Sightseeing Spots

This facility provides a place for interaction among those in and outside of the region. The facility has a spacious lawn and a variety of playground equipment that can be freely used by anyone. In addition to renting out the training room and processing room facilities, the Exchange and Experience Center also holds independent projects such as hands-on classes and exhibitions.

Yoshimi Town is dotted with man-made swamps, which are reservoirs built for rice paddy cultivation. Lake Hatcho is one such man-made swamp with an area of about 52,000 square meters. The kanji character for "Ha" can mean both "eight" and "many." Since several "eights" together has a catchy sound, there are historical expressions in the Japanese language which repeat the number eight to mean "many," such as "happyaku yacho" (many towns in Edo) or "happyaku yabashi" (many bridges in Osaka). Lake Hatcho used to be called "Hatcho Hattan no Numa" (one town block and 8,000 sq.meters) as a play on these expressions, but since the surface area of the lake isn't technically that big, this name isn't in use anymore.

The observatory at Mt. Ninomiya is located at the town's highest location, at an elevation of 131.8 meters. From this observatory, you can enjoy the far-off Mt. Asama, Mt. Tanigawa, Nikko Mountain range, Mt. Tsukuba, and Chichibu mountains, and from the top floor you can get a view overlooking the skyscrapers of Shinjuku using a free telescope. If you're lucky, you can even see Tokyo Skytree! When flowers such as azaleas are bloom, this area is perfect for a lovely stroll.

This farmers market sells mainly local agricultural products and specialty goods and functions as a hub for agricultural promotion and regional revitalization. In addition to local agricultural products, handicrafts and processed goods from both in and outside of the prefecture are available. The store has an dine-in space where you can enjoy food and drink, and there is also a spacious lawn. In the future, they plan to offer a rental kitchen where anyone can make sweets and side dishes to sell.

Ranked 16th in the 1988 Japan Big Trees Ranking, this giant camphor tree is certified 1st in the prefecture. The tree has a trunk circumference of 15m, a height of 30m, and is over 1,000 years old. The tree canopy is also a magnificent sight to see. It is designated a natural monument of the prefecture.

As the 10th sacred site on the Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, this temple has been worshipped since ancient times. During the Sengoku period, the temple was used as the main camp for the Takeda forces during their siege of Matsuyama Castle. After passing through the rows of houses which once hid throngs of visitors, you will arrive at Niomon Gate. Climbing up the stone steps, you can see the city’s oldest bell tower and a wooden temple dedicated to Kannon, as well as a large Ginkgo tree. ※ Seasonal Info: The leaves of the giant ginkgo tree, estimated to be over 700 years old, turn a spectacular yellow color in early December every year.

JA Saitama Chuo's Higashi Matsuyama direct sales center "Inahoterasu" is an open building constructed from local wood and natural materials. The name was chosen by the locals with a contest. Inahoterasu symbolizes how the ears of rice (=inaho) will light up (=terasu) a bright future for people. Here you can find a wide variety of souvenirs from Higashimatsuyama City, such as processed pears and chestnuts, yakitori rice crackers, and other snacks!

Mizuko Kaizuka Park covers roughly 40,000 square meters and was built to protect and utilize a historically designated site of midden (ancient waste collection spots) significant to the first half of the Jomon period (approximately 5500 to 6500 years ago). The size of the site represents the original ancient village, a path spanning 582 meters encircles the park, and 5 pit-houses (shelter houses built into the ground) and the Jomon era forest which surrounded the village have been restored. At the exhibition hall, excavated dwelling sites have been replicated, demonstrating how the ancient people lived at that time utilizing the midden. There is also an adjoining archive museum displaying artifacts unearthed from the city's ruins, with stone tools from the Paleolithic era roughly 30,000 years ago, designated cultural property Jomon pottery (nicknamed “flying squirrel-shaped pottery” ) unearthed from the ruins of Hazawa, an iron sword and a glass bead from the beginning of the Kofun period, and numerous other artifacts representing the primitive and ancient times of Fujimi City.

Surrounded by splendid nature, this is a factory where you can build canoes with the local Nishikawa timber. You can also rent canoes and try them out before building your own. Or just stop by if you're simply looking to have some fun in the river!

