The floats, intricately carved with flowers, birds, lions, and other designs, are well worth seeing. The climax of the festival can be said to be the Buttsuke (a musical ensemble) performance by nine floats with golden lanterns.

A beloved summer tradition in Oyama City, the “Omoigawa River Nagashi-bina” is held on the first Sunday of July each year. Dressed in yukata, adults and children gather along the banks of the Omoigawa River, holding paper dolls onto which they place their wishes before sending them to float downstream. These paper dolls, known as Shimotsuke Dolls, range from 10 cm to 40 cm in height and are crafted using the artistry and tradition of Shimotsuke shibori dyeing. The paper is twisted to create beautiful patterns, with each doll featuring a unique hairstyle and kimono design. A tanzaku (narrow paper strip) is attached so participants can write their wishes. The “Omoigawa River Nagashi-bina” is open to everyone. The first 50 participants wearing yukata will receive a “Nagashi-bina” doll as a gift.

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.

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.

One of Japan's top 100 urban parks, the famous azalea viewing place in Kanto City, North Kanto City, about 5,000 azaleas in full bloom here, and every year in May will be held “azalea festival”, swarming with many people.   From early April to mid-May (the peak season for cherry blossoms and azaleas), the park is illuminated at night, and the dreamlike flower scene makes people linger.   There are also lawn parks and amusement facilities in the park, which are suitable for family picnics. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Takahara and Mt. Nikko from the observatory in the park.  

Yana is a trap to catch sweetfish that swim down the river to lay their eggs. The trap is a screen made with finely divided and stripped bamboo placed on a bamboo scaffolding where the water flow is blocked in a V-shaped depression. Ooseyana in Motegi Town in Tochigi boasts the largest yana trap among many traps placed on the Naka River. What’s most entertaining about yana fishing is that you can catch sweetfish while feeling the powerful flow of the Naka River over your feet. The catch is largest between the second half of September and the end of October. At the restaurant, you can savor freshwater fish dishes such as grilled sweetfish with a sprinkle of salt and deep-fried sweetfish while enjoying the river view.

Rossa Berry is a tourist farm that offers strawberry-picking. It is located by National Route 293, halfway between the Oya area, which has been registered as a Japan Heritage Site, and the famous roadside station Romantic Village. It grows Tochigi strawberry breeds such as Tochi-Aika and has a shop and a café. The shop sells strawberries from the farm and their original processed products. After having fun picking strawberries, enjoy gelato and smoothies in the shop’s café space. At Rossa Berry, the strawberry-picking season runs from the end of December to early June the following year. Please come and experience picking beautiful jewelry-like strawberries that have ripened in abundance throughout the greenhouse.

Mashikokan Satoyama Resort Hotel is a homey onsen hotel in a forest. If you open the window of the guest room, a fresh breeze and the sound of the forest gently enter the room. If you turn off the light at night and look up at the sky, the large moon and the starry sky softly light up the room. Meals are prepared with ingredients carefully grown by producers and thoroughly crafted to bring out their natural flavors. They will be cooked and served with love so that you can feel the four seasons of satoyama. Baths are filled with the skin-beautifying hot spring water from the satoyama. In both the spacious indoor bath and open-air bath, featuring a waterfall that the hotel proudly presents, you can enjoy the finest healing time while feeling the nature of satoyama. These baths are also available to non-staying guests. Please visit the hotel as the base of your fun activities in satoyama and enjoy a slow, relaxing time.

A traditional Japanese house built over 170 years ago has been relocated to the Kurobane Furusato Bussan Center. This building with a thatched roof houses Kurashi no Yakata and a restaurant. At the restaurant, ‘Oroshi Soba ― Yamizo Asagiri hand-picked soba ―’ is one of the popular menu items made with locally produced buckwheat flour. Adjacent to the restaurant is the Bussan Center. There, you can buy delicious vegetables produced by local farmers and steamed buns made with love. They also sell additive-free homemade miso called Ginjo Ichinen Miso. It is popular because miso soup made with this miso in the morning stays tasty until night.

Farm Stay Iri (Hachinosu) is a quiet, two-story Western style accommodation built 20 years ago in a farm village with an extensive view of the countryside. The owner has renovated a 55-year-old storage shed into a fermentation research laboratory “Fer-Lab.” Only one reservation is accepted at a time and guests will not see any other guests during their stay. Guests and the owner cook meals together using home-grown rice and seasonal vegetables with no commercial spices. If requested, vegan meals and gluten-free meals can be made. You can also experience vegetable harvesting. The accommodation offers a long-stay plan in which you can experience a program featuring the full process of making fermented foods such as shio koji (fermented seasoning).

The Ryumon Folk Crafts Museum is located near the Ryumon Falls, and the observation deck attached to the museum is the best place to see the magnificent view of the falls. In addition to displaying dragons, the museum also features animations of local folk tales and legends, and sells souvenirs from Nasukarasuyama City.   On the way to Ryumon Falls from the Ryumon Folk Crafts Museum, there is an excellent hiking trail, so you can follow it all the way to the bottom of the waterfall and experience the rapid flow of the waterfall from a close distance. The most famous feature of Ryumon Falls is the spectacle of the tram passing over the falls, and with the changes in the natural scenery during the four seasons, the composition of the tram and the waterfalls has become a famous location for photographers and railroad fans. The museum shares the estimated time when the train passes over the waterfall, so please come and take some rare and beautiful photos! ＊Please remember to stay safe when taking photos.  

his hotel was built with the hope of allowing visitors to experience the nature and history of this land, which local people have cherished for many years, while enjoying a comfortable stay.   The hot springs here are sourced 100% from "Kitsuregawa Onsen", one of Japan's top three beautifying hot springs. Renowned as one of the finest quality hot springs in the country, it gently removes dead skin cells, has high heat retention and moisturizing properties, and helps prevent dryness. Our guest rooms, surrounded by lush forests, offer a peaceful and relaxing environment.   One of the highlights of your stay is our cuisine, which features creative dishes that showcase the freshest local ingredients and are designed to be "enjoyed with all five senses".   Why not visit our hotel and experience our warm hospitality filled with the charm of the local area?   【About the Hot Spring】 Water color: Brownish Spring quality: Chloride spring Therapeutic effects: Rheumatism, diabetes, chilblains, acne, etc.

