hub for freestyle work

JRE Local Hub TATEYAMA, a regional revitalization workspace, opened in March 2023. The office wing overlooks the ocean, and the co-working space in the hotel provides a resort atmosphere for teleworking. Events to be held here and business schools are expected to help revitalize the local community.

An Italian restaurant where you can enjoy food from the land and sea of Boso with all five senses

Dinner is served at the Italian restaurant Buono, with courses supervised by one of Japan’s leading Italian chefs, Masahiko Hagiwara. Try out sardines from Minami-Boso or Genki Pork from Chiba Prefecture paired with local vegetables in these mineral-rich dishes.

Enjoy conversation with your dinner while relaxing in a tasteful environment furnished with wooden tables and modern chairs and sofas. There’s also a lawn outside, and we recommend relaxing on the wooden terrace seats when the season’s right.

The morning after, we had a fresh start to the day with a traditional Japanese breakfast. You need to eat well to be active throughout the day!

The hotel has a beautiful lawn outside. Rooms with a private terrace let you go straight from the terrace to the lawn, and it’s great for taking a stroll while breathing in that fresh ocean air.

Stand up for a leisurely wander on the water

Paddle Sports Ru operates mainly in the Minami-Boso area, and offers a variety of activities in cooperation with Familio Tateyama. This time, we tried out the stand-up paddleboard, or SUP!

Once you’ve put on your life jacket, the instructor Mr. Takahashi will explain how to get onto the SUP and paddle while you’re still on land.

You use a paddle that’s slightly longer than your height. Apparently, the key to paddling on a SUP is to hold the paddle so that both arms are extended and you form a triangle shape with your arms and the paddle.

Wrap the leash cord around your ankle to tether yourself to the board. That way, you’ll stay safe even if you fall into the water once you’re at sea.

Can I stay up on the board? My first time going for a stroll on the sea!

The time’s come to paddle while sitting and get out on the water. The SUP board is buoyant, so we tried paddling while kneeling. It took us a while to get used to it, though, and we found ourselves in the embarrassing situation of paddling in circles...

Once we got used to sitting and paddling, Mr. Takahashi supported the boards while we carefully got up slowly. Holding the paddle without bending our elbows, we started paddling with it held perpendicular to the sea surface.

We both managed to get into position for stand-up paddling! With a firm stroke through the water, we even managed to go in the direction we wanted. This is getting more and more fun!

The two hours it took to learn how to ride a SUP were over before we knew it. Apparently, it’ll only take a little more practice before we can go for a stroll on the sea or even try doing yoga on the water.
Paddle Sport Ru also offers kayaking, snorkeling, and beachcombing tours. It’s a great opportunity to try out some seaside activities at Tateyama.

Rent a bicycle and explore the local “power spots” of romance

This exchange hub connects the land and sea of Tateyama. We rented a Nagichari rental bicycle from “Beachside Station” Tateyama and went on a tour of some interesting spots in the area. Tateyama Sunset Pier is the longest pier in Japan, stretching for about 500 meters from the waterfront!

The blue flame monument in the middle of the pier. The design was inspired by the blue glow of the sea fireflies of Tateyama during their courtship. They say that love will blossom when you touch the blue flames, and it’s considered one of the three “lovers’ sanctuaries” in Tateyama.

A colorful Nagichari rental bicycle, with an illustration of Sakana-kun, the honorary station manager of “Beachside Station” Tateyama. The electric assistance feature makes it easy to get around! You can even get to nearby Okinoshima in about 15 minutes.

To the small island of Okinoshima, a place filled with a mysterious atmosphere.

The island of Okinoshima is located at the southern end of Tateyama Bay. A small island of about 1 kilometer in circumference, Okinoshima is overgrown with warm-temperate climate trees such as Japanese cinnamon and tabunoki, and it’s also the site of the Uga Myojin Shrine, which enshrines the god of industry. Long ago, a school of sardines turned the waters surrounding the island crimson during the spring, and this event is remembered with the phrase “the meeting of the white snake of Uga Myojin and the red sardines brings happiness.”

Red-colored chenille yarn and a sardine net have been installed on the grounds, and they say that making the yarn into a heart shape and tying it to the net will bring happiness.

The staircase leading to the main shrine of Uga Myojin gives a superb view of Tateyama.

Picking up shells on the beautiful beach leading to Okinoshima

Okinoshima was once an island about 500 meters off the coast, but the uplift caused by the Great Kanto Earthquake created a land connection. The arcing white sand beach provides a great spot for gathering shellfish or beachcombing.

After returning the rental bicycle, it’s time for a break at “Beachside Station” Tateyama. There, you’ll find a number of highlights, including the Tateyama Sea Market, which sells Boso specialties, the Tateyama Beach Restaurant, where you can enjoy seafood, the Nagisa Museum, where you can learn about the culture and lifestyles of Boso’s fishing industry, and the Sakana-kun Gallery, where you can explore the fantastic world of Sakana-kun.

