When sunlight hits the spray of the waterfall, a dreamy rainbow appears, making this a breathtaking highlight of your hike. Nijimi Falls is a symbolic scenic spot near Ryuokyo Gorge in Nikko. It is named after the rainbow often created by sunlight shining through the mist. The waterfall is about 20 meters high, and its powerful flow creates a misty spectacle. Visitors can enjoy close-up views of the waterfall from different angles along the well-maintained trail. This spot is an important stop along the Ryuokyo Gorge walking route. The trail is surrounded by lush nature, offering cool shade in summer, vibrant autumn leaves, and refreshing air all year round. It is recommended to wear sturdy walking shoes and take your time exploring. Particularly on sunny mornings, this is the best time to capture photos of the rainbow created in the mist.

Setsubun Season – Celebrating with “Oni” from Around the World to Pray for Good Fortune and Drive Away Evil The Kinugawa Onsen “Oni” Festival (Shōfuku Oni Matsuri) is a winter celebration that combines the “Oni” in Kinugawa’s name with Japan’s Setsubun traditions. Held annually from late January to late February, the entire Kinugawa Onsen area becomes a festive stage where people and “oni” dance together to bring good luck and ward off evil. With the theme “Demons of the World Gather in Kinugawa – Humans and Oni Join in Festive Exorcism,” the event is both a blessing ceremony and a lively, family-friendly celebration. One of the highlights is the “SL Shōfuku Oni Train,” where participants dressed as oni ride a steam locomotive and interact with adorable local mascot characters like “Kinuta,” “Kinu-chan,” and “Kawa-chan.” Visitors can also enjoy taiko drum performances, monkey shows, chainsaw wood carving, demon-themed food, cultural experiences, and stamp rally games. It’s one of Kinugawa’s most vibrant seasonal events during the Setsubun period.

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 fragrant gift from Nasu. “NASU NOTE” captures the memories of nature in scent. The whispering sounds of the Nasu forest, the scent of trees swaying in the wind. Each of these memories remains gently in our hearts. The branches and leaves of Yamizo cedar, which had previously been little used, and the plants nurtured by the rich nature of Nasu. The fresh, deep, and soothing woody notes of coniferous trees blend together, while the soft, sweet scent of freshly picked herbs spreads, and the carefully distilled citrus peel creates a calming aroma. This is a small experimental workshop where we create “natural scents” born from sustainable cycles, along with the experience of aromatic distilled water.   Experience Times 10:00-10:30 Aroma Craft Making 10:30-12:00 Aroma Distillation Experience and Aroma Craft Making 12:00-13:00 Distillery, Herb Garden, and Forest Bathing Guided Tour 14:00-14:30 Aroma Craft Making 14:30-16:00 Aromatic distillation experience and aroma craft making 16:00-17:00 Guided tour of the distillery, herb garden, and forest bathing area *Schedule as of July 2025.

Yui is a farm stay built in a place where guests can experience rural village living. It serves fermented foods, mainly vegetables, prepared with spices using rice koji. It also has a container home where guests can work remotely during the day and a sauna tent in natural surroundings.

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.

Hanazono sou is a farm stay operated by a farming family making rice for 15 generations in Hanazono, Ohtawara City. It is a lodging where guests can indulge themselves in the slow flow of time and the scenery of the vast countryside as well as the starry sky at night. For dinner, guests can cook for themselves in the shared kitchen or with the BBQ equipment. You can harvest chemical-free vegetables from the field and use them for dinner. They also serve home-grown rice freshly steamed on the rice-husk stove. After the meal, you are invited to enjoy Hanazono sou’s original Japanese sake for a relaxing time. In the morning, you will choose a Japanese or Western breakfast and cook it with the farm stay staff. The Japanese breakfast is freshly cooked rice on the rice-husk stove, miso soup with homemade miso, and a dish of seasonal vegetables. The Western breakfast is pancakes using homemade rice flour and soup featuring seasonal vegetables.

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.

