Sightseeing Spots

Chichibu Shrine has long been an important presence in the town and remains a popular spot for Chichibu residents. Many structures dating from the early 1900s line Banba Street, the cobblestone road that leads to the shrine, providing a nostalgic atmosphere that recalls times gone by. Many shops still operate in buildings designated Registered Tangible Cultural Properties by the national government, allowing visitors to travel back in time to an earlier Japan.

“Kiyasse Hanyū” is the nickname for Hanyū City Mitakaya agricultural and forest park. At the park, with an area of roughly 3.6 hectares, there is a “Shiki no Oka” with lots of flowers, a production building that boasts local vegetables taken in the morning, a beer factory that manufactures Hanyū’s local beer “Kobushi Hana Beer”, and a restaurant where you can enjoy handmade udon. Inside the park, there are playground equipment for kids to play with and events allowing you to experience harvest all year round.

This is the main shrine of Kounosu, where the legend of konotori (=stork), which is also believed to be the reason behind the cities name, has been handed down to this day. In 1873, Raiden Shrine, Kumano Shrine, and Hikawa Shrine were combined to form Kono Shrine. At the end of the year, they hold a Tori no Ichi marked at the shrine.

The temple was rebuilt by Seigon Shonin at the end of the 16th century and became one of eighteen monk training schools for the Jodo sect. As a temple associated with the Tokugawa Shogunate, the use of the "three-leaf hollyhock crest" was permitted. There are many cultural assets on the temple grounds that tell the ancient history of the temple to this day. Every year on November 14, they hold the "Ten Nights Memorial Service," one of the three major ones in Kanto, and the "Doll Memorial Service," which is unique to the town, which is known for its hina dolls.

Of the total 61 kilometers of the Motoara River, 8 kilometers run through the Fukiage area. There are 17 bridges across the river, including the Shinsaga Bridge, a Civil Engineering Heritage Site selected by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers. Many of the bridges are decorated with poems and sculptures, making the exploration of them a perfect activity for some leisurely sightseeing!

Hana no Oasis is a park located in the Teraya district, the birthplace of flower production in Konosu. In spring, a tulip festival is held amid 40,000 tulips. In autumn, you can enjoy late-blooming sunflowers.

There are a lot of things to see, including exhibits that tell the history of Konosu station town. There are also hina dolls and akamono plants, a warehouse built in the Meiji period (designated as an important building of Saitama Prefecture's landscape), and a stage decorated with mosaic art. The museum also provides information on sightseeing and sells local specialties. Make sure to stop by and have an enjoyable time!

From the moment you pass through the Nagaya gate, you will find yourself in an atmospheric space where you can feel the peace and nostalgia of an old traditional house. In the garden, roses are in full bloom, and inside the facility, there is a restaurant where you can eat and a center specializing in local produce, allowing you to buy and bring home fresh vegetables. This is a great place to enjoy an atmospheric and relaxing time.

Roadside Station Showa is surrounded by a rural landscape of fertile farmland, small forest grooves, and pastoral rice fields. This blessed natural environment allows you to feel the changing of the seasons. In the product hall, you can find a variety of souvenirs from all over the country as well as products unique to the Kasukabe area. This is a very popular spot for tourists where you even can buy fresh local vegetables. Or why not sit down and enjoy a hot meal at the restaurant "Shokusai-kan?"

This Tourist Information Center is located on the second floor of the Station Building adjacent to Higashimatsuyama Station. Here you can find pamphlets on sightseeing spots and events in the city, walking maps, and more. City mascot character goods and other specialties of the city are also available for purchase. A pamphlet rack is also located in front of the ticket gates of Higashi Matsuyama Station, allowing you to easily grab what you need on your way to the train.

Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels was built by the collaborative husband and wife artists Iri and Toshi Maruki. Their goal was to create a place where anyone, at any time, could see their collaborative work "The Hiroshima Panels," 15 panels depicting the effects of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 1966, they moved to Shimo Karako, Higashi Matsuyama City, and the following year, they opened the Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels, where they spent more than 30 years completing all 15 panels. The museum also holds special exhibitions, lectures, concerts, and other events on the theme of war and life.

JA Saitama Chuo's Higashi Matsuyama direct sales center "Inahoterasu" is an open building constructed with local wood and natural material. The name was chosen through a contest where locals participated and came with suggestions. 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 sweets!

It is the oldest remaining gravity dam for agricultural use in eastern Japan. The weir of the dam and its management bridge are both registered as tangible cultural properties of Japan. The area is also known as a famous place for fishing for crucian carp and wakasagi. Furthermore, you can enjoy the seasonal scenery of cherry blossoms in spring and vividly colored leaves in the autumn.

This shrine is dedicated to the spirit of Mt. Ontake, the main mountain of the Kiso district. It is said to have great spiritual power and to protect visitors by dispelling bad spirits and bringing good fortune. The shrine garden covers an area of almost 50.000 square meters, including Togo Park located within its precincts. The shrine performs various kinds of "o-harai (a Japanese form of light exorcism)" for groundbreaking ceremonies, house exorcism, car exorcism, and you can also visit for Shichigosan (ceremony celebrating children at the age of 3, 5, and 7) or to make your first shrine visit of the year.

