Relax with the Beautiful Natural Scenery of Okumikawa

Enjoy the spectacular nature of Okumikawa such as the scenery of Mt. Chausu and Mt. Horaiji or Atera no Nanataki Waterfall as well as the distillation experience at the Okumikawa Distillery by the Ure River. Stay overnight and enjoy the local cuisine at Shimizukan.

A Dyeing Workshop at maru-kai

A dyeing workshop using local seasonal plants in Okumikawa.
Choose from a variety of small items such as an eco-bag, a drawstring bag, a tenugui towel or a scarf. Then, make your own pattern using kite string, rubber bands and marbles.

Depending on the plants you dye, you can make them in a variety of colors, and depending on how you use the kite string and rubber bands, you can create a completely different pattern. Enjoy a cup of tea and some sweets while you are dyeing.

【Address】 50-11 Hiraguri, Miwa, Toei Town, Kita-Shitara County, Aichi Prefecture 449-0216
【Business Days / Hours】 Sundays and Mondays 10:00-17:00
【Holidays】 Tuesdays through Saturdays
【Public Transport】 1-minute walk from Toei Station on the JR Iida Line
【URL】 https://www.facebook.com/marukaitoei/

Mt. Chausu Plateau

Mt. Chausu Plateau is the highest point in Aichi Prefecture at 1415 meters.

There is a flower garden and moss phlox hill that spreads out near the top of Mt. Hagitaro at 1358 meters, overlooking the Southern Alps mountain range.

A popular place among outdoor lovers, the plateau offers a variety of activities throughout the year, including grass and fresh greenery in spring, camping in summer, autumn leaves in autumn and skiing in winter.

Shimizukan

Shimizukan is a Japanese inn located at the foot of Mt. Chausu, surrounded by a rich natural environment between Shizuoka and Nagano Prefectures.

Taste the delicacies of the mountains with seasonal wild game, Shinzan cuisine (deep mountain cuisine) and river fish dishes that can only be found in the mountains.
Grilled lamb jingisukan is a specialty of Shimizukan.

【Address】 45-1 Goshodaira, Sakauba, Toyone Village, Kita-Shitara County, Aichi Prefecture 449-0405
【Public Transport】 JR Iida Line → Toei Station → Taxi
【URL】https://www.shimizukan.jp/

Mt. Horaiji

Mt. Horaiji is 695 meters high and is made up of rhyolite, the remnants of a 15-million-year-old volcano. Horaiji Temple, located halfway up the mountain, is said to have been founded by a hermit named Rishu about 1,300 years ago (703 AD).

When the then-Emperor Monmu fell ill, he sent an imperial envoy to Rishu. The legend says that Rishu rode to the capital on a phoenix and cured the emperor's illness by praying for seven days. The grateful emperor constructed an elegant temple on the mountain where Rishu lived and named it Horaiji Temple, meaning “Temple of the Arriving Phoenix.”
　
Climbing up the stone steps of the main approach to the temple, just past the Niomon gate, you will find the famous Kasa-sugi (umbrella cedar) tree. The tree is estimated to be 800 years old and stands 60.8 meters high, stretching towards the sky. The tree is called "Kasa-sugi" because the branches spread out in all directions above the trunk, giving it the appearance of an umbrella. Selected as one of the 100 best trees in Japan, the Kasa-sugi is a rare variety and is considered to be of the highest quality in terms of appearance. There are 1,425 stone steps.

Atera no Nanataki Waterfall

The name of the waterfall is derived from the seven falls it comprises ("nana" meaning seven, "taki" meaning waterfall).
The waterfall has been selected as one of the 100 best waterfalls in Japan and is also designated as a national scenic beauty and natural monument.
Here you’ll find some of nature's mysterious attractions such as the formation of potholes and a conglomerate rock called "Kodai-ishi," which is said to be blessed with a child.
A legend also remains that the famous diviner, or onmyoji, Abe no Seimei trained at the waterfall in his youth.

Roadside Station Shitara

Roadside Stations are rest areas found along roads which not only provide a place for travelers to rest but also promote local tourism and trade.

This facility includes an exhibition of a wooden car from the disused Toyohashi Railway Taguchi Line, a sake brewing workshop and the Okumikawa Museum of Local History. In the commercial facilities, you can purchase local vegetables and enjoy meals.

◆Facilities Promoting Regional Industry
There is a restaurant Seirei where you can eat food that can only be found here using plenty of local ingredients, Seirei Market with local products mainly from Shitara Town, Houraisen Sake Laboratory where you can experience sake making in a restored laboratory of an abandoned school in Shitara, and the office of Shitara Town Tourism Association.

【Address】 17-7 Nakada, Kiyosaki, Shitara Town, Kita-Shitara County, Aichi Prefecture 441-2302
【Business Hours】9:00-17:00
【Holidays】 Open every day
【Public Transport】 JR Hon-Nagashino Station → Take a bus from the station, get off at Tanai, and walk 5 min.
【URL】https://www.kankoshitara.jp/michinoekishitara/

Gourmet　Roadside Station Toyone Green Port Miyajima

Gourmet　Michi-no-Eki (roadside station) Toyone Green Port Miyajima

Roadside Stations are rest areas found along roads which not only provide a place for travelers to rest but also promote local tourism and trade.

This Roadside Station is located on National Road 151 near Mt. Chausu Plateau, the highest point in Aichi Prefecture. You can enjoy the home-made dishes prepared by the locals, using local specialities such as sturgeon raised in the pure natural water of Toyone Village and fresh vegetables.

【Address】 29-3 Miyanoshima, Sakauba, Toyone Village, Kita-Shitara County, Aichi Prefecture 449-0405
【Business Hours】 11:30-14:00, 17:00-20:00
【Holidays】 Tuesdays and Wednesdays
【URL】http://www.toyonemura-kanko.jp/greenport/

Sample Itinerary

《Day 1》

08:30 Pick up your car at a rental office near Nagoya Station, and depart
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Travel by car （approx. 2 hours）
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11:00 A dyeing workshop at maru-kai near Toei Station
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Travel by car
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13:00 Sturgeon lunch at Green Port Miyajima
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Travel by car
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14:00 Strolling at Mennoki Menchi Park
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Travel by car
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15:30 Explore Mt. Chausu Plateau
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17:30 Check in at Shimizukan
Dinner of the local cuisine
Overnight stay

《Day 2》

08:30 Check out
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Travel by car
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09:00 Tsuta no Fuchi (nicknamed “Niagara Falls of Okumikawa”)
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Travel by car
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11:45 Atera no Nanataki Waterfall
Lunch at Restaurant Yu-Yu
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Travel by car
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14:00 Sightseeing at Mt. Horaiji
Break at Art & Café Houraikan
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15:00 Shopping at Roadside Station Shitara
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18:00 Return your car at a rental office near Nagoya Station