Sightseeing Spots

The main building and the guest house, built from the end of the Edo period to the first half of the Meiji period, are centered around a barn and two storehouses, and the stone walls and white walls facing the street are what create the beautiful scenery of Komago. It was designated as a national tangible cultural property in 2014.

With an elevation of 305 meters, this charming little mountain is a familiar symbol of Hidaka City. There is a hiking course that offers a variety of ways to climb the mountain, including a gentle slope for the inexperienced and a rocky slope for the veteran climber. At the top of the mountain is a Japanese Hokyointo Pagoda, and you can enjoy the view of Hidaka City. On a clear day, you can also see the skyscrapers of Shinjuku and the Tokyo Sky Tree looming in the distance.

Tsurugashimashi Sports Park is known for its plentiful greenery and consideration of the natural ecosystem. It has a wooded area that utilizes the area's natural forest, a waterfront area centered on the Ootagaya marsh, and a variety of exercise facilities centered on the main ground. This sports park can be easily used by people of all ages, from children to the elderly. The park also serves as a tourist center for the city, being the venue for the Tsurugashima Cherry Blossom Festival in the spring and the Tsurugashima Industrial Festival in the fall.

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

Toda Park was built between 1937 and 1940 and is centered around a rowing course, the largest artificial static watercourse in Japan. The park was established as a city park after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and is used as a training area and competition venue for rowing. It also serves a purpose as a place of water and greenery that provides a relaxing environment for the citizens of the prefecture. In addition, the park is adjacent to the bank of the Arakawa River and has an elevated plaza, flower beds, and lots of playground equipment, making it a popular place to visit!

The park, developed along the Arakawa riverbed's regulating pond "Saiko," retains a rich natural environment that lets you feel the changing seasons despite its location near the city center. You can enjoy BBQ in the spacious plaza where you can choose between free sites where you bring everything yourself or reservations sites where everything is arranged for you. Furthermore there are tennis courts, dog friendly spaces, fishing spots and the lakeside area is a popular spot for cycling and windsurfing. With easy access by car, the park attracts more than one million visitors a year!

Here you can buy Ageo City Tourism Association's recommended souvenirs! They also sell tickets for Saitama Ageo Medics and commuter passes for the Tobu and Asahi Buses.

This is a district park known for its stunning lawn of green grass and 18-hole golf course. In addition to the golf course, there is also a children's area, a multipurpose plaza, and a parkway that can be used for jogging and other activities. The park is a space where people from different generations can meet and enjoy spending a relaxing and healthy time together outdoors.

This park provides a place for citizens to interact and relax. It utilizes the natural forest to prove a place to enjoy strolling through all four seasons, a water pool for playing, and many other types of equipment for kids to play.

Henjo-in was founded in 1394 during the Muromachi period (1336-1573). 　The main deity of the temple is the Great Sage Fudo Myoo. He is believed to take the form of pure anger to guide those whose sins are so deep that they can't be brought on the right path in any other way. He is worshipped as a Buddha who fulfills wishes, prevents disasters, and provides wealth.

The Sakitama Shrine holds a history of a thousand and a few hundred years and is an ancient shrine with a majestic and calm atmosphere originating from Saitama Prefecture. The main building of the shrine has a height of 8.7 meters, a circumference of about 92 meters, and is built on top of a tumulus named Sengenzuka (mound) and adjoins to Saitama Kofun Group. The deity has two pillars: Sakitamahimenomikoto and Sakitamahikonomikoto and are gods that protect individuals, brings good fortune and matrimony. Recently, there are limited edition Shuin (seal stamps) with the motif of 4 cats that reside in the shrine (every month on the 22nd including a few days before and after) and is very popular.

Oshi Castle has been counted as one of the 7 famous castles in the Kanto region; it was built in the civilization years of the Muromachi period. It is known as an “Uki-jō (Floating Castle)” as it is said to have endured the flooding of Ishida Mitsunari during Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s suppression of Kanto. This story has been modeled for the movie “Nobō-no-Shiro (The Floating Castle)”. As of now, it has been listed as one of the 100 famous Japanese castles. The “Oshijyō Gosankaiyagura (Oshi Castle Three Story Turret)” was torn down during the Meiji period and was rebuilt in 1988, with the inside being an exhibition room of the local museum; the whole view of the city can be seen on the top floor.

From mid-June to early August, 12,000 stocks of 42 different types of lotus flowers bloom on the surface of the lotus pond. The Gyōda lotus (ancient lotus) takes a primitive form with the number of petals being few; it is said to be a lotus from about 1,400 to 3,000 years ago. Lotus flowers are best-viewed midmorning. There are botanical gardens for aquatic plants, lakes for aquatic birds, peony gardens, ume gardens, and a hanami place with sakura trees, making it a place where one can 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 rice transplanting taking place yearly due to several volunteers and participants; not only are the designs original, but some have been collaborations with movies, TV shows, games. In 2015 it has been recorded in the Guinness World Records due to the area of the art being “the world’s largest (rice paddy art)”.

Gyōdahachiman Shrine is called “Fūji-no-miya (Palace of Sealing)” due to its secret method of praying which helps children sleep, prevents nervousness, cancer, diseases, bad habits, and dementia for the elderly. In the precincts, there is a “shrine of the eyes”, Kasamori Inari Shrine, for the god of eczema and beautiful skin, along with “Okuninushi Shrine” that enshrines Oshi Castle’s 7 lucky gods. Recently, “nade momo” is said to be a place for spiritual energy, and is famous for the god of fencing off suffering from illness and misfortune.

