Sightseeing Spots

This day trip hot spring facility was built in a relocated old private house. Located near the Tokigawa River, guests using the footbath on the Japanese-style terrace (engawa) are treated to the sounds of the calming babbling brook. There is also a nearby BBQ area you can visit with no preparation. After BBQ, you can relax and recharge in the hot spring.

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.

This residence, built during the end of Edo period to the first half of the Meiji period, centers around the main building and guest hall, which includes a barn and two storehouses. Featuring stone and white walls built facing the road, it is a beautiful representation of Komago scenery. The residence was designated as a national tangible cultural property in 2014.

In the midst of the peaceful Satoyama, get in touch with nature and experience farming hands-on. There is a "Fureai Farm," which visitors can use freely for an annual fee, and the popular "Strawberry Farm," for picking strawberries and other fruits. There are also rice cultivation, digging of bamboo shoots, udon (wheat noodle) making, potato cultivation, Satoyama walk and hiking experiences, and various other events held throughout the year.

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 Hachimanyama Kofun (Mount Hachiman megalith tomb) in Gyoda City is the main tomb of the group of Wakakodama tombs found in this area. Restored in 1981, it is estimated to have been built in the 7th century and has a diameter of 80 meters. The “Urushi Nuri Mokkan" (lacquered wooden casket) was excavated from the stone hut in almost perfect condition, with those buried inside assumed to have been people of power. It is called “Kanto-no-Ishibutai" (the stone stage of Kanto) because it is similar to the Ishibutai Kofun (stone stage tomb) at Asukamura of Nara Prefecture.

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.

This brewery was established in 1805 when Omi merchant, Shoemon Yokota, traveled from Edo to Gyoda City in search of good water. The area closest to Tone River and Arakawa River was found to have plentiful groundwater and this brewery continues to produce exquisite sake made from it. Employing Nanbu-style brewing techniques, known for producing a high quality Ginjo sake, they produce sake in which one can taste the spirit of the brewer, a highly regarded "sake of excellence."

Matsuyama Castle Ruins, built at the top of the Hiki Hills, is one of the most prominent flat mountain castles in the Kitamusashi region and was designated a prefectural historic site in 1925. In 2008, it was added to the Hiki Castle Site Group, alongside the already designated Sugaya Yakata ruins (Ranzan Town), Sugiyama Castle ruins (Ranzan Town) and Ogura Castle ruins (Tokigawa Town, Ranzan Town, and Ogawa Town). The castle is surrounded by a low marshy area formed by the Ichino River, creating a natural fort.

This small, charming hill of approximately 4 hectares has been maintained by local residents and volunteers as a gathering place to watch flowers bloom. Visitors can enjoy a carpet of greenery and mainly white flowers like out of a fairytale; over 6,000 flowers and trees that change from season to season. The town also collaborated with Musashino Art University for a joint project between government and academia to create three integrated artworks, adding even more charm to the park.

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.

“Saitama City Iwatsuki Ningyo Museum” was opened in Saitama’s Iwatsuki Ward in 2020 and explores the history of dolls and their role in people's lives, promoting the culture of dolls for the future. We are working on a project to make dolls more familiar to people through exhibitions and activities, as well as collecting and storing documents related to dolls and researching about the culture of dolls. (For more information, please see the URL below)

A temple for safe childbirth and child-rearing, and protection from evil. The main deity of the temple, Nyoirin Kannon, or Cintamanicakra, is said to be the God of Mercy and Wisdom, who holds a wish-fulfilling jewel that removes evil and purifies the clouded mind, relieves suffering, and bestows prosperity by giving gold and silver treasures. In the precincts of the temple are three Muromachi period (1336-1573) blue stone pagodas of the three Amitabha images and a mound of letters from the first year of the Hoei era, in which women wrote down their wishes and deposited them.

Ageo Maruyama Park was opened in 1978 with the theme "a harmony of greenery and water." It has a small animal corner, a children's amusement park, a barbecue area, a nature learning center, and a large pond, making it a popular place to visit.

