Local Guide
6 sightseeing spots in Nasu that are perfect for traveling with children and are fun for both adults and children

From a sightseeing farm where you can interact with various animals to a theme park where you can have fun, the Nasu Kogen area offers many places for parents and children to enjoy together. All of the Properties are elaborate in their own way. Events are also held during long holidays and consecutive holidays. Here are some sightseeing spots that are sure to attract not only children but also the whole family.

A zoo with a large variety of feeding and performance events

Camel Ride
Camel Ride": 700 yen per lap while holding on to the camel's hump

The zoo, where visitors can meet more than 600 animals from all over the world in a vast site full of clean air and greenery, is divided into two zones: "Kingdom Town," where most routes are roofed to protect visitors from rain and midsummer, and "Kingdom Farm," where visitors can observe dynamic animals in action. Particularly popular among children are "Capibara Forest," where lovable capybaras live, and "Wetland," where you can see otters and other animals. There are also a variety of events, such as performances by fur seals, hawks and eagles, and penguin feeding, so it is recommended to check the times as you go around.

From gourmet food to outstanding views, you could spend a whole day here and never get tired of the fun!

Lunch for a wild cat: 1,200 yen
Lunch for a wild cat: 1,200 yen

At Yamaneko Terrace, where you can enjoy the magnificent view of Nasu, you can have a "Yamaneko Lunch," which includes bread and other items with animal motifs. When you are hungry after a lot of fun, head to the "Barbecue Garden" Restaurant, which also has terrace seating. Children will be very satisfied with the all-you-can-eat buffet that includes meat, yakisoba, and dessert.
The spacious Kingdom is conveniently accessible by vehicles such as the "Kingdom Lift" and the "Wannyan Bus," which offer pleasant highland breezes. Tractor buses" are also available depending on the season. Strollers are allowed (with some exceptions), and there are three nursing rooms and a diaper changing area.

Nasu Animal Kingdom
  • Address 1042-1 Oshima, Nasu-cho, Nasu-gun, Tochigi MAP
  • Direction Approximately 21 minutes by car from JR Kurodahara Station, or approximately 16 minutes from the Nasu Kogen Smart Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway.
  • Business Hours Varies by day, so check the calendar on the website.
  • Closed Varies according to the month, so check the calendar on the website.
  • Admission Fee Adults 2,600 yen, children (3 years old to elementary school students) 1,200 yen
    Adults 2,000 yen, children (3 years old to elementary school students) 1,000 yen in winter
  • TEL 0287-77-1110
  • Parking 700 yen (free in winter)
  • Memo The "Kingdom Farm" is closed in winter. Wannyan Bus and Oukoku Lift are also closed. Please check the website for details such as lift fees.

A Leisure Facility where visitors can play to their heart's content at the ranch and attractions surrounding the lake.

The zip line, which allows you to glide over the lake, is very popular with children and adults alike.
The zip line, which allows you to glide over the lake, is very popular with children and adults alike.

With Lake Rindo, which has a circumference of approximately 2 km, as its center, there is a farm where you can meet ponies, alpacas, rabbits, etc., and more than 25 attractions, making it a fun place for both children and adults to spend time. The view of the majestic Nasu mountain range and the clean highland air on a cruise boat are exhilarating. The "Zip Line KAKKU," a thrilling attraction with a one-way glide of 220 meters above the lake, and the classic foot-pedal boat are popular among families as leisure activities unique to the lake.
Restaurant "Cantine" offers children's lunch, rice omelets, miso ramen noodles made with Jersey milk, and other dishes that will please even the youngest children.

A wide variety of farm experiences, such as feeding and milking

Feeding experience is overwhelmingly popular among children
Feeding experience is overwhelmingly popular among children

At the lakeside ranch, there are many hands-on experiences where you can interact with cute animals. Even small children can safely participate in "feeding" rabbits, goats, and sheep and "petting small animals" to hold fluffy rabbits, together with their parents. There are also junior menus such as horseback riding and alpaca walks for siblings to enjoy separately.
There are three dog runs in the park, and many guests visit with their dogs. Nursing rooms and women's restrooms are equipped with diaper changing beds, and baby strollers are available for rent (500 yen).

