Explore Imaichi: The Historical Gateway to Nikko

Recommended Length: 2 Days

An inn town in the Edo period, Imaichi is the gateway to the greater Nikko area. Enjoy local soba and sake, and stroll the cedar-lined Nikko Suginamiki Kaido.

AMAZING IMAICHI

Day 1

Kami-Imaichi Station

On Foot

3-minute walk

History

On Foot

16-minute walk

Lunch

Inkyo Uwasawa

Enjoy a classic Japanese breakfast all day; Inkyo Uwasawa serves homemade miso soup and pickles, delicious rice and other traditional dishes along with sweets and refreshments. Relax in the traditional-style dining room, surrounded by gardens, and enjoy warm hospitality.

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FOOD

By taxi

15-minute taxi ride

Local Ingredients

Hattando

With many shrines and temples, and vast forests, incense is a traditional product of Nikko. At Hattando in Imaichi, incense is made with famous local cedar wood. With an advanced reservation can visit the workshop to see how incense has been made here since the 1940s.

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LOCAL INGREDIENTS

By taxi

2-minute taxi ride

Entertainment

Nikko Yagisawa Farm

Nikko Yagisawa Farm is set amongst beautiful terraced rice fields. Depending on the time of year, Yagisawa family grows rice, buckwheat for soba, and vegatables. Enjoy a taste of farm life, with seasonal produce and gelato for sale at the farm shop.

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ENTERTAINMENT & LEISURE

By taxi

20-minute taxi ride

Shrine

Omuro Takao Shrine

This beautiful ancient shrine has a source of pure spring water that you can drink, and shrine buildings with beautiful carvings. Crawl through the hollow trunk of a cedar tree, believed to be at least 600 years old, and you may be purified.

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HISTORY & CULTURE

By taxi

14-minute taxi ride

Food

Nikko Soy Sauce Robatazuke Imaichi Store

Since the late 19th century, Nikko Soy Sauce Robatazuke has been brewing soy sauce and perfecting fermented products, from pickles to miso paste. Visit the Imaichi store to try a range of pickles, but don't miss the delicious soft serve ice cream, flavored with soy sauce.

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FOOD

By taxi

8-minute taxi ride

Accommodation

Kinugawa Onsen

Kinugawa Onsen is actually made up of two hot springs—Taki Onsen on the west bank of the Kinugawa River, and Fujiwara Onsen on the east. It’s known for its relaxing properties and it attracts many travelers each year. Currently Kinugawa Onsen has over 80 hotels and ryokans, ranging from traditional Japanese style to modern Western style.

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HOT SPRING

End of Day 1

Day 2

Kinugawa Onsen

By taxi

21-minute taxi ride

Hiking

Mt. Chausu

Hike up to the observatory on Mt. Chausu (517 m; not to be confused with Mt. Chausu in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture), for views across Imaichi. It takes around 40 minutes to hike from the trailhead to the lookout point.

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NATURE

By taxi

10-minute taxi ride

Food

Soba

Though soba noodles are popular throughout Japan, Nikko's high-quality buckwheat and fine water from clear mountain streams create perfect conditions for particularly excellent soba. It’s so popular that every autumn, when freshly harvested buckwheat is sold in the market, the city holds a festival dedicated to soba.

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Local Cuisine

By taxi

5-minute taxi ride

Activities

On Foot

8-minute walk from JR Imaichi Station

Local Ingredients

Watanabe Sahei Shoten

Imaichi is blessed with pure, soft water, which is ideal for making sake. Watanabe Sahei Shoten sake brewery has been making sake here since 1842, using pure water and local rice. You can tour the brewery by reservation, year-round. An English speaking guide may be available.

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LOCAL INGREDIENTS

On Foot

10-minute walk

Cafe

Kashiwa Cafe & Coffee Roastery

Enjoy freshly roasted coffee in a retro-style cafe, along with a wide range of sweets and savory dishes. Coffee beans are selected and roasted in-house, drawing coffee afficionados from near and far. The cafe's signature shaved ice with coffee syrup is available year round.

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Cafe & Coffee

On Foot

5-minute walk

Shrine

Imaichi Hotoku Ninomiya Jinja

The shrine is dedicated to Ninomiya Sontoku (1787–1856), an agriculturalist and reformer who lived in Imaichi and is celebrated for improving the lives of farmers through civil engineering projects such as irrigation systems. Many visitors come to pray for career success, inspired by Ninomiya's life story.

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HISTORY & CULTURE

On Foot

2-minute walk

Shimo-Imaichi Station

tour guide info test