Sightseeing Spots

A simple sulfur hot spring. Chichibu Yumoto is a day trip hot spring with the Bukō Onsen as its source, and is effective for a range of chronic diseases such as nerve pain, sore muscles, joint pain, stiff shoulders, and poor blood circulation. One can fully enjoy nature in the liberating open-air bath with the hinoki (wooden) bath, which gives the gentle feeling of trees, and the rock bath, which provides a simple natural atmosphere. Nearby there are also Bukō Auto Campsite (Phone Number: 0494-23-8229) and lodging facility Bukō Onsen Bekkan (annex) (For reservations: 0494-24-4141).

A long-established candy and confectionary manufacturer and distributor founded in 1864. “Chichibu Ame" (candy) is meticulously handcrafted the traditional way using carefully selected ingredients while retaining their original flavor and umami. Almost all of the products are additive-free, making it safe to eat for people of all ages.

Newly reopened in 2021 with the concept: "A heart-warming world nestled in happiness." Find yourself in a world of wonder with high-quality replicas of retro townscapes, interactions with townspeople and spontaneous live performances, and delicious nostalgic foods. There are also new and exciting immersive light-up attractions for you to enjoy!

The park is named after the stone tablet on which Kyoshi Takahama wrote the haiku “Kokoniware Kuotomubeki Tsukinoishi,” and is very famous for its autumn leaves. The best time to see the autumn leaves is around November, with the illumination of around 50 acer amoenums Japanese maples. The area is very crowded during this time, especially with photography aficionados. You can enjoy the autumn leaves at the adjacent prefectural nature museum as well.

Presenting the theme, "From the past to the future: traveling 300 million years through Saitama's history of people's coexistence with nature," Saitama Museum of Natural History stores various resources related to nature, and displays the fossils of giant shark, “Megalodon," and mysterious sea animal, “Paleoparadoxia," discovered in Saitama Prefecture. The museum is constructed into two halls: the "Geology Exhibition," where visitors can learn about various fossils, rocks and minerals, geological strata and earth formations, and the "Biology Exhibition," featuring large dioramas of the four major forests of Saitama and the animals that live in them. Nagatoro area is a perfect example of the nature in Saitama, and here you can enjoy detailed explanations of its characteristics for a deeper understanding. You can also enjoy simulations and free audio guides. (For more information regarding the facility, please refer to the URL below.)

This park is situated in the rich nature of the Nagaonekyuryo mountains that straddle the border between Chichibu City and Ogano Town. This sprawling area of 375 hectares is divided into three themed zones, Forest of Sports, Forest of Music and Forest of Culture, with each area connected by a 3 km long "Sky Road." This park is best known as one of the best spots to view a breathtaking sea of clouds. The Chichibu area has the perfect conditions for a sea of clouds to form, due to the fog produced by radiative cooling in the Chichibu mountain area. If you get lucky, you may even be able to see the symbolic bridge of Chichibu appear to be floating above the clouds. Chichibu Muse Park has a variety of attractions, such as a music hall, an outdoor stage, Muse Fountain, a spacious garden, and sports facilities. Chichibu Muse Park is the perfect place to enjoy your day, surrounded by the beautiful changing seasons.

This shrine was said to be founded by Yamato Takeru, the 12th Emperor of Japan, around 2,000 years ago. The current main building of the shrine is Shinto-style architecture, where the main hall and worship hall share one roof and are connected by an intermediate passageway. The main shrine, hall of offerings, and hall of worship were rebuilt during the end of the Edo period to the early Meiji period. The shrine is said to protect from fires, theft, and pain. Not only do many worshipers come from the local area, but also from throughout Kanto region, with more than one million annual visitors.

This facility utilizes the nature of Sayama Hills as an opportunity to interact with and think about our relationship to nature. There is an exhibition room, observation balcony, seminar hall, outdoor grilling space, and much more. There are also five themed spots on a hill adjacent to the center: Waterbird Paradise, Bug Forest, Wetlands Village, Tree Forest, and Butterfly Forest.

Our tea factory holds tours, and we lead tea picking experiences during the new tea season (around May 20th, end of June). There is also a direct sales office where you can buy our products cheaper than in regular stores (10% off bags of tea leaves, some products are excluded).

The main theme of the Iruma City Museum ALIT is tea! This museum is filled with resources for learning extensively about Sayama Tea, the history and culture of tea and Iruma City's nature and history. In the spacious museum garden there is a tea room, a pond and wooded area, a restaurant, and a square with lawns. It is an ideal place to take a rest.

This facility is the center of the "Cool Japan Forest" Project, a joint project by KADOKAWA and Tokorozawa City to share the cutting-edge culture and industry born from an area of plentiful, beautiful nature. The facility has a library, art, natural history and anime museums, and a multipurpose hall to enjoy Japanese pop culture events. In addition, there are book manufacturing and distribution plants, offices, stores, restaurants, hands-on bookstores, shrines, and more!