Located in Naguri/Okumusashi of Saitama, Hakuun-san Torii Kannon is a tourist attraction selected as one of the top 100 best locations in Saitama, covering an area of about 30 hectares. The site is funded privately by Yataro Hiranuma who spent more than 30 years erecting the buildings. In addition to the Kyusei Kannon (Goddess of Salvation) by the top of the mountain, the main hall, Gyokkamon Gate, Niomon Gate, Great Bell Tower, and Heiwa Kannon (Goddess of Mercy), the Genjo Sanzo Tower is famous for enshrining the remains of Genjo Sanzo, a Buddhist priest known to appear in the famous Chinese novel "Journey to the West."

This store was originally the main building of a meisen silk wholesaler that prospered in the Taisho era. It has now been restored as a tourist center that also displays and sells local products. You can also try out the local cuisine at the soba noodle shop!

With around 500 trees blooming along the bank of the Arakawa River, this spot has been famous for its cherry blossoms since the Edo period (1603-1868). It has even been selected as one of the 100 best cherry blossom spots in Japan by the Japan Cherry Blossom Association. During the Kumagaya Cherry Blossom Festival, held from late March to early April, the cherry blossoms are lit up at night so that visitors can enjoy them after sunset as well!

Muzeum pamięci Ogino Ginkgo is a Japanese-style building divided into an exhibition room and a lounge area. The building has a tiled roof and plastered walls partly covered in wooden siding, which resembles the Nagaya-mon gate of Ginko Ogino's birthplace. Ginko Ogino is one of the three great historical figures of Saitama Prefecture. She passed the medical practice examination in 1885 and became the first officially licensed female doctor in Japan.

The Katakura Silk Commemorative Museum is built in the cocoon warehouse of the Kumagaya Factory, the last silk manufacturing plant of Katakura Industries, and has been recognized as a Heritage of Industrial Modernization by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. To preserve and pass on the 121-year history of the company's silk production, the museum displays the machinery used to produce silk at the Kumagaya Factory, and you can follow the entire process from cocoons to raw silk.

The historic site "Sugaya Yakata Castle" (a national historic castle site) overlooking the Toki River to the south is said to be the place where Hatakeyama Shigetada built his mansion in the early Kamakura period. Inside Sugaya-kan, there is a museum dedicated to the historic remains of Ranzan Town. Furthermore, the area is also known for its Yamayuri (Mountain Lilies), which grow wild and are at their best around July every year. In addition, plum and cherry trees are also planted here. Together with Sugaya-kan, Ranzan town is home to Sugiyama Castle, and both of them were appointed as being among the "Continued 100 Fine Castles of Japan" on April 6, 2017.

Hachigata Castle is a typical castle from the Warring States period and selected as one of the 100 famous castles of Japan. The castle is said to have been built in 1476 by one of the retainers of Yamanouchi Uesugi, the leader of the Kanto region, and later expanded to its current size in 1560 by the Odawara clan. When the feudal lord Hideyoshi Toyotomi attacked and besieged the castle in 1590, the soldiers inside held out for one month before giving up, opening the castle in exchange for their lives. After this incident, the castle was demolished and abandoned, but you can still see a large number of ruins that remain largely undisturbed, reminding us of the strong fortress of the past.

This park is a natural trail in the Tokyo metropolitan area. On the north side, you have Shimokubo Dam (Kanna Lake), and from spring to autumn, many flowers bloom, bringing joy to visiting tourists. In addition, about 600 winter cherry trees are planted in the park, which is a rare cherry blossom that blooms from late October to early December, creating a very special atmosphere. There are also campsites, restaurants, souvenir shops, BBQ-areas, observation decks, and more. A perfect place to enjoy a great day with the family!

The Yoshimi Hundred Caves is a horizontal hole tomb built at the end of the Kofun period (late 6th to late 7th century) and was designated as a national historic site in 1918. It is a historic site that represents Yoshimi Town, and there are currently 219 horizontal holes that have been confirmed. Each hole consists of two parts, a narrow passage, and a burial chamber. In some of the holes, you can also find the natural monument luminous moss growing.

Ranzan Valley is one of the famous scenic spot in Saitama prefecture known for its Iwadatami rock terraces, clear stream of the Tsukikawa River, and a rich natural environment. Especially in the area called Hosohara, which extends from Mt. Ohira, the river channel is large and turns 180 degrees, creating a unique peninsula-like terrain. You can see the beautiful scenery of the valley and the surrounding red pine forest. The beautiful scenery of the valley is very similar to Arashiyama in Kyoto so that when Dr. Seiroku Honda, the first person in Japan to hold a Ph.D. of forestry, visited and said, "This is “Arashiyama of Musashi no kuni.”  From the fact that he muttered at the time, it is the origin of the name of the town “Ranzan-machi” which is another way to pronounce the kanji-signs for Arashiyama.   In the early summer, you can enjoy the scenery that you wouldn’t believe it's just an hour away from the centre of the city with fresh greenery, the sound of the river flowing, and the birds chirping. In autumn, please enjoy the colours reflected on the surface of the water and the fiery red maple trees. *Best time to see the autumn leaves: Mid-November to early December