Tourist Spots around Alishan

Ogawamachi Japanese Paper Center

For people coming from the saikyo/hachiko line this is great place to visit. Ogawa-machi is famous for it’s traditional style paper making and has been for hundreds of years. There is a museum of paper craft, exhibitions, and best of all a chance to make paper for yourself. To get there you need to take a train to Ogawa-machi station on either the Tobu Tojo line or the Hachiko line. From there it’s a fourty minute walk or you can catch a bus bound for Park Hill (パークヒルゆき). From Dentokougeikaikanmaeshita (rather a long name!) it’s a minutes walk to the paper center. You can find out more at the following site:　http://homepage2.nifty.com/washi-net/

Shougakuji Temple

This small temple rose to fame after appearing on the ‘Omoikkiri Ii Terebi’ with presenter Patrick Harlan (or Pakkun as he is known in Japan). Here is a place where you can experience the peace and quiet of a traditional Japanese temple. You can stay here, practice zazen and join in the communal meals but be sure to call at least three days before you intend to stay. You can find out more, and see photos, at the following website: http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~shougaku

To get there you need to catch a train one stop from Koma to Higashi Hanno station. From there you need to catch a bus bound for Meisato (名郷ゆき) or Yunozawa (湯の沢ゆき) which will take about an hour. The From the meisato bus stop it’s just a minutes walk to the temple. Alternatively it’s about half an hour’s drive by taxi.

Mt. Hiwada

If you are looking for a short walk to build up an appetite before lunch in the cafe this is the perfect place to go. A short walk up a narrow mountain road brings you to the start of the Hiwada-san hiking course. It’s a bit of a steep climb but there are plenty of places to stop and rest and steps have been made where the going gets a bit tricky. Right at the top is a shrine and a fantastic view over our barn and the surrounding area. If you’re quick you can get up and back in half an hour but a more leisurely pace with lots of stops to admire the view will take about an hour. If you need directions on where the hiking course begins just ask any of the cafe staff and they’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.

Naguri Area

Sawarabi no Yu (さわらびの湯)

If you’d like an onsen after visiting Alishan a this is a good place to go. About an hour’s drive from here, deeper into the mountains, is a very pleasant onsen. There are baths, a sauna and steam rooms inside and a rotenburo as well as a restaurant serving light meals. It costs ￥800 for adults, ￥400 for children and is free for pre-school age children. You can see photos at the following site: http://nagurikankou.com/sawarabi.html

Warabitei Onsen (笑美温泉)

Hidden in the foothills of Chichibu and surrounded by greenery, this is a wonderful place to escape the noise and bustle of everyday life. It has two Japanese rooms, two western rooms and an onsen. You can see more details at: http://www.warabitei.com

If you’d like any more details on either of these places please feel free to call us at 0429-82-4811.

Kinchakuda

Right next to our big red barn is a lovely park tucked into a loop of the Komagawa river. It is an ideal spot for barbecues, picnics, paddling or just chilling out. There is even a small camp ground for the more adventurous. Most famous for it’s carpet of red spider lillies which bloom in September it is also a great spot for hanami with it’s path of cherry trees. There are also hydrangea, cosmos and safflower fields; a delight in any season. You can view photos at Hidaka City’s website (Japanese only).