Gyōda Hachiman Shrine

“Tabi to Kurashi (Tabi and Life’s) Museum” was originally a factory of tabi socks delivering to tabi stores under the name Bokuya Honten (Main Branch), however, most of the factory’s appearance was kept and was reborn as a museum. At the museum, demonstrations by individuals who used to be tabi craftsmen can be seen, and your own original tabi (additional cost) can be made every second Sunday of the month.

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 is a place located very close to the Ōshi Castle and is noted for its water hyacinth. The Aoi-no-ike (lake) within the park displays beautiful water hyacinth at a certain season. The square is also known for its 200 trees of sakura (cherry blossom). In addition, “Inaka Kyōshi-no Bungakuhi" (Literary Monument of a Country Teacher) of Katai Tayama was built here. In the monument, a verse from the book Inaka Kyōshi, “The road to Yori was long…”, is engraved.

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.

In 1805 a traveling merchant from the former Oomi province, the current Shiga prefecture, arrived in Gyoda city searching for good water. In the area closest to Tone river and Arakawa river, the groundwater was plentiful, so he chose this place to build a Sake brewery. Nowadays, this place is famous for its clean water, and they are still producing exquisite sake here. The southern style of brewing sake, fermenting the rice at a low temperature, is a masterful technique that lets you feel the soul of the brewer. This sake is truly a masterpiece.