Senbonmatsu Farm

A tourist farm and leisure park in one

Lynda Hogan Jan 02, 2021 - 2 min read

Senbonmatsu Farm is a tourist farm and ranch with dozens of activities, not limited to farming experiences.

Purple dots on the map represent places you can interact with animals. Orange is for activities and blue for play areas. Pink is for relaxation, such as the hot spring. Red is for eateries and blue for shops.

Activities include things such as riding on a segway or playing old fashioned amusement games.

There are also activities with animals, such as a horse and cart ride.

There are dozens of places to play too, but please note, except for one playground, they all cost money.

There are several things you can see for free too, such as the farm's shrine.

A selection of eateries cover most, but not every taste preference. They have kid's meals too.

You can pick up some food for take-out or purchase presents or keepsakes at one of the shops on the grounds.

Senbonmatsu Farm in Nasu-Shiobara is the ideal place to combine a farm visit with leisure activities, particularly for families with young children. The farm and ranch offer several hands on experiences, but there are also dozens of amusement rides on site. There is even a hot spring on the grounds. As well as several places to eat.

Senbonmatsu Farm

Senbonmatsu is a large farm with more than 500 cows. There are also horses, pigs, rabbits, dogs, goat and sheep. You can get up close and personal with the animals in the "fureai hiroba" or what we call a 'petting corner' in Ireland. Apart from the animal experiences there are several other ways to enjoy the farm. For one, they have a hot spring, or many people just come to grab a bite to eat from one of the many eateries. Naturally, they sell fresh ice-cream and dairy products too. The shop has a selection of meat and dairy products as well as souvenirs that make a nice present. Then there are all the activities on offer, which include but are not limited to archery, a bouncing castle play house, bungee trampoline, putter golf and even crafts. There are several ways to get around the farm too, such as by horse ride or horse and cart, bike hire, mini train and even a tuk-tuk. Seasonally, they have a hot air balloon ride which affords great views of the farm and Nasu-Shiobara beyond.

The farm is free in, but activities have individual costs. The farm is open 365 days a year.

By car: the farm is a short drive from Nishinasuno-Shiobara Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway. There is free parking for over 1000 cars.

By bus: there is a direct bus from JR Shinjuku Station to the farm. It needs to be reserved in advance. It takes two and a half hours one way and costs ￥2,470 (2020 price).

By public transport: take a JR Kanto bus from Nishi-Nasuno station bound for Shiobara Onsen Bus Terminal.

Lynda Hogan @lynda.hogan

Lynda has been in Japan for 20 years and blogging about Saitama on her personal blog insaitama.com for 14 of them. Despite its central location, just North of Tokyo, Saitama is still quite unknown to the international tourist, but frequented by domestic travelers. It is a great place to experien...