5th Sacred Place, Goka-do of Mt. Ogawa

A small hill (approx. 4 hectares) at the end of the parking lot of the Yokoze town citizen ground is being maintained by volunteers, mainly local residents, to make it into a place where people can gather and enjoy the blooming flowers. They have planted more than 6000 flowers and trees, mainly white flowers, which can be enjoyed from season to season. In addition, as a joint project between the government and academia, the town collaborated with Musashino Art University to create three integrated artworks that make the area even more attractive.

There is “Obinzurusama”, which goes with the saying that it is good to rub a part of the body that is in pain. In spring, the rare Bukoumamezakura blooms cutely, making it a pleasant view for the eyes of visitors. In addition, the animated movie, “The Anthem of the Heart” was based off of this location. The entrance’s “Enmei Jizō (life-prolonging Jizō)” is the mark.

Simple sulfur hot spring. Chichibu Yumoto (source of a hot spring), is a day trip hot spring that utilizes the Bukō Hot Spring as the source; it is effective for a range of chronic diseases such as neuralgia, sore muscles, arthralgia, stiff shoulders, and poor blood circulation. This is a liberating open-air bath where one can fully enjoy nature, with the cypress bath giving a tender feel of the tree and the rock bath providing a simplistic natural atmosphere. In addition, there is a “Bukō Auto Campsite (Phone Number: 0494-23-8229)” nearby and a lodging facility “Bukō-no-yu Bekkan (annex) (For reservation: 0494-24-4141)”.

From season to season, Saitama Prefecture’s largest terraced paddy field expands a rural scene that can only be seen in Japan. As of now, 4 hectares of the rice field (about 250 pieces) is in use out of the total area of 5.2 hectares. In the summer, en event of about 600 bonfires lighting up takes place, creating a magical atmophere, and is an experience limited to one night that cannot be enjoyed anywhere else. During the autumn, the 2,000,000 bulbs of the red spider lily planted on footpath blooms.

This is a house lodge located in the mountain valley with the surrounding enclosed in deciduous trees and the chirping of birds giving one a feel of the season. In the forest, close to the Terasaka Rice Terrace, is a Yuyado (a lodge with a hot spring) of medicinal herbs which is beloved by many as the “Yakusō-no-yu (hot water of medicinal herbs)”. The pride of the lodging is the medicinal herb bath which contains, among other herbs, chameleon plant and Japanese mugwort, allowing for the body to warm up from its core and improving blood circulation. One can expect recovery from fatigue and better skin.