For a stay with Akiruno as your destination, you can choose different focuses, including landscapes, crafts, bathing and cultural events. Akikawa Valley provides the broader scenic setting; fishing and washi papermaking are more specific activities. You can first decide whether a nature experience, a scheduled event or a particular type of accommodation should shape your stay.
Landscapes and Activities
The Akikawa Valley stretches for about 20 kilometers from the city of Akiruno to the village of Hinohara. Its two endpoints give the valley a broader geographic scope than a single place to visit. If you are looking for a specific activity rather than a scenic perspective, consider fishing at Akikawa International Trout Fishing: in a natural stream area, visitors can fish for yamame among natural boulders, with no partitions.
About 10,000 hydrangeas grow on Minamisawa Hydrangea Mountain. As a seasonal attraction, it offers another nature-focused option for planning your trip. If you would like to plan your visit around a seasonal highlight, you can make this a focus of its own. Fishing and the hydrangea mountain differ not only in their themes, but also because one is an activity and the other a seasonal attraction.
Crafts and Culture
Traditional washi papermaking by hand is available at Akiruno Furusato Kobo. Advance arrangements may be necessary for some craft programs. So if you plan to make washi paper yourself, check in advance whether arrangements are required for your program.
Ninomiya Shrine and its associated castle ruins are designated as a historic site in Tokyo. The Ginger Festival is held at the shrine every year on September 8 and 9. The festival includes a mikoshi procession and stalls selling ginger and other foods. The historic designation is a permanent point of interest, while the festival is a specific, dated event. If you would like to plan your trip around the festivities, you can use these two September dates as an anchor for your schedule.
Bathing and Accommodation
The indoor and outdoor baths at Akikawa Valley Seoto no Yu are natural alkaline simple hot springs. Operating details may vary by season. If a visit to the baths is a key reason for your trip, check the latest information before you go. Seoto no Yu also offers stays in single-story and maisonette cottages. If you plan to stay there, check availability before your trip.
Tokura Shiroyama Terrace also offers accommodation. The facility uses the former Tokura Elementary School building, which closed after 139 years, as a tourism facility with four functions: experiences, accommodation, dining and exhibitions. The accommodation options therefore differ: Seoto no Yu offers single-story and maisonette cottages, while accommodation is one of Tokura Shiroyama Terrace’s four functions, alongside experiences, dining and exhibitions.
Discover more destinations: Oume, Bunkyō, Toshima, Hamura, Ōta, Fuchū, Nozawa, Koganei
For the main travel overview: Tokyo.