An animal paradise that’s alive with tropical flowers

Brimming with tropical atmosphere, Aloha Garden Tateyama is located in the southern part of the city, and it’s the largest zoo in the prefecture. Palm trees and colorful tropical flowers bloom at the entrance, making you feel like you're visiting a tropical resort! And of course, you can also enjoy interacting with animals.

Beautiful, colorful tropical flowers, like bougainvillea and plumeria!

Appreciating subtropical plants and tropical birds in a 300-meter greenhouse.

The main attraction of the park is the 300-meter-long botanical garden. From the entrance, you’ll find several adjoining greenhouses to walk through and appreciate the subtropical flowers and fruits, including a fruit greenhouse, a 20-meter-tall large greenhouse, and a cactus greenhouse.

In the middle of the greenhouse is the Tropical Bird Paradise, where red macaws, Amazona aestiva and other tropical birds are allowed to roam.

Interacting with animals and making special memories

At the Fureai Animal Plaza Aloha Zoo, you can interact with animals (Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays only). When I entered the enclosure, a group of young capybara came up to me! I was surprised by how coarse the hair on their backs was.

There were lots of little guinea pigs, too. They’re free to eat, lay around, and do as they please. You can even put them on your lap and feed them, so why not try communicating with some little friends?

You can give treats (juice) to the parakeets. I wasn’t ready for them to come flying for the juice as soon as I brought it out!

The cute little hands of the otters

Some adorable otters live in the Otter Exhibition Room. They’ll even come up close to you as they travel along pipes carrying water. There’s a feeding experience (300 yen) on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays, where you can see them eat loaches with their little hands.
We couldn’t get enough of their cute eyes. I wonder if he’s saying “thanks for the loach?”

We couldn’t get enough of their cute eyes. I wonder if he’s saying “thanks for the loach?”

There’s also a cafe at the site where you can enjoy local foods from Hawaii, as well as a shop that sells original Hawaiian goods and knickknacks. For some extra Hawaiian atmosphere, a hula show takes place on the weekend.

The latest in local eating, with a focus local production and local consumption

Established in 1965, Hana Sohonten is a Japanese seafood restaurant loved by people in Tateyama. In order to serve you a wide range of the finest seafood at reasonable prices, they buy at the Tateyama fish market every mornings.

Tateyama’s new local food hit, Tateyama grilled seafood rice bowl

This is a donburi-style rice bowl dish with three layers: seared seafood, sashimi, and seafood sushi with vegetable sushi rolls. It also comes with a soup and a dessert made with Tateyama agar-agar—all this for a mere 2,500 yen! (Tateyama grilled seafood rice bowls available only for lunch on weekdays. Supply limited to 20 servings. Must reserve in advance by 10:00 on the previous day.)

The chef’s recommendation (3,800 yen) consists of a set of tuna, sea urchin, salmon roe, seasonal local fish, and conger eel nigiri. The simmered conger eel is soft and practically melts in your mouth.

Vinegar namero, the soul food of Boso

Namero is a local dish of Boso that’s made by mashing fresh horse mackerel with green onions, ginger, and miso. The vinegar namero (1,150 yen) has an irresistible aroma of miso and seasoning. In Boso, the vinegar is added for its refreshing flavor.

The table was loaded up with such a large serving, we couldn’t believe it was meant for two. Well, can’t let all this seasonal fish go to waste!

You’ll get a view of the lively kitchen from the counter and table seats. You can order nigiri according to preference from just one roll. And aside from fish and sushi, you can also order meat dishes like A5-grade sirloin and beef tongue.

A cafe with natural ambiance where you can relax while you gaze at the ocean

SEA DAYS stands right on the Hojo Coast and is a classic style of cafe where you can relax while gazing out at the ocean. Drink tea at a wooden table, get some work done in the workspace, or make yourself at home and relax like you’re in your living room. The photo shows an acai bowl (1,160 yen).

The cafe is part of a complex that includes a fitness club where you can enjoy sports such as yoga, SUP, and running.

Original smoothies to help catch you up on fruits and vegetables

There are three types of smoothies: "Energy," "Beauty," and "Detox." The "Beauty" smoothie, priced at 850 yen, includes raspberry, dates, grapefruit, pineapple, and leafy greens, providing high antioxidant effects for radiant skin.

A vaulted space extends up to the ceiling, and beyond the large window, there’s an incredible sea view. The second floor is home to a loft-style dining space, and at the terrace seats, you can enjoy spending a romantic moment watching the sunset over the coastline.

Green and original goods, as well as books and more are displayed neatly on the shelves in the shop.

Aside from the cafe menu on display on the first floor, there were also announcements of taster sessions for SUP and other activities. (These are all trial sessions for people intending to enroll afterwards.)

You can walk from the cafe to Hojo Beach in just half a minute. We recommend grabbing a takeout coffee or smoothie to enjoy while watching the crashing waves on the beach.