Embrace the town of Mashiko, where culture, art, natural beauty, history, and craftsmanship have combined to create a unique form of Japanese pottery and a National Traditional Craft.

Founded in 845, Kashima Jinja Shrine in Mashiko Town has long been a spiritual center of worship. The enshrined deity is Takemikazuchi-no-kami, the god of war in Japanese mythology, symbolizing victory and courage. Students, athletes, and business leaders from across Japan visit the shrine to pray for success, with the phrase "victory is certain" closely tied to its faith. The current main hall was rebuilt in 1927, and the grounds are surrounded by ancient trees that create a solemn atmosphere. Every summer, the shrine hosts a grand annual festival, which includes one of the Three Great Rare Festivals of Eastern Japan, the Mikeshaku Choudai-shiki. In this ritual, young men from the district of Mashiko Town whose turn it is for that year must join together to drink 6.5 liters of heated sake, praying for peace, health, and good fortune.

Held every summer at Tonoike Brewery in Mashiko, the popular “Japanese Sake Garden” event offers unlimited tastings of the brewery’s signature sake, Sanran. The experience also includes a special bento box filled with sake-friendly appetizers. A must-visit for sake lovers!  

This brewery produces an array of choice sake and received a gold medal at the Annual Japan Sake Awards for its Sanran-daiginjo brew. Their facility tour is popular with tourists， where the brewer explains its history in detail. Come learn about the tradition and techniques of sake production. A gift shop on the grounds sells choice brews and cosmetics made with sake. Enjoy coffee brewed with the same water used for the sake， sweets with sake lees， a sake tasting set， and more at their café."

Higeta Indigo Dyeing Workshop, established during the Kansei era (1789–1801), is a fabric-dyeing and weaving workshop. It is a rare workshop in Tochigi that inherited traditional indigo dyeing. It still uses the dyeing area created at the time of its establishment to dye the fabric in the traditional manner. Inside the 200-year-old building with a thatched roof, 72 earthenware indigo vats are neatly arranged. The building and the vat area are Tochigi Prefecture’s tangible cultural assets, and visitors can freely visit and see them. Indigo is a plant dye that has long colored ethnic costumes. Long ago in Japan, 80% of commoners’ cloths were dyed with indigo. The indigo color produced by the traditional Japanese indigo dyeing and plant dyeing methods is called Japan Blue and, together with the dyeing methods, is highly recognized around the world. The workshop engages not only in dyeing but also cotton cultivation, yarn-making, yarn dyeing, and handweaving in order to preserve the cotton tradition essential to the indigo dyeing culture. The workshop sells indigo-dyed cotton fabric, coasters, and tablecloths. Please come and see the traditional techniques and the beauty of indigo.