What is Yuki Tsumugi?Yuki Tsumugi is a traditional silk fabric originating from Oyama City in Tochigi Prefecture and Yuki City in Ibaraki Prefecture, with a history dating back to the Nara period. Once valued for its durability, it is now prized as a top-class handwoven silk for its light yet strong texture. Oyama Honba Yuki Tsumugi Craft MuseumHonba Yuki Tsumugi is entirely handcrafted and was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. The Oyama Honba Yuki Tsumugi Craft Museum is dedicated to promoting this traditional art and offers the following experiences: Craftsman Demonstrations: Watch up close as artisans spin silk threads and weave on looms. Hands-on Weaving Experience: Try your hand at weaving under staff guidance (advance reservation recommended). Kimono Experience: Select your favorite Yuki Tsumugi kimono pattern and stroll through the streets of Oyama (some accessories require an additional fee). Closed on Mondays and during the New Year holidays. Some activities require ID and advance booking.

mekke is a base for “discovering” the charms of Nikko based on the theme of "feeling, connecting, and touring". Workshops that can only be experienced here, such as Nikko carving and deerskin leather crafting, are held from time to time. It also has a coworking space and community space, and is used as a place where tourists and local residents can easily connect with each other. Electric bicycles can be rented and baggage storage services are available, allowing visitors to tour Nikko in comfort. On the first floor, there is an exhibition space for Nikko's history and traditional performing arts, as well as a tourist information center, where you can freely pick up pamphlets to help you gather information for your trip. This is a new starting point for Nikko, where sightseeing, experience, and exchange are all connected in one place.

Opened in 1873, this is Japan's oldest resort hotel and has been visited by many famous people, including Albert Einstein, Charles Lindbergh, and Helen Keller. While the exterior is Western-style, the interior incorporates Japanese furnishings and architectural styles throughout, creating a mysteriously nostalgic and gentle atmosphere. The unique guest rooms, which have been used by many famous people, create an extraordinary moment as if you have traveled back in time. The restaurant also serves lunch and dinner, and serves dishes that combine tradition and innovation. The hotel is just a 5-minute walk from the World Heritage Site, “Shrines and Temples of Nikko”, including Nikko Toshogu Shrine, making it an ideal hotel for early morning sightseeing to avoid the crowds.

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.

At Nasu Farm Village, you can spend some relaxing time with horses. It offers programs such as the Horse Trekking Program that even beginners can enjoy and the Horse Therapy Program to befriend a horse. Children and people who are still not quite ready to ride a horse can join this program with peace of mind. The restaurant offers the chef’s special lunch boxes featuring seasonal vegetables harvested on the farm. *Guidance for horseback riding is provided in Japanese. For safety reasons, you may only ride a horse if you understand Japanese or if you have an interpreter to explain the instructions for you.

Seven Hundred Club has 18 holes with plenty of space in between on land as vast as 1 million square meters. There are artistic holes surrounded by forests, beautiful and thrilling holes with a pond, and so on to stimulate players’ competitiveness. The club stretches on land that is 1.5 times bigger than average golf courses, allowing players to improve their score or course management. The club also offers lesson programs matching player skill levels. The food options at the course are popular among both male and female plyers. The clubhouse has a BBQ area and also offers a wide variety of seasonal dishes. Visitors are sure to have a very fulfilling day here.

Kanuma's native species of brown buckwheat has characteristically small seeds with a relatively thick, aroma-rich hull. Grown to full ripeness in Kanuma’s large, rainy forests, it has a profound flavor. Kanuma soba is prepared using locally-sourced water and buckwheat flour, giving it a unique sweetness and aroma that are popular among its fans. Soba is a staple food in Kanuma, and nira soba was born out of the local tradition of using nira (garlic chives) to both add volume to and spice up their soba.

“Washi-no-Sato” is a Washi papermaking factory in the mountain village of Nasu-Karasuyama. Washi is traditional Japanese hand-made paper increasingly attracting the attention of people abroad. “Karasuyama Washi” has a history dating back 1，200 years in Tochigi. Come to our workshops to learn about the traditional craftsmanship and make your own sheet of Washi paper!

Established in 1849， Shimazaki Sake Brewery is open for tours of the brewery and the history of the brewing process (prior bookings required). Along with a selection of local Sake， you can purchase other liqueurs made from Yuzu， strawberries or Ume plums and Sake ice cream made with Ginjo-shu. The “Sakagura Festival” held at the brewery in March offers sake-tasting， quizzes， prize draws and sales of limited edition Sake bottles.