At this memorial museum, materials related to the history of aviation are displayed alongside actual airplanes. Visitors can learn about the principles of flight and aviation history from a variety of angles through flight simulators and helicopter piloting simulators! The many airplanes and helicopters displayed throughout the museum are a must-see. A special place to experience the wide-open skies and the history of flight in Tokorozawa. Aircraft craft workshops for families are also held regularly.

The Old Yamazaki Family Villa was built as a retreat for Kashichi Yamazaki, the 5th generation of Kameya, a long-established confectionery store of Kawagoe. The building and other components have been recognized as having national cultural significance; the main house, tearoom, and the benches of the waiting room were designated as tangible cultural properties of the city in 2000, a portion of the building was donated to the city in 2006, the garden was registered as the national monument (place of scenic beauty) in 2011, and the main building was designated as a National Important Cultural Property in 2019. The garden of the former Yamazaki family's villa is also recognized as a valuable example of a Japanese-style garden, including a tea ceremony room designed by Katsuya Hoka along with Japanese and Western-style buildings, and is highly regarded as “a contribution to the development of landscape gardening culture."

The two authentic Dashis (festival cars) pulled at the Kawagoe Festival are on display along with materials related to the Kawagoe Festival. At this exhibition hall, the powerful atmosphere of the Kawagoe Festival can be experienced all year round. There is also a regular demonstration of musical accompaniment (about 20 minutes).

The only sake brewery at Kura no Machi, Kawagoe. Though the sake brewery cannot be toured, the adjoining Matsumoto Shōyu, established 200 years ago, can be toured free of charge. Please stop by for a visit! The sake brewery is only 1 minute by foot from the Toki no Kane, the center of Kawagoe’s tourist destination.

※The museum has been undergoing earthquake-proofing renovation since 2017, and is currently closed to the public. The Kawagoe Kurazukuri Museum was built by tobacco wholesaler Koyama Bunzō after the great fire in 1893 and designed referencing the few houses of Kurazukuri which survived the fire and merchant houses of the Tokyo Nihonbashi area. Visitors can tour the inside of the Kurazukuri houses of Kawagoe, where the atmosphere of the Meiji era can be felt to this day in the buildings' structure and design.

The entrance of the Kawagoe Kashiya Yokochō candy store is marked with a large purple noren (shop curtain with emblem and name). A wide variety of sweets are produced and sold here, including kura manjū (Japanese-style bun stuffed with sweetened bean paste), sweet potato yōkan (sweetened bean jelly), potato sweets, and rice crackers. We can assist you in basic English.

Matsumoto Soy Sauce Factory has been making soy sauce in Kawagoe for around 250 years. The brewery, established in 1764, still carries out production with traditional methods using 40 cedar vats that have been in use since the Edo period. At a tour of this soy sauce brewery, designated an important part of Kawagoe's city landscape, you can experience firsthand the tradition of soy sauce production.

The Kawagoe Castle was built in the first year of Chōroku Era (1457) under the command of the vassals, Ōta Dōshin and Dōkan (father and son), for Ōgigayatsu Uesugi Mochitomo to compete against Koga Ashikaga Shigeuji. In the Edo period, it was of utmost importance to protect the north side of Edo, which is why the top vassal traditionally become the lord of the castle. The current building was constructed in the first year of Kaei era (1848). It is open to the public after a two and a half year restoration.

Situated at the Nakacho intersection, the entrance to the Kurazukuri district, the Kawagoe City Nakacho Information Center is filled with useful information and housed in a traditional warehouse! You can also connect to their free Wi-Fi and use their baggage storage service (for a fee).

A townscape of “kurazukuri" traditional warehouses still remains in Kawagoe. The kurazukuri warehouses were cleverly built with fireproof architecture and developed as housing for the merchants of Edo. The warehouses retain an image of Edo that cannot be seen in modern day Tokyo. They were chosen as national “Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings” in December of 1999 and were selected as one of “Japan’s 100 Beautiful Historical Environments” in January of 2007.

The "Little Edo Kawagoe Spring Sailing" is a Japanese cherry blossom viewing event held at the end of April, where visitors sail down the Shigashi River behind Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine to view 500 meters of cherry blossoms in full bloom. Sail along in a small Japanese-style boat enjoying the fully blooming sakura overhead with a flowing river of pink petals beneath you. It's a must-see for fans of the Japanese cherry blossom!

Plum planting began in 1986 at Ume Hyakkaen Garden. You can enjoy about 170 varieties of plum flowers, including rare ones such as the early blooming red plum during the winter solstice and the three famous flowers of the moon, mangetsu, tagoto, and soumei. From mid-February, about 470 plum are in full bloom, and the fragrant plum scent spreads all the way to the summit.

The railway museum opened on October 14th, 2007 in Ōmiya, Saitama as part of Japan Railways (JR) Group’s 20th-anniversary commemorative project. The South Building was newly opened in July of 2018, with the permanent exhibition of the main building renewed extensively. Through this renewal, the inside of the building has been divided into stations of 5 categories: rolling stock, history, job, science, and future, updating the museum to tell the rich story of the relationship between humans and railways from a unique and diverse perspective.