What to Do at Ueno Farm
Savor the Slow Pastoral Life
The trees, flowers, terrain, structures, animals, and even food at Ueno Farm create a “slow life” environment. There are various gardens to stroll though, with names like Purple Walk, White Birch Path, Circle Border, and Mirror Border. The latter, for example, faithfully duplicates the flowers and other vegetation on both sides of the path.
One prominent feature of the landscape at Ueno Farm is Shateki Mountain. This is actually a gently sloping hill, so climbing it is easy for nearly everyone. It was once a shooting range for soldiers in training, and still offers a wide-angle view of the Asahikawa area, including the rice paddies of surrounding farms.
The white birch and conifer trees along the Gnome’s Foot Path guide visitors down Shateki Mountain to The Gnome’s Garden, an area made to resemble the setting of a fairy tale. It is easy to believe that gnomes come out at night here to tend the garden.
The farm’s old cattle barn became the garden entrance and shop. Nearby is a nursery and a small storage shed, which is home to the Ueno family’s chickens. There are ducks and geese as well.
The old hay barn was renovated, and now houses the garden’s Naya Café. The café serves dishes such as a “farmer’s curry” full of seasonal vegetables and ice cream made from milk supplied by a local dairy farmer. If the weather is good, visitors frequently choose to have lunch outside in the garden. There are many tables, chairs, and benches, and comfortable lounge chairs and couches for this purpose.
