The Yasaka Festival, or more commonly as the Tenno Festival, is a festival held at Okoto Shrine where people go to pray for good health and to prevent the spread of illnesses during the summer.   Participants in the festival carry and parade a portable shrine called the “Great Tenno-sama,” which weighs approximately 1 ton.   Highlights of the festival include over ten stunning floats and mikoshi parading through the town, streets lined with stalls selling delicious food and unique crafts, and a grand gathering on the second night of the festival after 8PM. Here, all the mikoshi and floats come together for a spectacular display of traditional music and energetic performances.

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This restaurant is located inside Subanazaka Park， a nature park on the Subanazaka Hill. Situated near the central starting point for the park's hiking courses， here customers can enjoy handmade soba noodles made with an abundance of local buckwheat flour. The restaurant's traditional flavors， prepared by local housewives， are perfect for enjoying after a nature hike. The restaurant's manju steamed buns， which are made by hand starting from the filling， are also highly acclaimed. The surrounding area is a famous destination for viewing Genji fireflies， and when the fireflies appear in June， a variety of locally-operated food stalls also open up nearby. "

This art museum stands at the southern edge of Ashikaga Park. The museum displays the artwork as well as the personal effects of Tazaki Soun， a Southern School painter who was active in Ashikaga from the end of the Edo period through the Meiji period. Known as a late Edo period loyalist painter， Soun studied under artists such as Kanai Ushu and his works have been highly praised outside Japan. Soun was also chosen to be the first Imperial Household Artist， once the highest honor for an artist in Japan， and the museum stores， conserves， and presents his artwork and personal effects. A thatched roof residence believed to have been the home of Soun stands in the museum's garden."

In Nikko city， there are lots of handmade soba (buckwheat noodles) shops. (there are over 100 soba shops) It is said that the number of shops rate per the population is No.1 in Japan. Also the production of buckwheat is No.1 in Tochigi prefecture. Additionally Nikko city is rich in fresh ground water for soba which originates from the mountain of Nikko. Of course， soba masters have special skills to make it. That’s why the city of Nikko is called “the city of soba”. We look forward to meet you. [Notes] *Reservation required （by Phone， Fax） *Japanese language only. If you need English assistance， please come with an interpreter.

The Nissan Motor Tochigi Plant is an integrated production factory managing the whole process of automobile manufacturing from the casting of iron and aluminium to mechanical assembly. Models produced at the factory are mainly full-size luxury cars and sports cars such as the Nissan Cima and Nissan GT-R. The factory tour includes a company overview video and a guide to the automotive assembly line.

Known as the city of steam locomotives， the railway museum “Mooka Raiway SL Kyuroku (96) Kan” is located here in Mooka. The collection includes Japan’s only self-driving 9600 steam locomotive with a compressed air engine， along with a D51 steam locomotive and the old-style passenger train “Suhafu 4425”. The self-driving 9600 steam locomotive runs three times a day (at 10am， 12pm and 2:30pm) on Saturdays， Sundays and public holidays and visitors can ride in the guard’s van (300 yen per person).

Izuruhara Benten Pond, the source of the Izuru River, is designated a Prefectural Natural Treasure and was selected as one of the nation’s clearest water sources by the Ministry of Environment. Take a look down into the transparent water and you will find Koi fish with sparkling scales swimming gracefully over swaying water plants. Samples of the pristine water are available to take home from the neighbouring Ichinokan hotel. Be sure to take a close look at the main building of Isoyama Benzaiten Shrine. Reconstructed in the Kamakura period (1185-1333)， this cultural property is constructed without nails and displays the beauty of traditional Japanese architectural methods. Isoyama Benzaiten (nicknamed Fuzai) is a goddess of music, arts and knowledge and is one of seven lucky Sano gods built here in 948. The Benzaiten Shrine was moved here at the request of “Suisha-ko”, a group of devout local worshippers.

Registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in June 2004， Ashikaga Orihime Shrine has long been worshipped as home to guardian deities of local industry and matchmaking.   The vermillion-lacquered shrine stands in beautiful contrast to the surrounding green forests. Located on the hillside, the shrine commands magnificent views of the city of Ashikaga and the Watarase River. On fine days，the view extends as far as the Kanto Plains and the Tokyo Skytree. The shrine is a starting point for a walking trail through the Prefectural Natural Park. The trail is popular for enjoying seasonal views and is suitable for children.   A large number of visitors come and enjoy music performances and local delicacies at the shrine during the grand spring festival in May and autumn festival in November. It has become a popular dating spot since being named a sacred place for lovers and one of the best night view locations in 2014.

