Author: travel shop

The Yamaage-matsuri Festival consists of the Karasuyama Yamaage Festival and the mikoshi (portable shrine) of the Yagumo Shrine. The festival is held for three days around the fourth Saturday of July in Nasukarasuyama City, Tochigi Prefecture. The Yamaage Festival boasts a tradition dating back over 450 years and features an extravagant open-air kabuki play unmatched even in Japan. The main attractions are the beautiful dance and the stage setting with the perfectly coordinated movement of...

Gyoza is the signature food of Utsunomiya. Having claimed the highest annual spending on gyoza in Japan several times, Utsunomiya is literally the city of gyoza. You can enjoy its tasty delights cooked in a variety of ways, such as grilling, boiling, and frying, as well as in size, ingredients, skin thickness and sauce at respective restaurants.

There are three representative holy places (two shrines and a temple) in Nikko: Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Nikko Futarasan Shrine, and Rinno-ji Temple. There is the architecture of great historical value, such as national treasures and important cultural properties at Nikko Toshogu Shrine, which enshrines Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, and Rinno-ji Temple, which features the grave of the third Shogun Iemitsu Tokugawa. Visitors must see the gorgeous sculptures including Nemuri-neko (sleeping cat) and the...

Kinugawa Onsen is a hot spring resort with a time-honored history. Discovered in 1691, only priests visiting Nikko and feudal lords were allowed to bathe in it at that time. After it was opened to the public in 1868, the resort became popular with tourists and developed into one of the largest resorts in the Kanto region, with numerous inns and hotels lining up along the gorge of the Kinugawa River.

Recognized as a Night View Heritage of Japan, the mesmerizing scenery of the Sawaguchi Riverbed with hundreds of candle-lit miniature kamakura snow houses is a fantastic sight like you have never seen. It is also chosen as one of the “Breathtaking Sights You Need to See Before You Die.”

The birthplace of the famed Nasu Onsen hot spring resort, Shikanoyu is the oldest hot spring in Tochigi Prefecture with around 1,390 years of history. The Shikanoyu public bathhouse is located near the Sessho-seki ("killing stone"), a tourist spot in Nasu. The sulfur spring water is characterized by its milky white color, and the surrounding distinctive fragrance helps to heighten the hot spring mood. The nostalgic building is reminiscent of its original appearance around a century ago,...

Kashima-Jingu Shrine is dedicated to Takemikazuchi-no-Okami, the Shinto god associated with the founding of Japan and martial arts. Several of its structures including the shrine buildings are designated as important cultural properties of Japan. As the head shrine of approximately 600 Kashima Shrines throughout Japan, Kashima-Jingu is known as the ultimate power spot for praying to the god of victory for the strength to overcome obstacles and keep going forward during a turning point in life.

Located facing the Pacific coast, Hitachi Seaside Park is a popular tourist spot in Ibaraki Prefecture. The expansive 200-hectare park is divided into seven areas, with a variety of ways to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere. The most famous is the endless blooms of nemophila and kochia covering Miharashi-no-Oka Hill, a dreamy sight that will take you away into a land of fantasy.

As one of the three most renowned waterfalls in Japan, Fukuroda Falls is the famous tourist spot boasted by Ibaraki and the town of Daigo. From afar, the falls look gentle white strands of falling water. Come closer and observe violent splashes of water hitting the ground. The falls captivate visitors with its contrast of calmness and roughness.

Kairakuen Garden was constructed in 1842 by Nariaki Tokugawa, the ninth lord of the Mito domain. Most famous for its scenic plum trees, the Japanese garden also displays beautiful flower blossoms for every season, as well as a stunning view overlooking Lake Senba from the plum grove. Kodokan, a picturesque Japanese-style building, was a pioneering school of the Mito domain that taught a broad range of subjects comparable to the modern-day university.

One of the longest pedestrian bridges in Japan, Ryujin Suspension Bridge is a V-shaped, 375-meter-long suspension bridge that stretches over the beautiful Ryujin Lake in the Okukuji Prefectural Natural Park in Ibaraki Prefecture. While you may cringe at the terrifying height of 100 meters from the ground, the view from the bridge is super, including the mountain ranges of Yamizo and Abukuma in the distance and the village of Suifu below. Especially thrilling is looking down at the Ryujin Dam...

Over the month from late May to late June, around one million irises of 500 varieties blossom all at once during the Suigo Iris Festival held in the Iris Garden of Itako, Ibaraki Prefecture. Back in the days, the "Robune" rowboat was the day-to-day mode of transportation through the canals of Itako. Today, the robune is brought back to life just during this festival for a pleasant cruise. In addition, enjoy a host of events including the Yomeiri-bune (marriage boat) carrying a beautiful...