JR East’s new four-legged landscapers are proving to be a hit

In a city with countless food options, a new spot in Tokyo is drawing lunchtime crowds, although it’s the four-legged workers in the area who are doing most of the eating.

Atop a wrought-iron bridge next to Yotsuya Station, clusters of smartly dressed students and workers linger in amazement at the rather unusual site below: a pair of sprightly, cream-colored goats nibbling overgrown greenery.

One-year-old Nagi, a male, and Pokke, a 2-year-old female, are the key “employees” in a new environmentally friendly initiative by East Japan Railway to tackle overgrowth near the bustling train hub.

The goats appear to be all business as they nibble and prune the grass and weeds within their makeshift enclosure as onlookers snap photos of the unusual sight. Many of those gathered from atop the vine-clad bridge work or study in the area and have become regular visitors to the bridge during their lunchbreaks.

The sight of the goats near Yotsuya Station might be giving busy urban dwellers a brief moment of respite from Tokyo’s concrete jungle. | Johan Brooks

The goats at Tokyo's Yotsuya Station have become unexpected celebrities, inspiring a wave of social media content and even a cryptocurrency coin. | Johan Brooks

Yifan Zhu, a student at nearby Sophia University, says he passes by the area almost every day and became curious one day when he noticed a large crowd on the bridge.

“When I see them, I feel so peaceful,” he says of the goats.

Seeing how enthusiastically they eat makes him hungry for his own lunch, Zhu jokes.

Similarly, Lilly Sawai, a local high school student, noticed the goats on her way home from school one day and has since made regular trips to watch the hungry pair along with her classmates.

“They’re so cute,” she says of what draws her back to the area.

Evidently, the sight of the animals is giving busy urban dwellers a brief moment of respite from Tokyo’s concrete jungle.

The area feels like inaka (the countryside), an older woman declares as she passes through the area.

At times, the goats are placed on leashes and assisted by a trio of pristinely dressed JR East staff members, who help guide them to the most verdant patches.

The goat duo have become unexpected celebrities, inspiring a wave of social media content and even a cryptocurrency coin.

The excitement surrounding Yotsuya Station's new residents has come as something of a surprise to JR East, which confirmed that the goats will be in the area until December — or until they finish eating the overgrown vegetation. | Johan Brooks

One-year-old Nagi, a male, and Pokke, a 2-year-old female, are the key “employees” in a new environmentally friendly initiative by JR East to tackle overgrowth near a bustling train hub in Tokyo. | Johan Brooks

The attention has come as something of a surprise to JR East, which confirmed that the goats will be in the area until December — or until they finish eating the overgrown vegetation.

“One of the JR employees came up with the idea as a way to do away with grass at the station. It went viral on social media, but we didn’t expect this to happen,” a spokesperson said.

While the goats’ celebrity may have caught JR East off guard, the use of working goats isn’t unprecedented in urban areas of Japan, with Seibu Railway having launched a similar initiative in 2009.

Academics see myriad benefits and have proposed goats as a low-emission solution to overgrowth. A 2012 paper by Japanese researchers noted that, in addition to the goat’s grazing being a weed-maintenance tool, the visibility of the goats also had “a positive effect on local residents for raising awareness of the natural environment.”

Gifu University professor Masato Yayota, who co-authored a 2020 paper on the benefits of goat grazing, said that some of the advantages goats bring include the absence of noise pollution from mechanical mowing, enhancing biodiversity and combating the overuse of herbicides.

Yayota suggested that there was still limited public awareness that goats could help with vegetation management — and in that way, the Yotsuya Station goats may have an impact beyond their short stay.

“Increasing public awareness of the potential benefits of goat grazing is important for promoting its wider adoption,” he said.