This fishing pond is very accessible, located approximately 9 kilometers (about 15 minutes) from the Higashi Matsuyama Interchange of the Kan-Etsu Expressway and roughly 5 kilometers (about 10 minutes) from the Ranzan-Ogawa Interchange. The pond is encircled by beautiful nature and has a surface area of roughly 11,600 square meters. On Saturday and Sunday, you can enjoy handmade udon made with local flour and buy locally grown vegetables at the farmer’s restaurant.

This 20-hectare park was established in March 1989 on the former site of Camp Drake, which was confiscated by the U.S. military in 1945, to ensure a comfortable living environment with beautiful urban landscape. The park is well known as a place for sports and recreation, with an outdoor plaza and jogging course. This vast park is also used as an evacuation site. Nearby are Tokyo Metropolitan Oizumi Central Park, Oizumi Sakura Sports Park, Tokyo Yono Green Belt (Nagakubo Ryokuchi), Niiza Green Path and Sakae Green Path in Niiza City, together serving as a large green belt that straddles municipal and prefectural borders.

At Namegawa Farmers Market, you can find locally harvested fruits and vegetables for sale. We recommend the freshly polished-to-order white rice, cucumbers, eggplant, daikon radishes and other seasonal items alongside an endless supply of fresh vegetables, popular with many customers. We also hold special events such as corn festival, new rice festival, and agricultural festival, and sell specialties such as Polotan (chestnut variety) and Bushu Koro persimmon.

A complex where visitors can experience Scandinavian culture. Rent a private tent sauna at the Sauna Club, enjoy a Scandinavian-style Kokko BBQ, or shop for regional specialties. In the spring of 2021, a glamping field for up to 10 tents was added to the facility. Feel free to stay the night or simply enjoy a day of fun at this popular location!

In 1970, the “Gogaku Kenshujo Foundation” (village school training institution) was established on the site of the “Japan Agricultural Teachers' School,” founded by Dr. Masahiro Yasuoka in the early Showa period. In 2012, the foundation was officially named the “Foundation for Gogaku Training Institute and Masahiro Yasuoka Memorial Museum” to carry on the tradition of the Japan Agricultural Training School and to promote Gogaku (village schools), as well as to pass on to future generations the much needed teachings and anthropology of Dr. Masahiro Yasuoka.

Anrakuji Temple is the 11th temple of the Bandō 33 Kannon Pilgrimage (Bandō Sanjūsankasho) and has been known as Yoshimi Kannon since ancient times. The main deity is the Holy Avalokitesvara, the deity of compassion, and according to the Yoshimi Kannon dependent origination (Buddhist doctrine), the origin of the temple dates back to about 1200 years ago, when the Buddhist priest Gyoki carved a statue of Avalokitesvara and placed in the rock cave. Every year on June 18th, the Kannon is unveiled in the early morning to the public to ward off evil spirits. Special "Yakuwake Dango" (dumplings to ward off evil) have been sold on this day since long ago, and the long road to Anrakuji Temple continues to be lined with stalls every June 18th, with the area very crowded from around 2 am to early morning.

It is said that Minamoto no Yorinobu, on his way to defeat Taira no Tadatsune in the Heian period (794-1185), had a dream that a god on a white fox gave him a bow and arrow, aiding his win in the battle, thus spurning him to establish this shrine out of gratitude. Yakyū Inari Shrine is designated as a prefectural cultural property for its gongen-zukuri style, with highly sophisticated carvings on the interior and exterior of the building. Known for the god of good harvest, prosperous business and the arts, and most notably as the god of victory, many baseball players visit the shrine to pray due to the shrine being named "Yakyū" (baseball). The peony gardens are at peak bloom alongside wisteria and azaleas during mid-April.

Behind the precincts of Takaohikone Shrine in Tako, Yoshimi Town, there is a rocky mountain with a great view. If you climb up the mountainside and stomp your feet, you will hear a clomping sound (ponpon). There is a legend regarding this place that goes something like this: Once upon a time, there was a rich man looking for a place to hide his fortune. One day, he paid a visit to Takaohikone Shrine and asked for the best place to hide it. The god told him, "Bury it in this rocky mountain. I will protect it for you." The man felt relieved and buried all his riches in the mountain. Today, the rocky mountain is called Mt. Ponpon and is said to be inhabited by a divine spirit, as a remnant of this story.

