The Emperor of Japan’s working ranch

ROYAL FAMILIES THE WORLD OVER can’t seem to make do with just a single palace in the capital city—they also require a few extra castles or country villas scattered about the realm for their rest and relaxation.

Japan’s Imperial Family is no exception. In addition to the Imperial Palace in the heart of Tokyo, they have a palace and other estates in Kyoto, as well as villas in Nasu (Tochigi), Hayama (Kanagawa), and Suzaki (Shizuoka).

But few people are aware that among the residences of the Emperor of Japan is a working ranch known as the Goryo Bokujo, or what the Imperial Household Agency calls the Imperial Stock Farm.

Located about 13 kilometers to the northeast of Utsunomiya, Tochigi, the Goryo Bokujo is more than just a rustic retreat for the Imperial Family to get away from it all. It is a legitimate farm that produces the meat, vegetables, eggs, and milk consumed by the family members and served at palace functions. (Japanese readers: check the top on the milk bottle in the second photo.) It is also used to breed riding horses, carriage horses, sheep, cows, and poultry.

The carriage horses are used more frequently than for just a few formal occasions. All the foreign ambassadors to Japan meet the Emperor when they present their credentials, and they are given the choice of being taken to the Imperial Palace by limousine or by carriage. Most choose the carriage. (Wouldn’t you?)

The ranch is located on 252 hectares (622.7 acres) of land, an area twice the size of the Imperial Palace grounds. About half of the ranch is used for breeding the livestock and other animals. Its predecessor was a sheep ranch established in 1876 in Chiba on the present site of Narita Airport.

The Imperial Household Agency assumed responsibility for its administration in 1956, and when the plans for Narita were drawn up in 1969, the site was moved to its present location, which is a two-to-three hour drive from Tokyo.

The ranch’s various food products are collected three times a week for delivery to the kitchens of the Imperial residences and the other sites where they are used. Great care is reportedly taken in the food production. Visitors to the ranch have the bottoms of their shoes disinfected, and the ranch itself uses a minimum of agricultural chemicals.

And of course they use the food for parties held for dignitaries, celebrities, and other Imperial guests. The meats they produce get tossed on the grill for barbecues and yakitori at outdoor parties in the Akasaka Gardens.

All of which makes me wonder: What do the Emperor’s cowboys look like? And if they have a brand for the Imperial cattle, do they use the chrysanthemum crest?

Here’s the link to the Imperial Household Agency’s page for the Imperial residences (which also include two wild duck preserves). The agency’s website is on the right sidebar.