In the town of Tsuru, cultural history meets specific places for outdoor activities. The Tsuru Museum focuses on a locally widespread silk fabric and Matsuo Bashō’s stay in Tanimura. Other options include the Tsuru Alps hiking trail, a riverside park with barbecue facilities and a playground to suit different interests. When planning your trip, it can be helpful to consider cultural history, hiking and time by the water as separate priorities.

Tsuru Museum: Silk Fabric and Bashō

The Tsuru Museum opened in April 1999. Videos there explain, among other things, the silk fabric 郡内縞 (Gunnai-jima), which was widespread in 都留市 during the Edo period, and Matsuo Bashō’s stay of about half a year in 谷村 (Tanimura). Bashō wrote poems during this stay.

The museum’s two topics appeal to different interests. 郡内縞 draws attention to a silk fabric and its prevalence during the Edo period; Bashō’s story focuses on his approximately six-month stay in Tanimura and the poems he wrote there. This lets you choose between an approach through textile history and one through literature. The time references differ, too: the period places the textile in context, while Bashō’s approximate length of stay makes his connection to Tanimura more tangible.

Hiking Trail and Waterless Biotoilet

The Tsuru Alps hiking trail has a distinctive facility along the way. Halfway along the route, at map point 8 beside the parking lot on the outer grounds of Rakuzan Stadium, there is a waterless biotoilet. Microorganisms on bioplastic chips break down the waste; the toilet is considered low-odor, hygienic and environmentally friendly. The map point along the trail and the adjacent parking lot provide two specific location references for the facility.

Riverside Park and Playground

Suisui Hiroba Riverside Park is a nature-surrounded area by the water with barbecue facilities. If you would like to have a barbecue there, check with the operator whether you need to make a reservation. This is a practical consideration when planning to use this specific facility.

Wakuwaku Hiroba is a playground with a variety of play equipment. The two places can be distinguished by what you want to do outdoors: at the riverside park, the area by the water and the barbecue facilities are the main attractions; at the playground, it is the play equipment. Your choice therefore depends on whether you are looking for a place to barbecue by the water or a playground.

Local Produce

Agricultural production is also part of the area’s profile. In the districts of 十日市場 (Tokaichiba) and 夏狩 (Natsukari), wasabi, river fish, 水かけ菜 (Mizukake-na) and watercress are produced or cultivated using the abundant spring water of Mount Fuji. This brings specific products and their regional roots into focus alongside cultural history and outdoor activities. For travelers who want to understand a destination through its agriculture, this offers another perspective on the town.

Discover more destinations: Minami-Alps, Kai, Fujikawaguchiko, Kōfu, Fujikawa, Kōshū, Hayakawa, Funatsu

For the main travel overview: Yamanashi Prefecture.