Nasu (Nasu Kogen / Nasu Onsen)

Kanto, Japan · Mountain

A volcanic mountain region with one of Japan's oldest hot spring villages (Nasu Yumoto, with records dating back to the 8th century) as its base, the ropeway to the ninth station of Mount Chausu with high-altitude trails, the Nasu Stained Glass Museum (a Cotswolds-style chapel built to house antique English stained glass), N's Yard (artist Yoshitomo Nara's gallery-museum), and a safari park of 700 animals from 70 species driven through by car.

The essentials

Getting there

Train — Tohoku Shinkansen Tokyo-Nasushiobara (¥5,600 unreserved, ~75min) + Kanto bus to the Nasu Onsen/Yumoto area (~50min, ¥1,170) or, extending to the Nasu Ropeway (April-November only), ~75min and ¥1,640. Buses roughly hourly, not covered by any JR pass.

Frequently asked questions about Nasu (Nasu Kogen / Nasu Onsen)

What to do in Nasu (Nasu Kogen / Nasu Onsen): 23 activities

• Nasu Yumoto hot spring village 2 h must-see

  One of Japan's oldest hot spring villages, with records dating back to the 8th century, with sulfur-rich public baths and traditional ryokan scattered up the mountainside.

• Mount Chausu ropeway and hiking 3 h

  A 5-minute ropeway to the ninth station of Mount Chausu (April-November only), with high-altitude trails and views of the Nasu mountain range's volcanoes; azaleas in spring and autumn foliage in October-November.

• Sessho-seki, the killing stone 1.5 h

  The rock where legend sealed the spirit of the nine-tailed fox Tamamo-no-Mae split in two in March 2022 and made news worldwide; it can still be visited, in a volcanic field strewn with hundreds of jizo statues next to the shrine of the hot spring deity.

• Cheese and dairy from the plateau 1.5 h

  Nasu is Kanto's dairy district: cheese shops with their famous cake, and Guernsey cattle farms where the ice cream is eaten fresh.

• Fujishiro Seiji Museum 1.5 h

  Museum of the Japanese master of shadow theatre and backlit cut-paper work (kagee), with pieces you have to see in the dark to understand.

• Heisei-no-Mori forest of the Imperial Villa 3 h

  560 hectares of the imperial villa grounds handed over and opened to the public in 2011: one freely accessible zone and another you can enter only accompanied by a nature guide-interpreter, something unique in Japan.

• Nasu Animal Kingdom and alpaca farm 4 h

  Large animal park with birds of prey and sheepdog shows, and a separate alpaca farm, both distinct from the drive-through safari.

• Nasu Safari Park 3 h

  A safari with about 700 animals from 70 species (lions, tigers, giraffes...), explorable by guided bus, your own car, or a rental, with activities like feeding the lions or elephant rides.

• Shika-no-yu and the wooden ryokan Kita Onsen 2 h

  The oldest bath in Tochigi, almost 1,400 years old and with six stepped pools from 41 to 48 degrees, and a period wooden ryokan with a large tengu mask presiding over the bath.

• Forest zipline course 2.5 h booking

  Aerial course of ziplines and obstacles among the trees next to the amusement park, with adult and children's versions.

• Hot spring shrine festivals 2.5 h only 8-9 October and late May

  Nasu Onsen shrine holds its main annual festival on 8-9 October, with a hot spring water rite, and in late May the town stages the Gojinka-sai, a fire festival with a torch procession.

• N's Yard (Yoshitomo Nara) 1.5 h

  A gallery-museum housing artist Yoshitomo Nara's personal collection, in an understated building set into the forest, with a café and limited-edition merchandise shop.

• Nasu Highland Park 5 h

  Tochigi's largest amusement park, with roller coasters and a children's area, in the middle of the plateau forest.

• Nasu range traverse 7 h

  Full-day route linking Chausu, Asahi and Sanbonyari along the volcanic ridge, very different from the short climb by ropeway.

• Nasu Stained Glass Museum 1 h

  Chapel built in the style of the English Cotswolds to house antique stained glass brought from England.

• Nasu wagyu and craft beer 1.5 h

  Beef raised on the plateau itself and a craft brewery with a garden, the usual dinner after a day in the mountains.

• Starry skies and forest saunas 2.5 h booking

  The plateau has an excellent night sky, with glamping and viewpoints, and a recent wave of private saunas among the trees.

• Teddy Bear Museum 1 h

  Alongside its bear collection, it has an officially licensed permanent exhibition of My Neighbor Totoro, Catbus included.

• The thousand jizo of Sentai 1 h

  Nearly a thousand small stone buddhas carved by a single man over 40 years, lined up along the slope.

• Trick Art Pia illusion museums 2 h

  Three museums of optical illusion paintings designed for photographing yourself inside the pictures, a staple of Japanese family holidays.

• Tsutsuji suspension bridge and azalea field 1 h

  A 130-meter suspended walkway over the valley, especially striking in late May, when the nearby Yahata azalea field is in bloom.

• Classic car museum 1 h

  One more in the plateau's improbable cluster of private museums, this one devoted to vintage cars.

• Nasu Garden Outlet 2 h

  Open-air outlet centre that sells local produce from the district alongside the brands; a routine stop on the way back to the expressway.

What only happens on specific dates

• Hot spring shrine festivals 8-9 October and late May

Chains well with

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