Immerse Yourself in Nature and History with a Full-Day Gyoda Tour!
Discover Gyoda City, a place full of exciting attractions and fascinating history! This city is where the names of places in Saitama were first used, making it a hub of rich heritage. Spend a day exploring traditional arts like Hana-Chozu (Water Basin Flower Arrangements) and trying on Tabi shoes in this charming town. Take pictures with the beautiful Water Basin Flower Arrangements and the old Oshijo Castle. Continue your journey with a relaxed walk through the vintage town, including a visit to a Tabi Shoes warehouse. Learn about Gyoda City's past and enjoy its unique atmosphere. It's a day filled with cultural experiences and simple pleasures!
Start
Tokyo Station
About 60 minutes total [Tokyo Station - Kumagaya Station (Hokuriku Shinkansen 36 min) → Gyoda City Station (10 min) ... Tabi to Kurashi Museum
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Tabi to Kurashi Museum
This museum preserves the factory of Makino Honten, a Tabi Shoes storehouse founded in the late 1800s. Inside the museum, visitors can see exhibits of Tabi Shoes and demonstrations of Tabi Shoes production by former craftsmen.
10:40 AM - 11:30 AM
Photo spot for "Hana-Chozu"!
Gyoda Hachiman Shrine, Hachiman Street
A popular photo spot with a variety of Hana-Chozu decorated inside Gyoda Hachiman Shrine! In addition to the Hana-Chozu, the golden "Nade-momo" (peach) is also a popular power spot. Peaches have long been regarded as a symbol of protection against illness and misfortune. Hachiman Street is a street where you can feel the history and culture of the town, with its elegant streetscape including the Kasahara Family Residence, a component of the Japan Heritage Site. In addition, there are many small streets that are unique to the castle town, and one turn down one of the alleys and you will be able to experience the atmosphere of the town of Gyoda.
Gyoda Hachiman Shrine... ISAMI CORPORATION (5 minute walk)
11:35 AM - 11:55 AM
Isami Corporation.
Built in 1917 (Taisho 6), Gyoda's largest and most unusual Tabi Shoes factory with a saw-toothed roof. It is a long-established Tabi Shoes manufacturer that has inherited the beauty, tradition, and technology of the wooden Western-style architecture from the time of its founding. *Only the exterior of the factory is open to the public.
ISAMI CORPORATION (5 min. walk) - Soba Ando
12:00 PM - 12:50 PM
Soba Noodle shop, built in a renovated Tabi Shoes warehouse
Soba Ando (Okunukigura)
This stylish Soba restaurant with an outstanding modern Japanese atmosphere was built by remodeling a large earthenware storehouse Tabi Warehouse constructed from the Taisho to the early Showa periods (1912-1945). In the storehouse made of natural materials, you can enjoy authentic handmade Soba noodles and dishes made of carefully selected ingredients based on the concept of "delicious for the body".
Soba Ando (8 min. walk)・・・・・ Jumangoku Fukusaya Gyoda Honten
1:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Saitama Prefecture's well-known "Jumangoku Manju"
Jumangoku Fusaya Gyoda Honten
The Gyoda Honten is marked by a 100-year-old Edo style warehouse! (1603 and 1868 Period) It offers a wide variety of products including "Jumangoku Manju," a favorite of the people of Saitama Prefecture.
Jumangoku Fukusaya Gyoda Honten・・・Oshijo Castle and flower water experience (15 min. walk)
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Craft your own personalized flower arrangement with the help of an English-speaking guide!
Experience Hana Chozu Flower Arrangements at Oshijo Castle!
Embark on a unique adventure as you craft Hana Chozu, Water Basin Flower Arrangements, at Oshijo Castle in Gyoda-shi City, a location celebrated in novels and movies. Choose your favorite flowers to create a personalized masterpiece and capture a memorable photo with your creation! Join us for this exclusive experience, tailored to our unique setting. English-speaking guides are available for our international guests.
Oshijo Castle - Musashino Uniform (10 minutes by cab)
2:40 PM - 3:40 PM
Experience making your own Tabi Shoes, the only one like it in the world.
Musashino Uniforms
Gyoda Tabi Shoes have become a traditional craft with 300 years of history in Gyoda City. Musashino Uniform, which has evolved from Gyoda Tabi Shoes into the fashionable and modern SAMURAITABI, offers an experience of making your own one-of-a-kind Tabi Shoes. Go ahead and make your own cute Tabi Shoes!
Musashino Uniform... Kodai-Hasu-no-Sato (a name place translated to Ancient Lotus Village) Taxi: 10 min.
3:50 PM - 4:30 PM
Rice Paddy Art in Gyoda City recognized as the "World's Largest" by Guinness World Records
Kodai-Hasu-no-Sato (a name place translated to Ancient Lotus Village)
About 2,000 years ago, this area was a marshland where many aquatic creatures thrived. Today, visitors can see about 120,000 lotus plants of 42 species, including the Gyoda lotus (ancient lotus). The best time to view the lotus flowers, which open in the morning, is from mid-June to early August. From mid-July to mid-October, visitors can also view the world's largest Rice Field Artwork in Gyoda City, which is also a rice-producing region, from the observation tower.
Total approx. 60 min. Kodai-Hasu-no-Sato (approx. 15 min. by cab) ... Gyoda City Station (approx. 8 min.) → Kumagaya Station (Hokuriku Shinkansen Bullet Train 36 min.) - Tokyo Station
Goal
Tokyo Station