Tochigi Hidden Gems
15 spots
Toshogu Shrine — Golden Temple of the Shogun
Toshogu Shrine is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and represents the absolute z…
Shinkyo Bridge — Sacred Vermilion Arch
Shinkyo is a vermilion-lacquered wooden bridge that arcs over the Daiya River at the entrance to Nikko's shrine district…
Lake Chuzenji & Kegon Falls — Mountain Lake Sanctuary
Lake Chuzenji sits at 1,269 meters in a volcanic caldera formed 20,000 years ago when Mount Nantai erupted and lava damm…
Senjogahara Marshland — Alpine Wetland Plateau
Senjogahara is a 400-hectare highland wetland at 1,400 meters elevation, formed when volcanic lava flows blocked drainag…
Ashikaga Flower Park — Wisteria Dream Canopy
Ashikaga Flower Park is home to over 350 wisteria trees, including a 160-year-old giant wisteria (fuji) whose canopy cov…
Mashiko Pottery Town — Mingei Craft Village
Mashiko is a pottery town 100 kilometers north of Tokyo that became the spiritual center of Japan's mingei (folk craft)…
Utsunomiya Gyoza — Dumpling Capital
Utsunomiya is Japan's self-proclaimed gyoza capital, with over 200 gyoza specialty restaurants and the highest per-capit…
Nasu Kogen Strawberry Picking — Highland Berry Farms
Tochigi Prefecture is Japan's largest strawberry producer, and the Nasu Kogen (Nasu Highlands) region hosts dozens of st…
Kinugawa Onsen — River Gorge Hot Springs
Kinugawa Onsen is a hot spring resort town in a narrow mountain gorge carved by the Kinugawa River. Discovered in the Ed…
Nasu Onsen — Royal Retreat Hot Springs
Nasu Onsen is a collection of seven hot spring sources scattered across the volcanic slopes of Mount Nasu, a highland re…
Tochigi Kurazukuri — Edo Warehouse District
Tochigi City was a prosperous merchant town during the Edo and Meiji periods, serving as a distribution hub for goods tr…
Oya History Museum — Underground Stone Cathedral
The Oya History Museum is built into a former underground stone quarry where Oya Stone — a light, porous volcanic tuff u…
Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa — Meiji Elegance
Tamozawa Imperial Villa was built in 1899 as a summer retreat for the Taisho Emperor (then Crown Prince Yoshihito) and h…
Nasu Animal Kingdom — Interactive Highland Zoo
Nasu Animal Kingdom is a 43-hectare zoo and animal park specializing in highland and grassland species from around the w…
Akechidaira Ropeway — Panoramic Mountain Views
The Akechidaira Ropeway is a 3-minute cable car that ascends 300 vertical meters from the Akechidaira Plateau to an obse…