Selected as the only one for Japan in "CNN’ Top 10 Dream destinations for 2014" the Ashikaga Flower Park will be holding its "The Tale of the Wisteria~ Large Wisteria Festival".   The size of the park is a substantial 94,000㎡, and boasts over 350 wisteria trees, allowing visitors to enjoy the sheer abundance of the beautiful flowers in bloom. Various colors of wisteria bloom in order, from pale pink, purple, white, to yellow,which allows you to enjoy all of the wisterias for about one full month.   A wisteria shelf spanning 1,000㎡ is for the 150 year old large wisteria tree with a 80m long tunnel of white wisterias. An extremely rare double-petal wisteria shelf, and the white wisteria tunnel.   It has also a beautiful light-up wisteria at night.  

Learn about Sakura city's tours, events, and travel info.

Lake Chuzenji is located in the area leading into Okunikko. It has a circumference of 25 km and the water reaches a depth of 163 m. It is said that lava from the eruption of Mount Nantai 20,000 years ago blocked the valley to create the initial form of the lake. Because of the spectacular view in each season, the lakeside area used to be a popular summer retreat for foreigners. That areas still features the Italian Embassy Villa Memorial Park and British Embassy Villa Memorial Park. The pleasure boat of the Tobu Chuzenjiko Cruise sails through the beautiful scenery and near these tourist destinations. In fall, you can see mountains covered in explosions of red, orange, and yellow from the lake. It is truly a picturesque view. The tour takes about 55 minutes in total, but there are tickets available for visitors to get on/off along the course.

A day trip hot spring in Kanuma City， Tochigi Prefecture with a simple alkaline sulfur spring it is said to soften the skin and warm the body. Come relax for a period while being surrounded by the richness of nature. Inside the facility you can enjoy meals made with local produce such as soba and daily changing tempura set meal as well as purchase local goods and products."

One of the largest museums of ceramics with Imari and Nabeshima collections in the world. Here， on the outskirts of Ashikaga， on 24.5 acres chosen for its picturesque scenery and taking advantage of nature， is a garden of mainly wild grass. In the garden is the main museum building， a historical building， a memorial church for unknown potters， and the pottery hall as well as the main gate， and the Holland Hall. A large feature of the museum is that it displays only Imari and Nabeshima pottery wares of the Edo period  created by the Nabeshima clan."

Ippeizuka Inari Shrine was historically the "souja" shrine of Sano City. The main shrine is vermillion painted in an avatar style， and the copper torii gate within the grounds is designated as a National Art Treasure. The hatsu uma matsuri (first horse day in March) has long been celebrated by large numbers of people in the past. The "shinkomanjyu" dumplings are especially popular."

3x3 basketball, now recognized as an official Olympic sport, is showcased at its highest level in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour—an international series organized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to determine the world’s best 3x3 club team. The 2025 season will span across 15 cities worldwide. The top teams from the tour will advance to the World Tour Final, where the global champion will be crowned. Featuring the previous year’s champions and top-ranked teams from around the world, this tournament represents the pinnacle of 3x3 basketball competition. Since 2016, the city of Utsunomiya has continuously hosted the FIBA 3x3 World Tour. Beginning in 2022, Utsunomiya was selected to kick off the season as the host of the Utsunomiya Opener, and will continue to do so through 2028—marking seven consecutive years as the opening venue. The 2025 Utsunomiya Opener is scheduled to take place over three days, from Friday, April 25 to Sunday, April 27. The venue for the event is the historic Utsunomiya Futaarayama Shrine, said to have over 1,600 years of history. A special 3x3 court will be set up in front of the shrine’s grand torii gate, creating a striking fusion of tradition and modern sports culture. Japanese elements such as mikoshi (portable shrines) will be featured to further enhance the atmosphere and share the unique spirit of "3x3 City Utsunomiya" with the world. In 2024, the local team UTSUNOMIYA BREX.EXE competed in the Utsunomiya Opener as the host city representative. They made history by advancing through the qualifiers to the final tournament stage for the second consecutive year—a first for any Japanese team. In the knockout stage, they faced off against UB (Serbia), the reigning champions of both the 2022 and 2023 World Tours. Although they were defeated 22–11, the team showed tremendous strength and determination in their battle against the world’s best.

Michi-no-Eki(Roadside Rest Stops) Nasu Kogen Yuai no Mori is located at the foot of Nasu Onsen-kyo. It features a wide variety of facilities including a tourist information centre called “Kanko Koryu Centre”，“Nasutoran”a restaurant，retail shop, and handicrafts gallery among other facilities. . Visitors can purchase fresh local vegetables at the shop called “Freainosato Chokubaijo” and local products at the Furusato Bussan Centre. The roadside station also offers hands-on classes，demonstrations and sales of local arts and crafts. The information centre is located at the foot of Mount Nasu and there are many attractions in the neighbourhood including leisure facilities and museums.

