GUNMA, Aug. 17 — Watching 70 Jersey cows strolling on a street is proving popular among tourists visiting Kozu Farm in the town of Shimonita, Gunma Prefecture.
Kozu Farm, located on a 380-hectare land at an altitude of 1,060 meters, is Japan’s oldest Western-style mountain ranch with a history of more than 130 years.
Cows walk down a mountain road twice a day from a pasture to a milking parlor several hundred meters away, and the marching cows have become the farm’s biggest attraction.
There are about 60 grazing lands in the ranch and the cows move from one pasture to another during the grazing season between mid-April and late October, traveling a total of roughly 10,000 kilometers.
The farm produces ice cream, butter and cheese using rich, raw Jersey milk.
Its cultured butter produced during summer is known as “golden butter” because of its deep yellow color and rich flavor.
“We hope visitors will enjoy the march of the cows while feeling the cool breeze over the mountains,” said Tetsuo Suyama, 75, of Kozu Farm.
Many people visit Kozu Farm in Shimonita, Gunma Prefecture, to watch a herd of cows walking in a line.