Iko no Sato Fishing Park

The observatory at Mt. Ninomiya is located at the town's highest location, at an elevation of 131.8 meters. From this observatory, you can enjoy the far-off Mt. Asama, Mt. Tanigawa, Nikko Mountain range, Mt. Tsukuba, and Chichibu mountains, and from the top floor you can get a view overlooking the skyscrapers of Shinjuku using a free telescope. If you're lucky, you can even see Tokyo Skytree! When flowers such as azaleas are bloom, this area is perfect for a lovely stroll.

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.

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.

A museum based on the nature and culture of Namegawa Town and utilized as a center for gathering the latest information on these topics. Research efforts related to the artificial breeding and ecology of the Tokyo bitterling, a freshwater carp native to Japan and designated as a national treasure, are also being made to realize its reintroduction into the wild.

The Musashi-Kyuryo National Government Park was built as part of the Meiji Centennial Commemorative Project. Musashi-Kyuryo is Japan's first national park and is located on a vast, hilly area of 304 hectares stretching between Namegawa Town, Hiki District and Yagii, Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture. The park is mainly forested areas, and includes ponds, swamps, marshes and grasslands, for a diverse ecology where precious flora and fauna can grow and thrive. It is also one of few places within the metropolitan area where you truly can feel in contact with nature.