"Nikkozan Yumoto Onsenji Temple" is a branch temple of the world heritage site "Nikkozan Rinnoji Temple". Its history dates back to 788 when Shodo Shonin, the founder of mountain worship in Nikko, discovered a hot spring and enshrined Yakushirurikou-nyorai (the Buddha of healing) to alleviate suffering. Since the Meiji era, it has been known as a hot spring resort for common people seeking recovery and longevity.   While traditional sutra copying or Buddha tracing involves transcribing the entire sutra or drawing the entire image, Onsenji Temple offers original templates designed to be completed in approximately 15-20 minutes. For the Onsenji 16-character sutra copying, you will trace a section of the Yakushi Sutra written in light ink using a brush pen. For Buddhist image copying, you will trace the outline of a Buddha drawn in light ink using a brush pen.   Both practices allow individuals to connect with the Buddha, receiving their blessings and promoting mental and physical relaxation. The time spent engaging in sutra copying and Buddha tracing, fostering a deeper connection with the Buddha and oneself, is truly invaluable. As a token of your experience, participants who complete sutra copying or Buddha tracing and offer their work will receive a special temple stamp. Note: Brush pens are available for rental.   【About the Hot Spring】 Color of the hot spring water: Milky white Note: The source water is colorless, it turns milky white due to oxidation. * Be cautious as the colorless spring water is very hot. Quality of spring water: Sulfate and hydrogen carbonate hot spring. Therapeutic effects: Cuts, cold extremities, fatigue recovery, and more. Caution: Shampoo and body soap are not provided. Please bring your own if necessary.

"Snow Peak KANUMA Campfield & Spa" is a camping ground consisting of 91 sites. It caters to various needs and camping styles, and offers rental of all necessary camping equipment, allowing you to enjoy camping without bringing your own gear. You can also enjoy open-air baths and sauna at the hot spring facility, as well as use the wooden deck and grassy area where you can eat meals purchased for takeout. Indulge in shopping at our store, where you can find locally sourced products and Snow Peak gear, and savor freshly-ground, hand-made soba noodles at "Kaminanma Soba Ryugai," a restaurant serving up delicious local ingredients.

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.

Onsen Ryokan Yamaki is a Japanese style inn built to help guests escape from the daily hustle and bustle and fully relax and heal the body and soul. The ryokan experience here is designed based on the principles of the tea ceremony: harmony, respect, purity, and calmness. These principles, as the ryokan’s philosophy, are also incorporated into its guest rooms, hot springs, meals, and staff hospitality. Calm guest rooms feature the warmth of wood and diatomaceous earth on walls. All guest rooms are designed differently, and some have a scenic cypress bath filled with hot spring water flowing endlessly from its original source. The hot spring here was discovered in 1059. It is called Itamuro hot spring and is famous as the “medicine water of Shimotsuke (old name of the area).” It is said to warm people’s bodies from the core and alleviate fatigue and joint pain. The inn also offers esthetic treatment using essential oil (reservation needed). Please enjoy the hot spring and the treatment to relax and slowly unwind from the long day of your trip. For dinner, the inn serves a Japanese multi-course meal designed based on one of its guiding principles of “respect” for local production and consumption. The dinner menu is developed to serve you a healthy meal prepared with wild plants, vegetables harvested from nearby areas, and seasonal ingredients. Please savor the out-of-the-ordinary time of healing and relaxation produced by Onsen Ryokan Yamaki. 【About the hot spring】 Water color: clear Spring water type: simple alkaline spring water Efficacy: alleviates sensitivity to cold, fatigue, nerve pain, and sore muscles, improves health, and so on

Hotel Higashinihon Utsunomiya is designed with a British taste featuring a high and spacious atrium and stately and elegant space. The hotel has eight restaurants with a rich international flavor including a teppanyaki restaurant with Tochigi Wagyu as the main feature, a high-end traditional Japanese-style restaurant with a garden view, a Japanese restaurant serving food prepared with seasonal ingredients, and so on. The hotel welcomes guests with spacious rooms. Even a single room is 20m2, and there are also a wide variety of rooms ranging from twin rooms to royal suites, ensuring a relaxing stay.

Rengetsu stands at the base of the untouched Shiobara Valley with its 30-meter drop. The sound of the stream, comfortable breeze, and panoramic views of the beautiful valley that changes with the season surround Rengetsu to create the finest, out-of-the-ordinary experience. All guest rooms come with a tub filled with natural hot spring water and a view of the beautiful valley. Take your time to fully relax and enjoy our famous “skin beautifying hot spring,” which has a wide variety of health benefits. Rengetsu also features an open-air hot spring bath surrounded by nature, a spacious large indoor bath, and three elaborate private open-air hot spring baths. For dinner, you will be served a kaiseki multi-course meal featuring various local foods and tastes. All these dishes are carefully prepared for your fullest satisfaction using seasonal ingredients that entertain both your eyes and taste buds. Rengetsu also offers the Golf Plan where you can enjoy your stay and golfing at a nearby golf course. 【About the hot spring】 Water color: clear Spring water type: chloride spring water Efficacy: alleviates nerve pains, rheumatism, sensitivity to cold, and fatigue Note: there are private open-air hot spring baths (first-come-first-served basis and no reservation needed)