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NIKKO PUDDING TEI/ Nikko Main Branch

NIKKO PUDDING TEI/ Nikko Main Branch

NIKKKO PUDDING TEI is a custard pudding specialty shop in a cute and retro-taste building decorated in the Taisho Roman style (a vintage style inspired by the Taisho period). They prepare products inside the shop using milk produced in Tochigi Prefecture and other ingredients produced in Nikko such as the premium egg brand Nikko Goyouran. They offer a wide variety of custard desserts including ‘Nikko pudding’ with a silky smooth, creamy texture, ‘Otome-pudding’ using strawberries harvested in Tochigi Prefecture, and ‘Pudding with ice cream,’ which is a custard pudding topped with a tower of vanilla soft serve ice cream. There are also seasonal products such as ‘Chestnut pudding’ and ‘Cherry blossom pudding.’ Please visit the shop and enjoy the delicious puddings!

Nikko kaido Oshu kaido TOCHIGI
Bijin Benten (Akashi Benten, Itsukushima Shrine)

Bijin Benten (Akashi Benten, Itsukushima Shrine)

It was erected in Kansei 5 (1793), and before the Meiji Restoration (Meiji Ishin), it was known as the Akashi Benten Hokora. In the past, there was a pond where Kiyomizu (Pure water) springs in this village, and it is said that she worshiped as a god closely related to the water. "Bijin (Beautiful Woman) Benten" is an alter ego of Ichikishimahime, a Enshrined deities of Itsukushima Shrine. 【Issuing a "Bijin (Beautiful Woman) Certificate"! * Fee Charging】 "Bijin (Beautiful Woman) Certificate" is a charm that issued by Honjyo Itsukushima Shrine (Bijin Benten) that certifies "Beauty". "Beauty" for "Bijin Benten" protects and proves the "kindness of women's hearts" that all women have, not the beauty of appearance."

Nikko kaido Oshu kaido TOCHIGI
Mamada Hachimangu Shrine

Mamada Hachimangu Shrine

Mamada Hachimangu Shrine is said to have been founded as far back as nearly 1200 years ago during the years of the Tenpyo Era.On Children's Day on May 5 every year, the "Jya Matsuri" (Snake Festival), which is a Tochigi Prefecture Intangible Folk Cultural Asset, is held and enjoyed by a great many people. In the spring cherry trees blossom and ceremonial sumo matches are held in September, as well as a variety of other events making the shrine very popular. The shrine's dohyo was also the filming location for “Thermae Romae II”."

Nikko kaido Oshu kaido TOCHIGI
Daichuji Temple

Daichuji Temple

Daichuji Temple is a temple which is famous as the place where Uesugi Kenshin and Hojyo Ujiyasu made peace in 1568. This famous Buddhist temple's main gate is a rare example of ancient temple architecture. The grounds also include seven legendary "wonders": A hearth kept constantly lit to ward away a ghost; a set of stairs whose use is prohibited because they are said to bring bad luck; the "rootless" wisteria which grew from a cane; a well which is said to make the sound of horse hooves and neighing; a haunted toilet; a mountain to the east of the temple from which the sound of a wooden clapper can be heard by the head priest when danger threatens the temple; and a room where it is said that if you sleep in it, you will awaken lying in the opposite direction you fell asleep in. The history of the temple goes far beyond this however as it was originally built more than 800 years ago. The temple had the confidence of Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Edo period, and until the end of the Edo period was in a position of command as first among 3 leading temple at the head of the Soto sect. The temple is also home to a 200m path to the temple which is lined with hydrangeas and is spoken of in the Seven Wonders of the World and is also one of the "Tochigi Top 100 Scenic Places"."

Nikko kaido Oshu kaido TOCHIGI
Deai no Mori Strawberry Farm

Deai no Mori Strawberry Farm

This strawberry farm is operated by a company created through a collaboration between Kanuma City and JA. At the farm, you can enjoy picking Tochigi's representative strawberry varieties, Tochiotome and Tochi-Aika. Reservations are required for strawberry picking, and you can eat as much as you want for 45 minutes. The greenhouses are barrier-free and equipped with toilets, so anyone can pick strawberries in safety. The shop also sells Tochihime, a strawberry that has been dubbed a phantom variety because of its soft flesh and rare availability, as well as the luxury variety Skyberry.