Kurobane Castle Ruins Park is known and loved for its flowers; the Kurobane Hydrangea Flower Festival is held here when the roughly 6,000 hydrangeas in the area come into bloom.   From inside the park, visitors can admire the flowers that line the old moat from the bridge. During the festival, various events including a haiku contest and photography contest are held, and stalls are set up. In the evening (from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm), the hydrangeas are lit up so that visitors can admire them even at night-time.

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.

Cottage Inn Restaurant & Bakery is a restaurant run by Kanaya Hotel Bakery, which is adjacent to the Kanaya Hotel History House. At the restaurant, you can enjoy a wide variety of combinations of bread from Kanaya Hotel Bakery and dishes prepared with fresh and high-quality ingredients hand-picked by the chef. The popular Lunch Plate offers choices of Hamburger Stew Stuffed Bread, a hearty dish of oven-baked campagne bread stuffed with a hamburger steak cooked in a demiglace sauce topped with cheese, Sautéed Yume Pork with Ginger Sauce using the Yume Pork brand produced in Tochigi Prefecture, and Beef Stew, a year-round popular dish made with the chef’s original recipe. The restaurant also has the Kanaya Hotel Bakery Shop with a rich lineup of bread and sweets such as cookies.

Having a cool average temperature from summer to fall, Oku-nikko and Senjogahara have the perfect environment for growing sweet and tasty strawberries. Mt. Berry Oku-Nikko grows special strawberries using the blessing of grand nature, taking advantage of the climate, water, and soil, and carefully selected fertilizers. From July to October, they open their field for ‘Tenku no Kogen Ichigo’ picking. It’s an all-you-can-eat (although depending on the harvest situation) strawberry picking program featuring three breeds of strawberries: Natsuotome, the breed cultivated only in Tochigi Prefecture, Yotsuboshi, and Pechika Honoka, which made its debut in 2024. Taste the difference among Natsuotome having a good balance of sweetness and acidity, Yotsuboshi with strong sweetness and aroma, and Pechika Honoka boasting its top-class sweetness among all summer-fall strawberries. Since you need a reservation and they accept only a small number of people at a time, you can enjoy picking strawberries in a relaxed atmosphere.

Tochigi is Japan’s largest producer of strawberries. The prefecture has the perfect environment for fresh and sweet strawberries, blessed with abundant sunshine, clear spring water, fertile land and an inland climate with a large difference between high and low temperatures. Strawberry picking is a popular leisure in strawberry farms across the prefecture. Starting with “Tochiotome”, the nation’s superstar brand of strawberry, come and sample some of the many varieties available, some of which are only grown in the prefecture. “Skyberry”, the brand-new premium variety created as a successor of “Tochiotome”, is increasingly popular. The perfect flavours and amazingly large-fruit are utterly delicious!

Hōshakuji Station opened in 1899.The station building was rebuilt in 2008 by Kengo Kuma's design. On the ceiling， wood is arranged in a geometric pattern. In 2008， that station building won an award in architecture department of Brunel Award that International Railway Design Competition. Space of Chokkura was designd by Mr. Kuma with the image that light and wind blow through. There are bildings made of oya tuff stone. In the space， markets and live performances are held on holidays.

The history of the Nikko-zan Rinno-Ji Temple started over 1250 years ago, when Shodo Shonin (Saint Shodo), who firstly served as the head priest of Nikko, founded the Shihonryuji Temple. Sanbutsudo Hall is one of the largest wooden architectures in Nikkosan, and houses Buddhist statues respectively symbolizing honchibutsu (original Buddhist divinity), of the holy three mountains in Nikko, such as Senju-Kannon (Kannon with a thousand arms: honchibutsu of Mt. Nantai), Amidanyorai (Amitabha Tathagata: honchibutsu of Mt. Nyoho), and Bato-Kannon (Kannon with a horse head: honchibutsu of Mt. Taro), are 8m tall.

This is a day trip onsen facility in Kinugawa Park that holding by Nikko City.It is said that the water from here is good for skin and has a beautifying effect.   Both men's and women's baths have open-air baths and indoor baths. The open-air baths are made of rocks, and the source water is abundant, so you can enjoy the seasonal flowers and plants, as well as the chirping of insects and birds, while enjoying the baths.   The view around the onsen is very beautiful, which makes visitors feel relax here. In April, the park's weeping cherry trees are in full bloom, that you should't miss.