Sightseeing Spots

In addition to Japanese papermaking and seasonal experiences and workshops related to the Japanese paper, there's soba and udon handmaking experiences, and Japanese paper specialty goods and agricultural products available for purchase. The food court is chock-full of local village cuisine such as salted grilled artic char and oyaki. There's also a thatched-roof paper-making house inside the Japanese garden, where visitors can enjoy a relaxing space straight out of the Edo period.

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.

The Saitama Prefectural Forest Park "Kenmin no Mori" is a recreation area that spreads northwards of Mt. Maruyama (altitude 960m). You can enjoy the forest and wild grass of each season, see flowers and trees that you’ve only seen in photos, and meet animals in their natural state. Enjoy a heart-warming and refreshing experience!

This is a tourist information center located in Honjō Station of JR Takasaki Line. Visitors can obtain tourist pamphlets and information regarding the city and purchase Honjō City’s souvenirs. Sweets and Japanese goods recommended by the Honjō City Tourism Association and Honjō Kasuri silk are also available.

From mid-June to early August, 12,000 stocks of 42 different types of lotus flowers bloom on the surface of this lotus pond. The Gyōda lotus (ancient lotus) is a primitive form with few petals; it is said this variety of lotus is from about 1,400 to 3,000 years ago. Lotus flowers are best viewed midmorning. There are aquatic plant botanical gardens, aquatic bird lakes, peony gardens, plum tree groves, and a spot for flower viewing (hanami) cherry blossom trees, making it a place to go to feel the beauty of nature all year round. In addition, from mid-July to mid-October, rice paddy art is at its prime and can be viewed from the Ancient Lotus Hall’s Observation Room. The rice paddy art of Gyōda City started in 2008, with annual rice transplanting taking place with the help of several volunteers and participants. Not only are the designs original, but some have been featured in movies, TV shows, games. In 2015 it was recorded in the Guinness World Records as “the world’s largest (rice paddy art).”

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!

Atarashii Mura, or The New Village, is an agriculture-themed tourist facility. There is a market in the facility called "Mori no Ichiba Yui" that sells fresh vegetables produced by the local farmers of Atarashii Mura. There is also a cafe called "Mori no Cafe," where visitors can enjoy a drink or light meal. Lastly, at the facility, "Noh no Ie," they host hands-on experiences and lectures on agriculture and food, offer facility rentals, and have an herb garden of more than 100 different species where hands-on harvesting experiences for lavender and mint are available. They also grown their own rice, a popular product.

You can feel the warmth of the trees in this energetic store brimming with fresh vegetables, eggs and readymade side dishes (souzai) supplied by over 130 local farmers. Outside are stalls run by meat suppliers selling yakitori, and junmai dango (pure rice dumplings) are also available. This store is popular even with the local people. The items brought in for sale by the farmers are limited to one day only. We are committed to freshness!

This comprehensive museum houses materials and artifacts related to Saitama's history, folklore and art, such as national treasure swords and daggers. The permanent exhibition introduces, "The Life and Culture of Saitama," through these topics, and themed special and planned exhibitions are held regularly. There are also a variety of hands-on experience workshops for both children and adults to enjoy. (For more information regarding the facility, please refer to the URL below)

Here you can see the only castanet-playing haniwa (clay figurine) and dancing female haniwa (clay figurine) ever found in Japan! In addition to the many earthenware and stone tools on display, you'll get an introduction to the life of Kiku Nishizaki, the first Japanese female seaplane pilot and great historical figure of Kamisato, who was the model for the heroine of an NHK TV series.

A fermentation theme park run by Pickles Corporation, a tsukemono (Japanese pickles) maker. There are select shops for fermented foods, cafes, restaurants, and workshops available. You can eat dishes made with koji (rice with added fermentation culture) and lactic acid bacteria, and buy pickles and fermented foods carefully selected from all over the country. You can also experience making fermented foods yourself, such as kimchi, nukazuke (rice bran pickles) and seasonal dishes, in one of the many workshops.