History of Bannaji Temple On the site of the present-day Bannaji Temple, a powerful samurai called Minamoto no Yoshiyasu, who was as famous as Taira no Kiyomori and Minamoto no Yoshitomo (the father of Minamoto no Yoritomo and Minamoto no Yoshitsune) built his castle at the end of Heian period. He is the first generation of Ashikaga family.   In 1196, Ashikaga Yoshikane, the son of Yoshiyasu, built a hall dedicated to Dainichi Nyorai, and the 3rd head of Ashikaga family, Ashikaga Yoshiuji, built a hall tower and other buildings. Since that, the Bannaji Temple bacame the clan temple of Ashikaga family. 150 years later, the 7th head of the family, Ashikaga Takauji, founded the Muromachi Shogunate, which gave the Ashikaga family the reign of Japan. Even in the Edo period, as the temple of the Ashikaga family, the direct descendant of the Minamoto clan, was revered and protected by the Tokugawa Shogun, who claimed to be a member of the Minamoto clan.   Became the National Treasure of Japan In 1923, Bannaji Temple was designated as a National Historic Site as the "Ashikaga Family Residence". The main hall, the bell tower, and the sutra hall were designated as National Important Cultural Properties. It was selected as the one of the 100 most famous castles in Japan. The 40,000-square-meter territory is laid out in a square shape, surrounded by a circular fortress and a moat, and retains the characteristics of the Kamakura period's Buke Yashiki (samurai's house).   Annual Events On February 3, the temple hosts the Ashikaga Setsubun Armor Parade, in which more than 150 participants dressed as samurai and wearing armor parade to Bannaji Temple and then perform the bean-scattering ceremony. In spring, you can enjoy cherry blossoms, and in fall, you can see the leaves of the city's natural monument, the Ginkgo tree (about 600 years old), turn yellow, and the beauty of the tree is breathtaking.      

Nasu Senbonmatsu Ranch, located in Nasushiobara City, is a vast ranch with abundant nature. Visitors to the ranch can enjoy activities such as interacting with animals, cycling, horseback riding, and delicious meals made with locally produced products. The dairy products made from the high quality milk produced by the farm's careful attention to soil and grass cultivation are all excellent, and make excellent souvenirs. Visitors can also enjoy strawberry picking in winter and spring, and blueberry picking in summer.

It is a temple of the Tendai sect and surrounded by nature.

Tosho Onsen, located in Imaichi in Nikko City, is a popular day-use hot spring facility loved by both locals and visitors. The facility features an outdoor rotenburo designed like a Japanese garden, where you can enjoy a distant view of Mt. Nikko’s mountains. Indoor baths are equipped with handrails, ensuring a safe and relaxing soak for visitors of all ages. During the winter solstice, guests can experience a seasonal yuzu bath, said to promote circulation and keep the body warm. The spacious rest areas and on-site restaurant offer hearty local dishes such as charcoal-grilled chicken, making it an ideal spot to unwind both body and mind.

Located at the entrance to Lake Chuzenji in Nikko, Hotel Hana-an offers a serene retreat surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty. Lake Chuzenji, revered as a sacred place and beloved as a summer resort, transforms with the changing seasons. Designed with the concepts of "deep rest" and "quality time," our hotel provides a space where you can leisurely immerse yourself in the rich nature of Nikko. All rooms offer stunning seasonal views, while our cuisine features the freshest seasonal ingredients, and our hot springs boast different types of mineral-rich waters. Experience a truly relaxing stay that engages all your senses. In our rooms with private onsen, you can enjoy a relaxing soak in the comfort of your own space.   【About the Onsen】 Water color: 【Nikko Wanoshiro Onsen】 Clear 【Okunikko Yumoto Onsen】 Milky white Quality: 【Nikko Wanoshiro Onsen】 Simple alkaline spring 【Okunikko Yumoto Onsen】Sulfur spring Therapeutic effects: 【Nikko Wanoshiro Onsen】 Neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, health promotion, sprains, strains, chronic digestive diseases, etc. 【Okunikko Yumoto Onsen】 Low back pain, stiff shoulders, muscle pain, neuralgia, skin diseases, diabetes, gynecological diseases, hypertension, fatigue recovery, etc.

For the Ryuou Festival at Goryuo Shrine in Ryuokyo Canyon, a priest is invited from Nikko Toshogu Shrine to perform a Shinto ritual. Afterwards, in the evening, a grand festival is held in the hot spring towns of Kinugawa and Kawaji. At the main festival in Kinugawa Onsen, there is a procession of the magnificent Manto Mikoshi, or "Ten Thousand Lantern Mikoshi" (a mikoshi is a portable Shinto shrine), as well as the beautiful Onna-Taru Mikoshi, which is carried by women only. Additionally, there are folk entertainment performances, stalls， and for the grand finale, a brilliant fireworks display that lights up the night sky.  

Step into a world of light and shadowsEvery winter evening, Wakayama Farm in Utsunomiya transforms into a fantastical landscape adorned with glowing illuminations for the seasonal event Bamboo Winter Lights. This farm, which offers experiences in every season, becomes even more enchanting in winter evenings, when the entire bamboo grove is bathed in dreamlike lights, guiding visitors into a world like something out of a fairytale. As night falls, the lush green bamboo grove glows warmly, with bamboo lanterns and lights illuminating the paths. The scene, accompanied by music, blends nature and art to create a mystical atmosphere that is both inspiring and deeply moving. The event is perfect not only for couples but also for families, and it’s a popular spot for photography enthusiasts. The fusion of new illuminations and the timeless bamboo forest creates a captivating spectacle, making this one of the best seasonal nighttime attractions. On crisp winter nights, a stroll through Wakayama Farm’s bamboo grove offers a romantic and unforgettable experience, where the quiet beauty of bamboo meets the brilliance of light.

The Oku-Nikko region is home to a compact collection of various environments, including waterfalls, lakes, rivers, marshes, wetlands, forests, and high mountains. The elevation ranges from approximately 1,200 meters near Lake Chuzenji to over 2,000 meters at Mount Nantai and Mount Nikko Shirane. As a result, you can enjoy a variety of plants, animals, and wild birds throughout the seasons on numerous hiking trails. Why not join a guide and explore the diverse landscapes of Oku-Nikko?

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.