Photo/Illutration Mitsuyoshi Kimura, left, and his father, Yoshiyuki, at their milk shop in Tokyo’s Musashino in July (Mika Omura)

A father and son opened a milk stand in the busy Kichijoji district in Tokyo in hopes of drawing in more people to the delights of light but fragrant milk from free-range cattle.

Of the 13,000 dairy farmers nationwide, only a few let their livestock roam free on grasslands. There are, thus, limited opportunities for people to try milk from such farmers.

The flavor of the milk from grazed cows can change depending on the season and the pasturage conditions. 

“Milk bottles from different grazing farmers and differing seasons are characterized by different aromas,” said Mitsuyoshi Kimura, 36, a co-founder of the milk stand. “I want to help people learn about the appeal of having milk settled into their daily lives more deeply, and I’d like to promote milk-related culture.”

The Musashino Dairy Craft Milk Stand started up in June this year in the Kichijoji-Honcho 2-chome district in Musashino, western Tokyo. It serves three kinds of milk on Saturdays and Sundays.

Milk products there come from farmers in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, the Honshu main island and elsewhere throughout the country. The store’s menu is updated monthly.

The most popular item at the stand is a set of three different cups of milk for 700 yen ($5), because it allows customers to sample the different options within a single set. Coffee can be found on the menu along with “hoji-cha” roasted tea, both of which feature the craft milk. 

Mitsuyoshi and his father, Yoshiyuki, 77, run the milk stand. Yoshiyuki previously ran another milk retail shop.

He continued handling cow’s milk after that shop, though his main business more recently was selling soft drinks through vending machines.

Mitsuyoshi did not like the lukewarm milk served with school lunches, resulting in him shying away from drinking the dairy product for years.

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Mitsuyoshi Kimura, right, and his father, Yoshiyuki, visit a dairy farm in Shimizu, Hokkaido. (Provided by Mitsuyoshi Kimura)

The turning point came about five years ago when Mitsuyoshi tried milk at a dairy farm with free-range cattle in Hokkaido. To his amazement, the milk was light but rich in aroma, unlike anything he had ever tried before.

Intrigued, Mitsuyoshi started touring dairy farms nationwide--mainly those where the farmers let their cattle roam--while working at a major advertisement agency. He said he has visited more than 50 grazing farms to date.

“Conversations with farmers made me aware they all have their own unique philosophies and styles,” said Mitsuyoshi.

Yoshiyuki long wanted to open “a store dealing in various milk products,” so Mitsuyoshi polished the idea to render the envisioned shop more “attractive by presenting free-range cows’ milk” exclusively.

Acting on that notion, they opened the store on the first floor of their renovated home. For their business, the pair solicited 3.1 million yen from 175 individuals through a crowdfunding campaign.

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