Hachigata Castle is a quintessential castle from the Warring States period and was selected as one of the 100 famous castles of Japan. The castle is said to have been built in 1476 by Nagao Kageharu, a retainer of the Yamanouchi Uesugi clan and leader of the Kanto region, and the castle was later expanded to its current size by the Odawara clan. When the feudal lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi attacked and besieged the castle in 1590, the soldiers inside held out for one month before giving up, surrendering the castle in exchange for their lives. The castle was later 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.

Opened on November 11th, 1995 (the same day and month of Shibusawa Eiichi's passing). In the museum's materials room there is a recording of Eiichi's actual voice and many other ink and photograph materials on display. There is also a bronze statue of Eiichi overlooking his hometown landscape on the north side of the museum.

You'll spend a delightful time with family and friends at Metsa Village, whether shopping for Nordic brand goods that give you a taste of Nordic lifestyle, perusing handicrafts at the market, enjoying a Nordic meal at the restaurant, taking part in arts and crafts workshops, renting a boat to cruise the lake, or through various seasonal events. There's plenty to experience at this lakeside forest.

This is a private museum exhibiting ’Shishimai' (traditional lion dance), featuring authentic lion masks, costumes, documentation, performance videos from all over the country and local toys related to the lion.

The Museum of Modern Art Saitama (MOMAS) was opened in the rich greenery of Kitaurawa Park in 1982. A collection of superb art pieces is on display, with works from artistic masters such as Monet, Chagall, Picasso and modern Japanese artists. Special exhibitions with unique themes are frequently held, and there are many "good design" chairs that can be used freely. In addition, there are museum concerts, lectures, and workshops for both parents and children to enjoy. There are also museum shops with select art books and goods, along with a restaurant serving authentic Italian food, making the museum an ideal place for both fun and comfort. (For more information regarding the facility, please check the URL below.)

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).

This facility was built in 2006 for "farmers and merchants" as a center for regional revitalization. The shelves are lined with fresh vegetables and locally processed foods. Please visit here for inquiries related to use of the nearby “Kawa no Hiroba BBQ" (river sqaure BBQ area). Our mascot character "Norabitan," based on the local delicacies Norabō-na (Norabō greens) and Ao-Nasu (blue eggplant), is waiting together with us for your next visit!

At the Haniwa building located inside the Saitama Kofun Group, anyone can experience making their own Haniwa with the help of an instructor. Creating a Haniwa takes 3 steps: molding for 90 to 120 minutes, drying for about a month, and finally heating the Haniwa in the kiln located inside the building for around 7 hours at 800℃. Once the Haniwa is completed, it can either be retrieved in person or be delivered and paid for on arrival.

We sell over 450 types of souvenirs representing Saitama. In addition to the well-loved Sōka Sembei (rice cracker), we also sell many popular products unique to the Saitama area, such as Koedo Kawagoe Imo (sweet potato) sweets, Ajino Sayamacha, locally brewed alcohol and traditional crafts and goods featuring Saitama Prefecture’s mascot “Kobaton."

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.

The Saitama Museum of Rivers is an experience-oriented comprehensive museum centering around the Arakawa river with the theme of water and the livelihood of people.

Built on the ruins of Iwatsuki Castle, this park has lush natural trails and wide, open spaces, and is a popular place of relaxation for the local people. There is also a tennis court, baseball field, playground equipment, a picnic area with a fountain, a pond covered by a vermillion-lacquered zigzag bridge, and a vintage Tobu Railway Romancecar "Kinu No.1" on display, making this park enjoyable for all ages! In the spring, the park is known for its 600 cherry blossom trees and the lively events it sponsors.

During wisteria season, you can enjoy vines of purple wisteria flowers descending from the trees in the precincts of Gokado Temple on Mt. Ogawa. Magohachi Honma, who built the temple, spent a night discussing the art of waka poetry with a traveling monk to finally master its secrets, and thus named the temple "Gokado" (words and songs temple). According to legend, the monk was said to have been the incarnation of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy. The stone Buddha in the Koshinto pagoda on the right side of the hall is one of few existing in Chichibu. Collectible goshuin seals are available at Chokoji Temple, about 250 meters away.