Enshrining Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the god of the sea and storms, this shrine is known to protect against evil and plague. Inside the shrine is a lion mask called the "Hirakata Lion" which is popular with locals. Every year in July, a mysterious festival is held called "Doroinkyo." This festival is designated as an intangible folk cultural asset by Saitama Prefecture. The giant zelkova tree and enoki mushrooms within the precincts are designated as natural monuments by Ageo City.

These twelve cities and towns and thirteen places of scenic beauty related to Matsuo Bashō’s “Oku no Hosomichi” have been recognized as influencing the scenery and lives of future generations, while preserving the elegance and atmosphere of ancient times. Collectively, these areas have been appointed as one of the top scenic spots in the country.

Jōshinin Hyakutai Kannon-dō, commonly called “Sazaedō,” was built to mourn the victims of the great volcanic eruption of Mt. Asama in 1783. The architecture has a rare helical structure with two exterior layers and a three-layer interior spiral corridor, enabling worshippers to practice the Buddhist etiquette of walking around a corridor three times in a clockwise direction (unyosanso). The first layer enshrines the Kannon of the Chichibu Sacred Site No. 34, the second layer enshrines the Kannon of the Bando Sacred Site No. 33, and the third layer enshrines the Kannon of the Saikoku Sacred Site No. 33. The reception desk is located at the Honjo City Tourism and Agriculture Center.

This district park is 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 enables people from different generations to meet and enjoy spending a relaxing and healthy time together outdoors.

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)

Tokigawa Town, prosperous in local lumber production, is one of the largest producer of wood fixtures in the Kanto region. While our shop focuses on wood fixtures, we also sell furniture, handicrafts and agricultural products made with warmth and care by our master craftspeople. We also accept consultations for made to order wood fixtures and furniture. How about owning your own one-of-a-kind item?

About 12 million poppies bloom in full on this vast slope 500 meters above sea level. The contrast between the red poppies and clear blue sky is a sight to behold. Coinciding with the peak bloom season, the "Poppies in the Sky" (Tenku no Poppy) event is held here, and local gourmet food and specialty products are available for sale. A temporary parking lot is also made available. We hope to see you there!

The Nanbata Castle Park Museum is located in the middle of a long and narrow park, straddled by divisions of east and west sides, with a replica of the Nanbata Castle in the "Shiroato Zone" on the east side, and relocated kominka (old residences) in the "Kominka Zone" on the west side. In the "Shiroato Zone" are the restored enclosure, water moat and earthwork mounds of the Nanbata Castle from the Sengoku Period. Visitors can enjoy the changing seasonal scenery of the water lilies and other wetland plants growing in the water moat. In the “Kominka Zone” are two relocated and restored early Meiji period private residences and the gate of a townhouse that are designated city cultural properties. Annexes such as a granary (kokugura), library (bunkogura) and barn (naya) were newly built to replicate Fujimi City's nostalgic farmhouse scenery. In the granary, visitors can watch videos about local performing arts and the restoration of the old farmhouses. The regional exchange facility, "Chokkura," is also connected to the building, where visitors can purchase local produce and souvenirs.

The original Kisai Castle was a one-story building enclosed by earthworks and walls, and it was restored as a castle with an impressive keep. Local collections of the unearthed artifacts and historical collections found through the excavations of the Kisai region are displayed in the exhibition room.

Selected as one the top 100 locations in Saitama, the Mt. Hakuun (Hakuun-san) Torii Kannon temple covers an area of around 30 hectares (the size of 6.5 Tokyo Domes) in Okumusashi/Naguri, where founder Yataro Hiranuma spent over 30 years erecting buildings in various places on the mountain. In addition to the symbolic Kusei Kannon (Goddess of Salvation) on the mountain summit, there is also the main hall, Gyokkamon Gate, Niomon Gate, Great Bell Tower, Heiwa Kannon (Goddess of Mercy), and notably the Genjo Sanzo Tower, famous for enshrining the remains of Genjo Sanzo, a Buddhist priest who appears in the famous Chinese novel "Journey to the West."