Nikko kaido Oshu kaido TOCHIGI
Shimotsuke Fudoki-no-Oka Museum

Shimotsuke Fudoki-no-Oka Museum

This museum displays artefacts excavated from the adjoining sites such as the National Historic Site-designated Shimotsuke Kokubun-ji Temple Remains and Amadera Ruins, and the Tochigi Prefecture Historic Site-designated Maruzuka Kofun and Atagozuka Kofun. The artefacts on display range from the Kofun period to the Nara period. Many ancient burial mounds, temple and provincial office ruins, and other sites connected to the prefecture's history and culture can be found in the area around the museum. The museum presents the history of Shimotsuke City from a variety of viewpoints, including government administration and the lives of everyday people in the distant past, the relationship between the region and more central areas of Japan, and the development of civil engineering and construction technologies."

Nikko kaido Oshu kaido TOCHIGI
Ooyaji Temple(Ooya Kannon)

Ooyaji Temple(Ooya Kannon)

The beginning of Ooyaji Temple Nearby the Utsunomiya City, the Ooyaji Temple has been built surrounded by a cavern. Within the temple are 10 stone carvings of buddha carved directly into the cavern wall including Japan’s oldest statue of the goddess Kannon (the Oya thousand-armed Kannon).   It is said that long time ago, a venomous snake was living in the Oya area and every creatures were killed by its poison. In A.D. 810, a famous monk Kukai Daishi heard this story and stayed at this area for a few days. When he left, he told people that the snake would never come back again. People found that there was a Senju Kannon (also known as Ooya Kannon) carved into the cavern, and built this temple for thanking Kukai Daishi.   Symbol of Japan's Silk Road, the Ooya Kannon In recent study, scholars had found some similarities between Ooya Kannon and the Buddhas of Bamiyan. It is believed to be Japan’s Silk Road heritage carved by Afghan monks.   When you visit, please join your hands in prayer for world peace and happiness for people while reflecting on Kannon’s great heart.

Nikko kaido Oshu kaido TOCHIGI
Lake Yunoko

Lake Yunoko

Yunoko Lake is a lake that has formed by the eruption of Mt. Mitake. It is about 3 km in circumference. It is surrounded on three sides by mountains, and is somehow shrouded in a mysterious atmosphere. There is a walking path on the lakeshore, and you can make a round of it in about an hour. There are various types of primary forests in the surroundings, and you can see colorful autumnal leaves in the fall. It is also a spot famous for trout fishing, and is thronged with people during the fishing season from May to September."

Nikko kaido Oshu kaido TOCHIGI
TENTAKA SHUZO Co., Ltd.

TENTAKA SHUZO Co., Ltd.

Tentaka Shuzo established itself in Otawara City, a nature-rich city suitable for sake brewing in Tochigi Prefecture. With a history of over 100 years, the brewery produces organic sake under the motto of “delicious, safe, and enjoyable” and is hosting brewery tours that include tasting. There are two brewery tour courses. One is the Standard Course that takes about 30 minutes, and the other one is the Special Course that requires about 60 minutes. In the Special Course, you can visit many rooms involved in sake production including the rice mill, rice steaming room, yeast growing room, sake brewing room, sake pressing room, and sake filtering room. Why don’t you join the tour and learn about Japanese sake production using the carefully selected ingredients, production method, equipment, and tools? ※Due to production preparation, there are no tours offered between the middle of December and the end of February.

Nikko kaido Oshu kaido TOCHIGI
Michi-no-Eki(Roadside Rest Stops)  Utsunomiya Romantic Village

Michi-no-Eki(Roadside Rest Stops) Utsunomiya Romantic Village

This Roadside Rest Stops offering a farming and forest experience, dog park, hot spring, pool, and accommodation. Tochigi Prefecture has the largest production of two-rowed barley – an ingredient used to make beer. Romantic village's brewery has a full lineup of beers including staple original beers, the Mugitaro brand, and Gyoza Roman, a beer that pairs well with Gyoza .Be sure to try a freshly brewed one!

Nikko kaido Oshu kaido TOCHIGI
Irohazaka

Irohazaka

Irohazaka is a pair of winding roads (ascending and descending) connecting Nikko-city and the mountainous Lake Chuzenji area. The roads are named after the 48 syllables of the Japanese alphabet (kana) as they contain 48 hairpin turns while rising and falling 440 metres in elevation. The best viewing spot is the Akechidaira observatory on the descending road. The picturesque landscape is known as the most beautiful place to celebrate autumn leaves in Nikko, and it is well worth putting up with the traffic on the roads at this popular time.

Oshu kaido Nikko kaido TOCHIGI