The Nasu area is easily accessible from Tokyo due to its proximity and Shinkansen access. Arrive at Nasushiobara Station in the morning and take a bus bound for Nasu Yumoto Onsen and alight at Nasu Highland Yuainomori Rest Area. The rest area has a visitor center, shops, and restaurants. Eat lunch at Nasutoran, where you can enjoy seasonal dishes made from fresh local ingredients.

Take a bus to Nasu Yumoto Onsen and visit the Nasu-Kogen Visitor Center to learn about the area’s history and natural environment, and plan activities and experiences in the area. Some activities require advance reservations. Consider arranging a tree-climbing adventure (reservation required) that involves the use of ropes, harnesses, and other safety equipment. As you climb you get to feel the bark and the branches of the tree while observing the world below as a bird might. In winter, survey the surrounding snowy landscape from the treetop like a bird of prey.

After the climbing experience, visit Nasu Yuzen Shrine and the Sessho-seki, or “Killing Stone.” According to local legend, the volcanic stone will kill anyone who gets close to it. It is said that the stone is the transformed corpse of a nine-tailed fox that was planning to kill the Emperor in the twelfth century. The stone split in two in March 2022, and a religious ceremony was performed to pacify the spirit of the beast.

Stay overnight in Nasu Yumoto Onsen, a hot spring area in the Nasu Highlands.

The Nasu Heisei-no-Mori Forest spans approximately 560 hectares and is a protected area that was originally part of the Nasu Imperial Villa estate. It was once reserved exclusively for the Imperial Family. The forest was opened to the public in 2011 as part of Nikko National Park. Start your day at the Nasu Heisei-no-Mori Field Center, which offers tours of the forest, and take part in a guided snowshoe walk. Expert guides, known as “nature interpreters,” will lead you through the trees and identify animal tracks and other features of the winter forest that they know so well.

Afterward, return to Nasu Onsen for lunch at the Michinoku Mingeiten. Their specialty dish is suiton, a soup with flour dumplings. In the afternoon, you can bathe in the rejuvenating waters of Shika no Yu, which is believed to be the oldest hot spring in Tochigi Prefecture. According to legend, the hot springs were discovered 1,300 years ago when a deer was seen healing its wounds in the waters.

Before leaving, browse some regional souvenirs and gifts. Nasushiobara is one of Japan’s leading dairy producers, surpassed only by cities in Hokkaido. The Cheese Garden Nasu Honten has a wide range of dairy products on sale, from cheesecake to cheese cookies. Enjoy sandwiches and coffee at the cafe and try their famous Goyotei Cheesecake before traveling to Nasushiobara Station for the next leg of your journey.