Sightseeing Spots

An old resting house for travelers, built from local cedar and cypress trees, was remodeled and opened on May 16th in 2018 as a public rest area. Local products, such as the Sōka Senbei (rice cracker), are sold, and you can find plenty of useful information, making it a great starting place for any traveler in the area.

The Musashi-Kyuryo National Government Park was built to commemorate the 100 years of the Meiji era. Musashi-Kyuryo is Japan's first national park and is located in a hilly area of 304 hectares stretching between Hiki district, Namegawa town, and Yagii in Kumagaya of Saitama Prefecture. The park has plenty of forested areas, but the environment is diverse with ponds, swamps, marshes, and grasslands, making it a place where precious flora and fauna can grow and thrive. Also, it's one of the few places within the metropolitan area where you truly can feel in contact with nature.

The nature and the culture of Namegawa town is structured to resemble a museum, with the Eco-Museum Center acting as a hub that provides a wide range of information about Namegawa town. The Tokyo bitterling, a freshwater fish native to Japan, is designated as a national treasure. Research related to its artificial breeding and ecology has been taking place in order to re-introduce the Tokyo bitterling to the wildlife.

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.

Here you can find local vegetables and fruits harvested in Namegawa. We recommend the freshly polished white rice, cucumber, eggplant, and radish (vegetables vary based on the season). The farmers' market is a popular location where you can find seasonal fresh vegetables. Also, there are a variety of events such as the corn festival, rice harvest festival, agricultural festival along with the sales of seasonal delicacies such as the chestnut and dried persimmon of Bushū.

The observatory at Mt. Ninomiya is the highest point in town, with an altitude of 131.8 meters. And needless to say, it offers a spectacular view! From this observatory, you can enjoy the far-off Mt. Asama, Mt. Tanigawa, Nikko Mountain range, Mt. Tsukuba, and the Chichibu mountains. If you go up to the top floor, you can overlook the skyscrapers of Shinjuku by using the free telescope. If you're lucky, you can even see the Tokyo Skytree! Besides, there are flowers such as the azalea planted, making it a lovely route for a stroll.

Become one with the peaceful scenery of a mountain village as you enjoy nature and farm life. Pay an annual fee and get unlimited access to farmland where you can grow crops and areas where you can pick and enjoy fruits such as strawberries. In addition, multiple events featuring rice cultivation, digging of bamboo shoots, noodle-making, potato cultivation, and countryside hiking are held throughout the year.

The date of its foundation is unknown, but it is said to have been built in the Meiō era between 1492 and 1501, as well as in 1684. It is said that when a Buddhist priest named Genkai visited Fushimi Inari, he built a sutra mound with 10,000 Lotus Sutras buried inside. In the precincts, you can also find a shrine dedicated to Shingoro Takahashi and his wife Ise who developed the warabi (bracken) textile industry of the area. Furthermore, there is a heart-shaped stone that is known to grant visitors success in their pursuit of love.

With Susanoo, the god of storm, inshrined here, the shrine is known to protect against evil and plague. Inside is a lion mask, popular among locals and often called the "Hirakata lion". Every year in July, there is a mysterious festival called "Doroinkyo". This festival is designated as an intangible folk cultural asset by Saitama prefecture. The giant zelkova and enoki mushrooms in the precincts are designated as natural monuments by Ageo City.

In 1805 a traveling merchant from the former Oomi province, the current Shiga prefecture, arrived in Gyoda city searching for good water. In the area closest to Tone river and Arakawa river, the groundwater was plentiful, so he chose this place to build a Sake brewery. Nowadays, this place is famous for its clean water, and they are still producing exquisite sake here. The southern style of brewing sake, fermenting the rice at a low temperature, is a masterful technique that lets you feel the soul of the brewer. This sake is truly a masterpiece.

Seiryu brewery is famous for being the biggest producer in the Kanto region and offering both superb taste and production quality. Their concept of connecting face to face with customers in order to inspire trust led to the first establishment in the business where you can buy their products directly at the brewery.

This sake brewery is a guardian of traditional techniques that have been around since 1863. "Tradition is innovation" is their motto that gave birth to their sparkling sake, a product that has gathered attention and been praised, both domestically and abroad. Visit the brewery, interact with the brewers, and come into contact with the history and tradition of Japanese sake!

The plums of Ogose are said to originate from the Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine in Fukuoka before they were moved and replanted at their current location in the Umezono shrine. Ogose Bairin is known as one of Kanto's three great plum groves. The park covers an area of about 2 hectares and is home to about 1,000 plum trees such as Shirakaga, Ko-ume, and Koseno-ume. Furthermore, the unusually old plum tree called Kaiyuki, estimated to be 650 years old, can be seen here. Including the surrounding area, about 20,000 plum trees are in full bloom during peak season.

