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.
Explore Imaichi: The Historical Gateway to Nikko
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
HISTORY & CULTURE
On Foot
2-minute walk
Shimo-Imaichi Station
tour guide info test