Trip to experience a farm stay and Japanese traditional culture

A traditional Japanese house built over 170 years ago has been relocated to the Kurobane Furusato Bussan Center. This building with a thatched roof houses Kurashi no Yakata and a restaurant. At the restaurant, ‘Oroshi Soba ― Yamizo Asagiri hand-picked soba ―’ is one of the popular menu items made with locally produced buckwheat flour. Adjacent to the restaurant is the Bussan Center. There, you can buy delicious vegetables produced by local farmers and steamed buns made with love. They also sell additive-free homemade miso called Ginjo Ichinen Miso. It is popular because miso soup made with this miso in the morning stays tasty until night.

A famous temple built in Muromachi period

Daioji Temple belongs to Soto Zen and has over 600 years history. Buildings in the temple are almost thatching that remain the Muromachi architectural style, 7 of these are designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan.

This temple is nearby the Kurobane Castle Park, and was protected by Ozeki clan who ruled Kurobane domain during Edo period.

16 Arhat Statues that have different expressions

Walking on Daioji Temple’s stone steps, visitors can find 16 Arhat Statues stand around the step. Each of them has different expression, such as laughing, looking angry or shouting.These statues was built in 1995 for celebrating the 600 anniversaries of Daioji Temple.

Have a Zazen experience in Zen monastery

Visitors can try a Zazen experience without any cost at Daioji Temple. If you are interested in Japanese traditional culture, no matter where you from, which religion you belong, everyone is welcomed to experience.

All experiences in Daioji Temple need reservation. Make sure you take reservation at least 1 week before your visiting.

Surrounded by great nature with a magnificent view of the Nikko and Nasu Mountain Ranges, Agriturismo in Ohtawara offers visitors a chance to experience Japanese rural life like locals at unique accommodations such as a renovated traditional Japanese house or storehouse on a farmer’s property. Meals prepared with farm products harvested in adjacent fields, a traditional Japanese lifestyle and cultural experience, and heartwarming interactions with local people will all make you feel as if you were in your hometown. In addition to the food and experience, these hotels also offer a beautiful landscape, making both a short- and long-term stay relaxing. They are also equipped with regular hotel amenities such as a shower and kitchen.

■Hanazono sou

■Farm Stay Iri (Hachinosu)

■WAIN – Vintage Rice Barn in Nasu

■Hotel MOKUREN

■Yui

With Agriturismo in Ohtawara, accommodations have a rich lineup of activities for their guests. Enjoy seasonal activities uniquely offered by them. These activities will let you discover the charm of the area, such as vegetable harvesting and cooking that can only be offered by farmers, farming experiences such as rice transplanting, fermented food production, and biking through beautiful rural areas.

※Check out activity details on each accommodation’s page

Iizukatei, the hotel renovated from a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan, operates based on the notion that Iizukatei, a building having over 100 years of history renovated into a high quality accommodation using the latest technology and stylish equipment, together with restaurants and shops in town, make up the whole hotel stay experience. Guests are invited to try a new type of hotel stay in which they are immersed in the genuine Japanese lifestyle through interactions with town residents. Iizukatei has Hontaku (main building) and Shintaku (new buildings) and two Kura storehouses. Most of these buildings maintain what they were like at the time they were built. While equipped with items guaranteeing a pleasurable stay such as comfortable beds and a sofa as well as a modern kitchen, the accommodation still features both the new and old, allowing guests to experience the lifestyle of older times. During the stay, guests can customize their stay style by for example having meals delivered from a restaurant in town or visiting a farmer’s house to savor local food. The hotel also offers many activities including sweetfish fishing, pottery workshops, and biking.

A museum dedicated to the works of Hiroshige Utagawa， an Ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period. You can get a glimpse of Japanese culture of the 19th century through his original drawings and Hanga (woodblock prints). The entire museum is made of local cedar and washi (handcrafted paper) designed by the global architect， Kengo Kuma， with a concept of “the traditional and serene appearance that expresses the artistry and tradition of Hiroshige”. Many visitors also come here to study design.

Established in 1849， Shimazaki Sake Brewery is open for tours of the brewery and the history of the brewing process (prior bookings required). Along with a selection of local Sake， you can purchase other liqueurs made from Yuzu， strawberries or Ume plums and Sake ice cream made with Ginjo-shu. The “Sakagura Festival” held at the brewery in March offers sake-tasting， quizzes， prize draws and sales of limited edition Sake bottles.

Clover Steak House is a restaurant offering dishes prepared with hand-picked ingredients. Standing on a hill, it also boasts a splendid view. Clover Steak House was started in 1990 by four people who believe in the power of delicious meals to make everyone happy. Using French culinary techniques as the base, dishes that customers find truly delicious are prepared through creative ideas and ingredients. The restaurant has a cooking competition which all members enter, and the winner’s meal is featured in the monthly lunch menu.

The Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art features works by the late Mr. Shoji Hamada， who was a designated Living National Treasure， as well as works by other ceramists associated with the town of Mashiko.

On the same site， there are also the Sasajima Kihei Hall， which has permanent exhibitions of works by the printmaker Kihei Sasajima， who studied under Shiko Munakata， and the Mashiko Arts & Crafts Residence， which hosts artists-in-residence from all over the world as part of an international exchange program.

Shoji Hamada’s House， which has been designated as a Cultural Property by the town of Mashiko， includes a reconstruction of the climbing kiln that Mr. Hamada used.

You can also pick a cup you like and enjoy tea or coffee at salon located on the premises of the museum.
There is also a museum shop in the salon where you can buy Mashiko pottery and more.”

Higeta Indigo Dyeing Workshop, established during the Kansei era (1789–1801), is a fabric-dyeing and weaving workshop. It is a rare workshop in Tochigi that inherited traditional indigo dyeing. It still uses the dyeing area created at the time of its establishment to dye the fabric in the traditional manner. Inside the 200-year-old building with a thatched roof, 72 earthenware indigo vats are neatly arranged. The building and the vat area are Tochigi Prefecture’s tangible cultural assets, and visitors can freely visit and see them. Indigo is a plant dye that has long colored ethnic costumes. Long ago in Japan, 80% of commoners’ cloths were dyed with indigo. The indigo color produced by the traditional Japanese indigo dyeing and plant dyeing methods is called Japan Blue and, together with the dyeing methods, is highly recognized around the world. The workshop engages not only in dyeing but also cotton cultivation, yarn-making, yarn dyeing, and handweaving in order to preserve the cotton tradition essential to the indigo dyeing culture. The workshop sells indigo-dyed cotton fabric, coasters, and tablecloths. Please come and see the traditional techniques and the beauty of indigo.

Daisei Gama, established in 1861, is a leading pottery studio in the pottery town of Mashiko. Its shop, a renovated traditional Japanese house, showcases a wide variety of pottery ranging from standard products to basic products with a few additional touches to the design, clay, and taste. Daisei Gama has been using a climbing kiln for generations since its establishment. Among climbing kilns operated by many pottery studios in Mashiko, it is the largest one. Daisei Gama uses Japanese red pine as fuel and traditional glaze that has long been used in Mashiko such as persimmon glaze as well as rice-bran white glaze, black glaze, amber glaze, and celadon glaze. Currently at Daisei Gama, the sixth-generation family head Kuninori Otsuka and the seventh-generation family head Seiichi Otsuka, together with craftworkers, are creating traditional, simple Mashiko pottery with a glimpse of strength and warmth inside. Visitors can view the climbing kiln. There is also a gallery in a separate building.

Mashiko is dotted with a number of relaxing cafés serving treats and drinks in Mashiko-ware. Many of these cafés are off the beaten path, so they often go unnoticed by those who haven’t done their research.

Mashikokan Satoyama Resort Hotel is a homey onsen hotel in a forest. If you open the window of the guest room, a fresh breeze and the sound of the forest gently enter the room. If you turn off the light at night and look up at the sky, the large moon and the starry sky softly light up the room. Meals are prepared with ingredients carefully grown by producers and thoroughly crafted to bring out their natural flavors. They will be cooked and served with love so that you can feel the four seasons of satoyama. Baths are filled with the skin-beautifying hot spring water from the satoyama. In both the spacious indoor bath and open-air bath, featuring a waterfall that the hotel proudly presents, you can enjoy the finest healing time while feeling the nature of satoyama. These baths are also available to non-staying guests. Please visit the hotel as the base of your fun activities in satoyama and enjoy a slow, relaxing time.

Roadside Station Mashiko(Michi-no-Eki Mashiko)  is a roadside station offering fresh local produce and local products and crafts at the “Mashiko-no-Marche” as well as reasonably-priced lunches with freshly picked vegetables at the “Mashiko-no-Gohan” restaurant. The information centre “Concierge” provides information on tourism， special exhibitions and workshops， along with advice on moving to the town and booking rental space. Please find more information on their website.

An ancient shrine rebuilt in the Nara era and included in the Engi-Shiki (set of ancient Japanese governmental regulations)， it is also a famous place in Kanto for the first shrine visit of the New Year (hatsumode). The main shrine building， which is a prefectural cultural property， is a masterwork of Genroku-era carpenter Sezaemon Sakurai and sculptor Entetsu Shimamura.