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There’s no shortage of travel inspiration around right now: from scenic videos to live-streamed tours of top attractions, it’s never been easier to experience Japan from home.
Best of all, though, these virtual tours are a great way to learn about beautiful places that aren’t on the typical tourist route. For instance, people flock to the town of Nikko in Tochigi prefecture for its historic Nikko Toshogu Shrine, natural onsen baths and autumn foliage. However, there’s much more to see in Tochigi besides Nikko.
This stunning 8K video of Tochigi, shared on the Honmono no Deai Tochigi YouTube channel, features an array of sights from across the prefecture. Although the video is less than five-minutes long, it’s got us convinced to add Tochigi to our travel list. After all, it’s only two hours from Tokyo by train. Here are some of the highlights from the video:
Forget Arashiyama in Kyoto, Tochigi has its very own bamboo forest, known as Wakatake no Mori Wakayama Farm, where you can try your hand at harvesting bamboo shoots, chestnuts and blueberries.
Rather stay in the great outdoors but keep your creature comforts? Glamping is increasingly popular around Japan and the Towa Pure Cottages in Nasu look like something straight out of science fiction.
The lush Numappara Marsh is the ideal spot to enjoy nature and take a trek through fields of seasonal flowers – look out for the dwarf daylilies, which bloom from June to July.
Tochigi is littered with natural onsen but nothing beats a soak in a rotenburo outdoor hot spring bath at Nasu Onsen Sanraku.
A visit to the Oya History Museum is a must. The venue is inside a stunning cave, which used to be an old mining site.
The British Embassy Villa Memorial Park is the ideal spot to take in panoramic views of Lake Chuzenji. The villa was once the private residence of a British diplomat, but now houses an exhibition space and a tea room.
Of course, the video also features mouth-watering regional cuisine including Nasu Wagyu beef, handmade soba and a local speciality known as Jingo Yaki, which is a mountain-shaped rice ball covered in miso paste.
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