At “Kinbue Syoyu Park” (Soy Sauce Theme Park) in Kawashima-machi, Saitama Prefecture, visitors can enjoy "eating," "learning," "shopping" and "playing" at the "Kinbue Soy Sauce School," a soy sauce brewery factory tour, and the "Soy Sauce Brewery Restaurant." The museum is managed by Fueki Syōyu, a long-established soy sauce brewery founded in 1789. (For more information regarding the facility, please refer to the URL below)

The shrine's beginnings trace back to when samurai warlord Hatakeyama Shigetada offered a statue of an ogre (oni) holding an iron rod as protection against ogres during the construction of Sugaya Yakata. One of the few shrines in Japan that worships "ogres" (oni), they celebrate Setsubun every year on February 3rd with an unusual chant: "Fuku wa uchi, Oni wa uchi, Akuma soto" (In with good fortune and the ogre, out with evil spirits). It is also known as the shrine of the God of Victory, and many soldiers came to pray for good fortune during the war.

Matsuyama Castle Ruins, built at the top of the Hiki Hills, is one of the most prominent flat mountain castles in the Kitamusashi region and was designated a prefectural historic site in 1925. In 2008, it was added to the Hiki Castle Site Group, alongside the already designated Sugaya Yakata ruins (Ranzan Town), Sugiyama Castle ruins (Ranzan Town) and Ogura Castle ruins (Tokigawa Town, Ranzan Town, and Ogawa Town). The castle is surrounded by a low marshy area formed by the Ichino River, creating a natural fort.

Myoonzawa springs up from a steep wooded slope located along the Kurome river in the southern part of Niiza, Saitama. It is a clear stream selected by the Ministry of Environment as one of the "Top 100 Waters of the Heisei Era." Myoonzawa covers a stretch of about 100 m before joining with the Kurome river. You can find many rare creatures and plants that only can live in the cleanest of waters in this exceptional stream.

Overlooking the Toki River to the south is the historic castle ruins site "Sugaya Yakata" (designated a national historic site), said to be where samurai warlord Hatakeyama Shigetada built his mansion in the early Kamakura period (1185-1333), and inside of which exists a museum dedicated to the historic remains of Ranzan Town. The area is also known for its native Mountain Lily (yamayuri), in peak bloom in July. There are also plum and cherry trees. Ranzan Town is home to two of Japan's 100 most famous castles, and together with "Sugiyama Castle," "Sugaya Yakata" was selected for this honor on April 6th, 2017.

Ranzan Valley is one of Saitama Prefecture's famous scenic spots known for the Iwadatami rock terraces, the clear streams of the Tsukikawa River, and the heavily wooded natural environment. The Hosokawa area has a particularly unique peninsula-like topography, where a large river channel turns at a sharp 180 degree angle. The valley and surrounding Japanese red pine forests are a stunning sight! When Dr. Seiroku Honda, the first person in Japan to hold a Ph.D. of forestry, visited the area, he noted its great similarity to the landscape of Arashiyama in Kyoto, and referring to it as the "Arashiyama of Musashi Province," provided the origin of the name "Ranzan," another way to read "Arashiyama." In the summer, one can enjoy the fresh green and sounds of babbling brooks and chirping birds, in just an unbelievable one hour distance from the metropolis. In autumn you can also enjoy the reflection of the leaves on the surface of the water emphasized by the fiery red of the momiji maple trees. *Peak season for autumn leaves is mid-November to early December.

Established in 1946, our slogan is “from farm to dining table,” and we take pride in producing healthy and delicious ham and sausages using meat from the pigs raised on our farm. The quality of our product has been recognized for its authenticity in Germany, and has won many gold awards in international food contests. Featuring a theme park revolving around pork and health, there are gourmet pork meals, a farmers market selling local fresh vegetables and a relaxing hot spring, for a day full of leisurely fun.