Reopened in April 2021 as a tourism and souvenir center! The store has a modern Japanese atmosphere that stays true to Gyoda City, which has been recognized as a Japanese Heritage site. The center offers 150 unique products from about 50 companies, including locally produced goods such as fashionably designed tabi (split-toed socks) and Minamikawara slippers made of colorful fabrics from Africa and other foreign countries. Furthermore, you can also satisfy your appetite with "Gyoda no gyoza (dumplings)" made from local flour, Narazuke pickles, Jumangoku Manju (steamed bun), Wataboku Milk, and more. You can even rent bicycles here, so make sure to stop by when sightseeing in Gyoda City.

It started in 1182 when Hatakeyama Shigetada offered a statue of a devil holding an iron rod to protect people from evil during the construction of the Sugayayakata. A rare shrine that enshrines the “oni (devil)”, with a Setsubun Festival taking place every year on February 3rd, with chants of “Fuku wa uchi, Oni wa uchi, Akuma soto (Out with the bad spirits, in with the good fortune and oni/devil)”. In addition, the shrine is known as the god of victory, with soldiers praying for good fortune during war.

The shrine is believed to have a history of 2,000 years, stretching all the way back to the era of Emperor Keikō. The faith of Mt. Mitsune spread during the Kamakura period, and the place was revered by Hatakeyama Shigetada and Nitta Yoshioki. Especially the Kishū family's gift to the shogun, during the Tokugawa period, is kept as a valuable shrine treasure to this day. Further, the “15 Nights・Moon Reading Festival” takes place during the autumn, announcing the arrival of autumn to the Chichibu’s mountains.

A shop with handmade soba that uses 100% local buckwheat flour. It is a store that uses Saitama Prefecture’s specially cultivated crops with the agricultural products harvested with more than a 50% reduction in the number of chemical pesticides and chemical fertilizer customarily used and has been certified by the prefecture. At Izumi-tei they use local, fresh, safe, and healthy ingredients bought directly from the source. In addition, if you make a reservation beforehand, you can experience making your own soba.

Jyōshinin Hyakutai Kannon-dō, commonly called, “Sazaedō”, was built to pray for the victims of the great eruption of Mt. Asama in Shinshu that took place in 1783. The corridor has a helical structure, that makes it look as if there are two external layers, however, there are 3 layers internally, making it a unique architectural style. Further, it conforms to Buddhism’s rules of etiquette in which one walks in the right direction thrice to worship. The first layer symbolizes Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) of Chichibu’s 34th holy precincts in the center of the Sei-Kannondō, the second layer symbolizes the Kannon of Bandō’s 33rd holy precincts, and lastly, the third layer symbolizes Kannon of Saikoku’s 33rd holy precincts. The reception for admission is taking place at Honjō City’s Tourism and Agriculture Center.

This is a memorial house for Hanawa Hokiichi, a blind Japanese classical scholar who lived in the mid-Edo period. Apart from the famous collective title Gunsho Ruijyū and its raw lumber, there are approximately 200 archives on display inside the building. Furthermore, you can see a hand-stitched purse from his mother that he kept dear during his lifetime and many other personal articles. There is also a section within the exhibition for videos and audio tours.

Chichibu Festival Museum exhibits materials related to the booths and kasaboko (combined umbrella and halberd carried on floats in some festivals) of the Chichibu night festival that takes place every year on the 2nd and 3rd of December. The booths, kasaboko, curtain, sculptures made by Shōwa’s master craftsmen are arranged in a design related to the Myōken belief. At noon, the lanterns are switched on to reproduce the night festival. Within the noise of the palatial Chichibu booth music, the luxurious booth and kasaboko can be seen right before your eyes.

It is said that this shrine was founded by the Japanese Takeru, about 2,000 years ago. The current main building of the shrine is a style of Shinto architecture in which 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 from the end of the Edo period to the early Meiji period. The shrine is said to protect from fires, theft, and pain. Not only are there many worshippers from the local area but throughout the Kanto region, with more than one million annual visitors.

This is a ropeway installed at an altitude of 497 meters in Mt. Hodōsan, connecting a total length of 832 meters from Sanroku Station to Sanchō Station in 5 minutes. The two gondolas go back and forth between Sanchō Station and Sanroku Station in reverse and are operated under a four-line crossing system. Further, the gondolas’ names: “The Bambi” and “The Monkey I” both originate from the popular Japanese macaque and deer at the small zoo of Mt. Hodōsan.

The border for three prefectures lies across Tochigi Prefecture’s Tochigi City, Gunma prefecture’s Itakura Town, Saitama Prefecture’s Kazo City (around the Kitakawabe region), and comes together right at a rice field approximately 500 meters in the southeast of Roadside Station Kitakawabe. The border for the three prefectures used to be placed inside the Watarasegawa River, however, due to the restoration works of the river during the periods of Meiji and Taishō, the location has changed to the current river channel. From January to March of 2016, land measurements were carried out by Tochigi City, Itakura Town, and Kazo City. From these results, an old stake made from concrete was confirmed as the definite point of intersection for the three prefectures. Brochure introducing the boundary for the three prefectures