With the spring outing season upon us, Fukari Kogen Ranch in Tango-cho, Kyotango City, Kyoto Prefecture, opened a "Fureai Hiroba" (Interaction Square) where mother and baby goats can graze. Children from the local Ukawa Nursery School helped the animals move from the barn where they had been staying during the winter and interacted with the animals.
On April 9, 2025, a total of 26 goats, sheep, and ponies were let out to graze. Five children, along with nursery teachers and ranch staff, guided the animals from the barn to the plaza about 400 meters away by pulling them with ropes. In the plaza, they timidly held and touched the baby goats that were born this spring.
The ranch manager said, "The grass is growing slower than usual, but it will grow as the temperature rises. I hope the animals eat a lot of it." A 5-year-old child who helped with the move said, "The baby goats were fluffy and like marshmallows."
The square is said to be visited by around 30,000 people a year and will be open until early December.