This hotel is just a five-minute drive from the World Heritage Site "Shrines and Temples of Nikko," including Nikko Toshogu Shrine. Surrounded by abundant nature, you can enjoy beautiful scenery that changes with the seasons from the guest room windows. The 25-square-meter rooms exude the warmth of wood, and although compact, they are spacious and functional, and the bathrooms are rain shower-type, so you can enjoy the comfort of being enveloped in soft rain. With a comfortable stay and easy access to tourist spots, this hotel is the perfect base for sightseeing in Nikko.

Daisei Gama, established in 1861, is a leading pottery studio in the pottery town of Mashiko. Its shop, a renovated traditional Japanese house, showcases a wide variety of pottery ranging from standard products to basic products with a few additional touches to the design, clay, and taste. Daisei Gama has been using a climbing kiln for generations since its establishment. Among climbing kilns operated by many pottery studios in Mashiko, it is the largest one. Daisei Gama uses Japanese red pine as fuel and traditional glaze that has long been used in Mashiko such as persimmon glaze as well as rice-bran white glaze, black glaze, amber glaze, and celadon glaze. Currently at Daisei Gama, the sixth-generation family head Kuninori Otsuka and the seventh-generation family head Seiichi Otsuka, together with craftworkers, are creating traditional, simple Mashiko pottery with a glimpse of strength and warmth inside. Visitors can view the climbing kiln. There is also a gallery in a separate building.

Enjoy a pottery experience, accommodations, and cuisine. Amenities include barbecue equipment, a traditional charcoal-fired sunken hearth, a pizza oven, and self-catering options. Individual travelers and groups alike are welcome to enjoy a rich variety of wonderful experiences. （Please make reservations via our website)

This gardening center surrounded by a coppice has something for gardeners of all skill and experience levels to enjoy. It carries a selection of more than 2，000 items all year long including rose seedlings， perennials， annuals， herbs， clematis， and other plants， as well as gardening supplies and household goods. There is also a cafe that serves lunches and sweets made with local ingredients."

This car museum has a wide variety of classic car makes from around the world on display， including Alfa Romeo and Mercedes. There's a section of the museum with cars that you can touch or get into as well. With valuable cars on display that can't be seen anywhere else the museum draws car fans from far and wide."

In 1870, Dr. James C. Hepburn, an American medical missionary, visited Nikko and stayed at the house of Zenichiro Kanaya, who was a member of Gagaku (an ancient imperial court music) orchestra of the Toshogu Shrine. Foreseeing an increase in the number of foreign tourists to Nikko, Dr. Hepburn suggested that Kanaya open a hotel for foreigners. Following Hepburn’s advice, Zenichiro remodeled his house and opened “Kanaya Cottage Inn” in 1873.   Kanaya’s house was originally a residence of samurai warriors during the Edo period. For its unique architectural characteristics, Kanaya Cottage Inn was called “Samurai House” by its foreign guests.   In 1893, Zenichiro relocated his business and opened “Kanaya Hotel” on the top of the hill that overlooks the River Daiya. It was Japan’s first full-fledged western-style resort hotel and has been in operation at the same place to date.   The Kanaya Samurai House and warehouse were registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2014 and opened to the public as the Kanaya Hotel History House in 2015.

The observatory is at an elevation of 1048 meters. During clear weather， you can enjoy an expansive view of the Nasu Mountains， Mt. Yamizo， and the Kanto Basin. It is also known for its spectacular night view. It is the 100th of the “Lover’s Sanctuary” sites."

Asahiya Honten is an old Japanese confectioner founded in 1897. The most popular sweets is "Kinton Manjū".That is a kind of dumpling which has sweet pastes made from white kidney beans."Kinton Manjū"is sweets of a well‐known brand of Tochigi.

With the Nikko Mountain Range, the Nasu Mountain Range, and Mount Yamizo, Tochigi is a mountainous prefecture with many sources of fresh water. Pure water is said to be the "life of sake making," and many delicious sakes are created here.   We would love for visitors to Kinugawa Onsen to sample our excellent local sake. That's why, on weekends during the spring, Kinugawa and Kawaji Onsen Tourist Information Center will be holding a sake tasting event.   Please feel free to drop by for a quick drink after arriving in Kinugawa Onsen or while you wait for your train home. Don't miss this opportunity to savor local sake made with the utmost care by master brewers.   *Event period, time, and contents are subject to change without notice.

Roadside Station Mashiko(Michi-no-Eki Mashiko)  is a roadside station offering fresh local produce and local products and crafts at the “Mashiko-no-Marche” as well as reasonably-priced lunches with freshly picked vegetables at the “Mashiko-no-Gohan” restaurant. The information centre “Concierge” provides information on tourism， special exhibitions and workshops， along with advice on moving to the town and booking rental space. Please find more information on their website.