Take a nostalgic boat trip beside the traditional storehouses lining the Uzuma River in just 20 minutes!

Tochigi city is famous for its many Wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) shops， and Yamamoto Sohonten is the perfect place to try your hand at making your own Wagashi. The friendly Wagashi master gives you detailed instructions on making various pieces of Wagashi to celebrate the coming seasons. Enjoy these traditional seasonal delights!

The Uzuma River Andon (Lantern) Festival is being held July 1 - September 30 every year. Festival goers enjoy 135 historic Edo-style paper lanterns displayed along the Uzuma River, from the Kaiun to Korai bridges and around Uzuma Park. Each unique lantern is intricately and handsomely decorated with paper-cut designs of floats and traditional warehouses. Lighting time is 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm daily, adding an exotic and nostalgic atmosphere to the town post-sunset. On the first Sunday of August, the Hyaku Hatto Nagashi Festival is also held."

A hallowed boat carries 108 candles downs the Uzuma River， with Gagaku-style music (Japanese Imperial Court music)， performed by a historic Japanese orchestra. This Buddhist event is said to have begun at the beginning of the Meiji era to pray for the safety of boat transportation on the Uzuma River and to flush away 108 earthly desires. 

Housed in “Kitagura,” a building constructed in the mid-Meiji period and registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan, Kitagura Cafe Higano is located along Tochigi City’s famous Kuranomachi Street, a popular sightseeing area. The café is operated by Higano Shoten, a traditional confectionery shop founded in 1922. In addition to freshly brewed hand-drip coffee and homemade sweets, visitors can purchase the shop’s signature rice crackers, Okaki, as souvenirs. For coffee lovers, this is the perfect spot to relax and enjoy a quiet, charming atmosphere in the heart of historic Tochigi.