Hanataen is a circular water garden of about 2 hectares that is centered around a beautiful pond and displays Japanese culture and tradition. It has a characteristic wooden bridge centered on a beautiful pond, a tea room built in Sukiya style, an artificial hill overlooking the garden, and atmospheric stone lanterns. Also, various trees such as cherry blossoms and plums are planted, and you can enjoy both the autumn leaves and the flowers of each season. Furthermore, the garden is adjacent to Saitama Prefecture's only outdoor Noh (a traditional type of theater) stage, Koshigaya Noh Theater. A great place to both enjoy the beauty of Japan's culture and natural beauty.

It is one of the most prestigious shrines in the prefecture, and since it is dedicated to Mt. Omuro, which is considered to be a sacred mountain, there is no main shrine, making it one of the few places that still display the traditional form of Shinto belief. There are only two other shrines such as Kamana Shrine in Japan. The Suwa Grand Shrine in Nagano and the Oomiwa Shrine in Nara. The origin of the shrine is said to be when the god Yamato Takeru Nomikoto hid the tools of fire in Mt. Omuro. The shrine also enshrines the god of the sun, Amaterasu Omikami, and the god of storm, Susano Onomikoto.

Purchases can be made from 1 piece of sembei (Japanese rice crackers). We have more than 30 flavors available. Other than this, we also offer sembei wrapped individually to make it easier to eat, along with gifts and seasonal Japanese sweets. There is an “Inauguration Festival” in mid-April, a “Thanksgiving Festival” in mid-October, and a “Thank You Fair” at the end of June and November.

The dam constructed in Yorii town on the Arakawa River is called the "Tamayodo Dam," and the artificial lake created by the Tamayodo Dam is known as the “Lake Tamayodo (Tamayodoko).” It is said to have highly transparent water and offers a peaceful lake surrounded by forests. Visitors can enjoy activities such as canoeing and rafting. It is also famous as one of the famous spots for autumn leaves in Yorii town.

In hopes of having the role of the “Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel”, a regional flood control facility, understood at a deeper level, we have made our study tours more appealing and have started a new study tour. In addition to the popular tour of the surge tank, known as  "underground shrine" , secret passages, pump rooms, and sections for the gas turbine will be opened to the public through 4 different courses. Please experience the grandeur of the “Metropolitan Outer Area Underground Discharge Channel”. Please check the URL below for details regarding tours and facilities.

Natural hot springs, open-air baths, Ganban yoku which uses black silica; experience the full healing effects of 10 unique baths that are ready to wash your fatigue away. Enjoy a relaxing meal or a foot bath surrounded by the traditional townscape that will make you feel like you have traveled back in time. In addition, chiropractors, body scrub treatment, and refreshment rooms are plentiful, allowing maximum leisure! Enjoy “healing and moisture” to your heart’s content.

The "tanjun (simple)" hot spring, a variety of hot spring common among the top hot springs, can be enjoyed here in a typical Japanese rock style bath. Furthermore, you can enjoy Ganban’ yoku “Rakujyudō”, reclining chairs, and massage machines freely! Other than these, we are equipped with a high-concentration carbonated spring that even gathers attention from the medical industry! This is a luxurious facility to spend a fulfilling day.

The hot spring that flows from 1,500 meters below ground, scored a maximum score of a 5 under 6 categories during the inspection by the Japan Natural Hot Spring Examining Authority! With the ingredients much like the salty, spicy seawater, it is called “Netsu-no-yu” due to the fact that it takes a lot for the water to go cold. What’s also appealing is that the natural hot spring can be enjoyed, during the warm season, without adding heat or adding water. The high-concentration carbonated spring, which even gathers the attention of the medical industry, can be enjoyed as well.

With only 15 minutes on foot from the station, this is a tourism destination of Hannō city that is crowded by many people in the summer. The deep green trees and red Wariiwa Bridge look attractive, making it a fun spot to play in the river and perfect for creating summer memories. Instruments and materials can be borrowed and procured from stores nearby and empty-handed barbecue is possible.

The warehouse made of bricks built in 1896 was used for the storage of cocoons and silk, supporting the silk industry and economy of Honjō. It is designated as a nationally registered tangible cultural property.

Built in 1984 by Kimura Kuzō, a company that put in their utmost effort to improve the technique of sericulture and is designated as a cultural property of Saitama Prefecture. It is a modernization inheritance (Silk Industry Heritage) where the sericulture of the time can be learnt.