Tochigi Prefecture

Do
Feel the spray of three famous waterfalls
Kegon, Nachi and Fukuroda are often called Japan's three great waterfalls, and each drops around 100 meters. At all three you can stand on a viewing deck near the base, close enough to hear the roar and feel the mist on your face. Kegon and Fukuroda are day trips from Tokyo, while Nachi, far south of Osaka, fits better into an overnight trip.
Do
Hear wind chimes ring across a summer shrine
Every summer, some Shinto shrines hang hundreds or even thousands of furin, small glass or metal wind chimes, along their paths and corridors. Walk beneath them as they ring in the breeze, and in the evening many are lit up. The displays run only from about June to early September, so check the dates before you go.
Do
Ride a bus straight into a lake
On an amphibious bus, often called a duck tour, you ride along the road, then roll down a ramp into a lake with a big splash, and the bus carries on across the water as a boat. Most run only from spring to autumn, and strong wind or high water can cancel a trip, so check the season and book ahead.
Do
Walk among giant pillars deep underground
These are vast spaces under the ground: a flood-control tank held up by rows of giant pillars, and old quarries where stone was cut away and pillars of rock were left to hold up the roof. The air inside stays cool all year, so even in midsummer bring a light jacket.
Do
Sip coffee beside grazing goats and alpacas
On some farms in Japan the cafe sits right beside the animals, so you can drink coffee or fresh farm milk while goats or alpacas wander a few steps away. A few let you feed the goats as well. Most are in the countryside, and opening days and winter closures vary, so check each one before you go.
Do
Drink fresh beer next to the tanks it came from
All over Japan, small craft breweries pour their beer in taprooms set right beside the brewing tanks, so what you drink was made a few steps away. Order a few small glasses to compare styles, often with food made to go with them. The places in and around Tokyo make an easy evening out, while those farther away fit into a longer trip through the region.
Town
Utsunomiya
A stone town over a vast underground quarry
Oya, on the edge of Utsunomiya north of Tokyo, has long quarried Oya stone, a soft, green-flecked stone that Frank Lloyd Wright used for his Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Walk down into the vast space left underground by the quarrying, then see Buddhas carved into the rock face. It is about 30 minutes by bus from Utsunomiya, which is under an hour from Tokyo by shinkansen.

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