A 2-Day 1-Night Sightseeing Trip Through the Tama Countryside’s Crafting Villages

Car Plan: DAY 1

Musashi-Masuko Station

Honey Bee Farm Museum

This hands-on museum is popular for its beekeeping farm tours and candle-making with beeswax. After the tour, you can shop for a wide variety of honey confections in its cafe. *Tours and experiences are for groups of 5 or more.

Tokura Shiroyama Terrace

This unique lodging and tourism facility, housed in a renovated former school, brings together four key experiences: hands-on activities, accommodations, dining, and exhibitions. Enjoy a school lunch-style meal at restaurant "Shokuinshitsu," a play on the words “eating and drinking place” and “teacher’s lounge.” On the third floor, visitors can explore exhibitions that showcase the geography, culture, and heritage of the Akigawa basin.

Plan 1: Hossawa Falls (Stroll Around the Area Together)　

The only waterfall in Tokyo featured in Japan’s 100 best waterfalls.

Plan 2: Forest School (Hands-on Learning)

Offers hands-on lessons including traditional village cooking and making jam with locally-produced yuzu citrus fruits. Enjoy lectures given by teachers from the area. *Advance reservation required for lessons

Chitoseya

This cozy shop serves Hinohara’s signature tofu both on its own and as a sweet treat. Don’t miss the freshly made uno-hana donuts—they’re delightfully light and crisp.

Akigawa Keikoku Seoto-no-Yu Spa

A cottage nestled between the Akigawa Valley and western Tama mountains. This onsen accommodation also offers a footbath and a shop that sells vegetables harvested by local farmers in the morning.

DAY 2

Akigawa Keikoku Seoto-no-Yu Spa

Wake up and prepare to explore the local cave site

Ootake Limestone Caves

This limestone cave is filled with fascinating features—including unique stalagmites that locals have given imaginative names. A guided tour is highly recommended to fully appreciate its hidden wonders.

Lunch at Kurochaya

Set in a 250-year-old home once built for the village headman, this restaurant overlooks the scenic Akigawa Valley. Savor a Kaiseki-style meal featuring charcoal-grilled dishes and traditional countryside fare, all prepared with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Hinode Washi (Japanese paper)

Create unique items like paper lamps and smartphone cases using age-old techniques. On site, you’ll find paper mulberry trees—the raw material for washi—allowing you to experience the process from harvesting to finished product, all in one place.