Grazing Ewe at Ranch near Mt. Fuji

The Makaino Ranch is a part of the Asagari Highlands near the base of Mt. Fuji. This area was where vassals to the shogun would raise war horses by order of the shogun Minamot-no-Yoritomo, who was the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate ruling Japan from 1192 until 1199. The surname of one of the vassals was “Makaino”—which explains why this farm is called Makaino Ranch. Nowadays, the ranch is family-friendly park where families can get up close to domesticated animals.