Kijin Shrine

Our building is located on the historical site of the Kamakura period samurai palace “Sugaya-yakata” which transitioned to the castle “Sugaya-jō" during the Sengoku period. Opened in April of 1976 as the Saitama Prefectural Historical Data Museum, the museum was later relaunched on April 1st, 2006 for reorganization and maintenance of the prefectural museum facility. Focus was given to the collection, storage, and conducting of research on archaeological materials related to the Sugaya-yakata sites and medieval historical sites such as medieval castle buildings, and to utilize these materials for the development of education, learning, and culture. At that time, the name of the museum was changed to its current name. (For more information regarding the facility, please refer to the URL below.)

In 1970, the “Gogaku Kenshujo Foundation” (village school training institution) was established on the site of the “Japan Agricultural Teachers' School,” founded by Dr. Masahiro Yasuoka in the early Showa period. In 2012, the foundation was officially named the “Foundation for Gogaku Training Institute and Masahiro Yasuoka Memorial Museum” to carry on the tradition of the Japan Agricultural Training School and to promote Gogaku (village schools), as well as to pass on to future generations the much needed teachings and anthropology of Dr. Masahiro Yasuoka.

Overlooking the Toki River to the south is the historic castle ruins site "Sugaya Yakata" (designated a national historic site), said to be where samurai warlord Hatakeyama Shigetada built his mansion in the early Kamakura period (1185-1333), and inside of which exists a museum dedicated to the historic remains of Ranzan Town. The area is also known for its native Mountain Lily (yamayuri), in peak bloom in July. There are also plum and cherry trees. Ranzan Town is home to two of Japan's 100 most famous castles, and together with "Sugiyama Castle," "Sugaya Yakata" was selected for this honor on April 6th, 2017.

This fishing pond is very accessible, located approximately 9 kilometers (about 15 minutes) from the Higashi Matsuyama Interchange of the Kan-Etsu Expressway and roughly 5 kilometers (about 10 minutes) from the Ranzan-Ogawa Interchange. The pond is encircled by beautiful nature and has a surface area of roughly 11,600 square meters. On Saturday and Sunday, you can enjoy handmade udon made with local flour and buy locally grown vegetables at the farmer’s restaurant.

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.