Originally built in the early Showa period, this traditional Japanese kura (storehouse) and barn were transformed into a warm and inviting guesthouse through extensive renovations in 2023, designed to comfortably accommodate up to two families (up to 8 guests). While preserving the nostalgic charm of the original architecture, we’ve thoughtfully modernized the facilities, adding two fully equipped bathrooms and kitchens to ensure a spacious and comfortable stay for our international guests. After relocating from Tokyo to embrace a sustainable lifestyle, we now cultivate organic, pesticide-free vegetables that we’re delighted to share with our guests. Set on a sprawling 2000-square-meter garden, the property invites you to enjoy open-air activities: play with our two friendly rescue dogs, explore the grounds, catch insects, or savor a barbecue amidst nature’s beauty. This is a space where modern comfort meets rustic tradition, offering a tranquil countryside retreat.

Located in a satoyama (woodland village) near the Naka River, Tsuki noco is a country guesthouse that runs a bakery selling wild yeast bread. The accommodation is a Japanese style house built over 120 years ago. For dinner, they serve original food menu prepared mainly with grains and seasonal vegetables. For breakfast, you will enjoy their wild yeast bread. They can modify meals into curry over rice or vegetable croquettes for children and also can prepare vegan meals. Aside from the bakery and farm stay, they also run Satoyama Gohan no Gakko, a school for learning about nature, with the ambition to acquire, with all participants, the knowledge and techniques to grow food and preserve the satoyama environment for future generations. (※Farm stay is offered from April to November and the bakery is open from December to March)

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.

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.  

Nikko Natural Science Museum offers self-guided cycling tours that allow you to fully immerse yourself in the natural beauty of Oku-Nikko. Riding an electric assist bicycle (e-bike) and using an exclusively designed navigation device, you can explore pre-planned routes for each tour. While there are no guides, you can enjoy cycling privately with your family or friends. This option is recommended for those who prefer to explore freely, including stops for dining and shopping.   We offer a variety of routes including cafe hopping, exploring the history of Nikko, cycling on quiet paved forest roads closed to general traffic, and even hiking. Our e-bikes make hill climbing effortless. If you're visiting Oku-Nikko, be sure to join us! *Please note that departure and arrival points vary depending on the tour. Tours depart from both "Nikko Natural Science Museum" and "Akanuma Nature Information Center", so please be sure to check your designated meeting point.

Shiobara Coffee is a shop with a café operated by Cheese Garden, a Western confectionery brand that sells products using cheese. The shop interior is designed with Japanese décor to create a serene and tranquil atmosphere. The café menu features Cheese Garden’s standard products and apple pie available only at our café. You have to be there to taste our famous apple pie made with a generous amount of large cuts of apple compote. The café has a rich lineup on the food menu too including Shiobara Onion Curry Rice and seasonal pasta dishes. There is also coffee-flavored soft ice cream and a range of drinks. Please drop by and enjoy.

Gioia Mia is an Italian restaurant based in Nasu that prepares all dishes with hand-picked ingredients. The menu features dishes including appetizers, pasta soup, crispy crust (Roman style) pizza baked in a wood-fired oven, bread, meat dishes, fish dishes, and desserts. All dishes are completely handmade so that guests can enjoy the flavor of the ingredients. Come and enjoy the taste of Gioia Mia in items like seasonal dishes and those using locally produced milk and cheese.

Pete-Dye Golf Club is a masterpiece 18-hole course designed on the land of Nikko by the genius Pete Dye. It is named after the golf course architect Pete Dye. The course is flat but long and tough, and is one of the best championship courses in Tochigi Prefecture. The course will make you play seriously and let you find your true skill level. The course also features an authentic and classy clubhouse.

N's YARD is a private modern art space displaying the works of modern artists and was created with the intention of making a space available for visitors to casually see the works of the artist and sculptor, Yoshitomo Nara. The museum has a café and a museum shop, too. Five exhibition rooms showcase not only Nara’s works including paintings, drawings, and 3D art pieces, but also Nara’s collections of other artists’ works, records, and dolls. Exhibitions are planned and designed by Nara. Besides the exhibition rooms, there is also a café, which offers light meals, drinks, and desserts, made with carefully selected ingredients, and a museum shop that sells items produced exclusively for this museum. Photo: Mie Morimoto ※The images may differ from the current facility appearance.

This public hot spring facility in Kinugawa Park is popular with tourists and locals alike. It features men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor baths where visitors enjoy its soft alkaline water. It’s spacious and airy outdoor stone bath lets guests luxuriate while taking in bird song and the seasonal scenery. There is also a restaurant and a lounge for guests to unwind after the bath."