Tochigi栃木県

Internationally renowned for its many historic buildings and shrines. Ceramics fairs, art galleries, and rivers are plentiful.

Situated in the center of Honshu (the main island of Japan), Tochigi is surrounded by mountains and hills in the east, west and north, and the Kanto Plains spread to the south. There are the Nasu, Takahara and Nikko volcanic clusters within the prefecture with a number of hot spring resorts scattered in and around them.

Nikko, located in the west of the prefecture, has many historic buildings, which include the Toshogu Shrine sacred to Tokugawa Ieyasu, a warlord of the 17th century, the Rin-no-ji Temple and the Futara-san-jinja Shrine. Recently registered as World Cultural Heritage Sites, these structures deeply fascinate visitors with their sumptuousness.

Utsuno-miya, situated roughly in the middle of the prefecture, is a center of local administration and economy. In the southeast of the city is Mashiko Town well known for the production of ceramics. The town comes alive with many people visiting ceramics fairs in the spring and the fall.


In the northern part of Tochigi are the Shiobara-onsen Hot Spring Resort, known for the overwhelming beauty of the ravine created by the Hoki-gawa River, and its tributary stream, the Kanomata-gawa River, and the surrounding areas of the Nasu-onsen Hot Spring Resort. On the Nasu-kogen Heights, you can enjoy visiting places such as the Rindo-ko Family Bokujo Ranch designed for family parties, the Nasu Teddy Bear Museum and the Emile Galle Art Galley, to name a few.