2019 Tochigi Vacation (Day 1)

Tochigi Prefecture 栃木県 is in the northern part of Kanto 関東 region. Along with Ibaraki 茨城県 and Gunma 群馬県, are often referred to as North Kanto. It is the 20^th largest prefecture in Japan, with the capital being Utsunomiya 宇都宮市.

Without a direct flight, we decided to take the Cathay Pacific red-eye flight CX524 to Narita, and then drive all the way to Tochigi, to maximize our time there. After boarding the flight attendant came to inform us that the flight would delay as no flight is allowed to land at Narita before 6am.

Not sure whether this is a new rule or not, we ended up waiting for an hour before push-back. The journey was smooth, and we only landed 30 minutes later than scheduled in the end. There was a lot of renovation going on in the airport to prepare for next year’s Olympics Games.

Passing through immigration and customs was quick and easy as there was no other flight landing. We then proceeded to the counter of Toyota Rent A Car and after a quick registration, was directed to take the shuttle to their airport office, picking up our rental car (a hybrid Aqua) for this trip.

Ashikaga 足利市 was our first stop. Located at the far southwest corner of Tochigi, it took us almost three hours to arrive, but we did stop at a couple of roadside stations along the way to take some rest and have breakfast. 

In fact, we made this special detour to visit Ashikaga Flower Park 足利花卉公園. Opened in 1968, it was originally a wetland, reclaimed with more than 250 ton of charcoal, now covering a total area of 94,000 sq. metres and attracting more than 1.5 million visitors annually.

The park is famous for its wisteria 紫藤花, with one 150 years ‘Ofuji’ or ‘大藤’, spanning over 600 mats (360 sq. metres) of trellis, a 80-metre long white wisteria tunnel, and more than 350 wisteria trees of different shades of purple, pink, white and yellow, blossoming from mid-Apr to mid-May.

Apart from wisteria, the park also has other flowers blossoming at different times of the year. During our visit it was the season of hydrangea 紫陽花 and iris 菖蒲. We spent 1.5 hours walking around the park and experienced the wonders of the flowers.

Then we proceeded to our next stop: Utsunomiya. Apart from being the capital of Tochigi, the city is also famous for gyoza 餃子, or dumplings, with more than 200 specialty restaurants. Its population also has the highest consumption of gyoza in Japan.

We had chosen one of the most popular gyoza restaurants for lunch: Gyozakan 宇都宮餃子館. Started in 2005, they have now 14 outlets in Tochigi. The signature dumpling is Kenta Dumplings 健太餃子, with different vegetables in the fillings.

I ordered one of their signature set, including 12 different types of pan-fried dumpling, 3 different kinds of steamed ones, 3 pieces of the deep-fried ‘one-bite’ dumpling, and 3 pieces of the one-bite ones in soup. Quite a feast of dumplings for sure!

The dumplings were certainly good and tasty, with juicy fillings inside, the dough was appropriate in thickness, enabling a good bite without too ‘heavy’. I finished the 21 pieces of dumplings without any difficulty.

After lunch we took a walk around the JR station, visiting the Starbucks store and checked out the latest local beverage, as well as wandering around the nearby shopping malls. We then returned to our car and continued the journey to the destination for today: Nasu Highland 那須高原.

This area is the northernmost part of Tochigi, with Mt. Nasu 那須岳 and a group of other volcanic peaks. The average temperature during summer is only 25 degree Celsius, famous as a resort area for the Japanese people, with the imperial family also having a villa here.

We chose to stay in Nasu Onsen 那須温泉, a spread out hotspring on the slope of Mt. Nasu. Yumoto 湯本 is the centre of the area, with many ryokans located, including the one we booked for the evening: Sanraku 那須温泉 山楽.

This ryokan was started in 1923, visited by Emperor Showa 天皇昭和 before he decided to build his own imperial villa in Nasu, so there is a saying that his villa was inspired by the ryokan. It has a really beautiful backdrop of Nasu’s main peak: Chausudake 茶臼岳.

The ryokan has prided itself with its hotspring, directly fed from the source 5.4 km away, with an abundance flow of 800 litres per minute. The ryokan made use of the gradual drop of temperature over distance to cool down the water and this hotspring is the same feeding the royal villa.

We have booked the Modern Japanese Room with Garden Open-Air Bath. The bedroom is spacious (10 mats), with the veranda looking out at the garden, where there is a footbath along with the nice open-air bath with flowing hotspring, direct from source without heating or filtration.  

There are also two open and two indoor public baths, separately for male and female guests. The ryokan was not busy and so I had the whole bath for myself. I am particularly impressed by the open bath, created as a pool surrounded by the forest offering calm and tranquility.

The other great feature was certainly the quality of the hotspring. Simple Onsen 単純温泉 in style, the semi-clear water has no smell, slightly alkaline and giving a nice smoothing experience. I felt all my neck pain gone after the soak and no wonder it was famous for healing properties.

The ryokan also had a nice lobby with plenty of comfortable sofas looking at the window to the beautifully trimmed garden. Offering tea, coffee as well as wine and sake free for guests, we had a relaxing moment before returning to the room and got ready for dinner.

Dinner is served at the private dining room Yumatsuki. We chose not to dine in room to avoid the smell of the food. All the dishes were fantastic in taste and plating, a true feast of flavors, texture and enjoyment. I also had the local sake Tentaka 天鷹, one of the most popular in Tochigi.

Budget (for 2 pax):
Car rental (Hybrid Aqua for 5 days with comprehensive insurance) - 47,844 yen
Breakfast at roadside station - 2,110 yen
Entry fee for Ashikaga Flower Park - 1,400 yen
Lunch at Utsunomiya Gyozakan - 2,300 yen
Parking fee at Utsunomiya JR station - 500 yen
Nasu Onsen Sanraku (one night with dinner and breakfast) - 83,676 yen

Contacts:
Toyota Rent A Car
成田市取香 530-13
Tel: 04-7632-1020

Ashikaga Flower Park 足利花卉公園
栃木県足利市迫間町607
Tel: 02-8491-4939

Utsunomiya Gyozakan 宇都宮餃子館
栃木県宇都宮市駅前通り3-1-5
Tel: 02-8637-1000

Nasu Onsen Sanraku 那須温泉 山楽
栃木県那須郡那須町湯本206
Tel: 02-8776-3010