Nasu Kogen Rindoko Family Farm
  • Address 414-2 Takaku C 414-2, Nasu-cho, Nasu-gun, Tochigi MAP
  • Direction 23 minutes drive from JR Nasu Shiobara Station / 10 minutes drive from the Nasu Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway
  • Business hours 9:30 - 17:00 (varies depending on the season and day of the week; check the website)
  • Regular holidays Closed during winter (check website)
  • Admission Fee Admission: Adults 1,600 yen, children (3 years old to elementary school students) 800 yen, seniors (65 years old and older) 1,100 yen
    Enjoy Pass Set (admission + unlimited rides ticket) / Adults 4,900 yen, elementary school students 4,100 yen, children 3 years old to preschoolers 3,800 yen (with 1,000 Rindouko currency), seniors 4,400 yen
  • TEL 0287-76-3111
  • Parking Free on weekdays
    1,000 yen on Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, and special periods such as GW and summer vacation (free within 45 minutes)
  • Memo For details on admission, attractions, experience fees, and hours of operation, check the website at

    Wheelchairs and baby carriages are available for rent (for a fee), and coin lockers are available.

A ranch surrounded by the natural beauty of Nasu, perfect for creating memories with parents and children

Horseback riding experience against the backdrop of magnificent nature: 850 yen per ride
Horseback riding experience against the backdrop of magnificent nature: 850 yen per ride

The ranch has a large area at the foot of the Nasu mountain range. The "Guernsey cows" raised here are very rare dairy cows, and the "Guernsey Golden Milk" milked here won the highest gold award in the 2013 and 2017 National Local Milk Grand Prix.
Admission is free. Experience-based activities are available, ranging from food making, such as sausage and ice cream making, to physical activities such as archery and putting golf. Horseback riding is highly recommended. Staff/staff members are always at your side, so you can try horseback riding with peace of mind.

A place where even small children can enjoy interacting with animals

Admission to the
Admission to the "Me-me-me-me" Plaza is 250 yen, and food is 100 yen (sold separately). Usampo Hiroba is 500 yen for 15 minutes.

There are also many places where you can interact with animals. One place in particular where you can feel the animals' breath at close range is the "Meh-Meh-Meh Plaza," where you can Experience feeding goats and sheep. The time spent playing with the energetic goats and sheep will surely be an unforgettable memory for children. The "Usampo Plaza" is recommended for small children. Up to five people can enter per rabbit, making for a fun family experience.

Local Guide Comment
There are a variety of eating and drinking properties, including Restaurants and Cafes. At the Milk Teahouse, which sells dairy products from the ranch, visitors can enjoy rich milk from rare Guernsey cows and thick soft-serve ice cream unique to the ranch.
Nasu Highlands Minamigaoka Ranch
  • Address 579 Yumoto, Nasu-cho, Nasu-gun, Tochigi MAP
  • Direction Approximately 15 minutes from Nasu IC by car
  • Direction Take a bus from JR Kuroiso Station, get off at Ichikenjaya and walk 15 minutes.
  • Business hours 8:00-17:30
  • Closed No holidays
  • Admission Fee Free of charge
  • TEL 0287-76-2150
  • Parking Free of charge

The excitement never stops! Dig and find your own gems

Find a power stone buried in the sand in 12 minutes!
Find a power stone buried in the sand in 12 minutes!

Visitors can experience the search for gemstones at a mining site that is reminiscent of a mine. Visitors are given a shovel and bucket to actually dig for crystals, amethysts, and other power gemstones within a time limit. Visitors can take home the stones they find as souvenirs. There are two mining areas: the "Underground Mine," which requires advance reservations, and the "Valley of Crystals/Crystal River," where visitors can register on the day of the tour. In the "Underground Mine," visitors go underground in a dimly lit tunnel and work together as a team to mine power stones. Since there is only one team per mining site, the whole family can enjoy the experience together.

Children and adults alike will be playing like crazy before you know it!

It is fun to measure the weight of the stone you found. How much is today's achievement?
It is fun to measure the weight of the stone you found. How much is today's achievement?

In the Crystal River, visitors can search for sparkling gems at the bottom of a 60-meter-long river. You can play here without reservations. While watching children playing, adults will be itching to play, too. The greatest appeal of this Property is that visitors of all ages can become enthralled. Other exciting spots include the "Quartz Geode Cracking Experience," where you can find crystals overflowing with dazzling light by crushing rugged stones, and the "Crystal River Specimen Room," where you can observe mined stones with a magnifying glass. Mineral lovers will not want to miss this.

Local Guide Comment
The dairy farm is also home to a variety of exciting features, such as background music during quarrying and a dimly-lit tunnel. The Property is an indoor facility, so it tends to be crowded on rainy days. It is recommended to visit late in the day when it is relatively empty. Don't worry, you won't lose your jewelry.
Treasure Stone Park
  • Address 123 Takaku Hei, Nasu-cho, Nasu-gun, Tochigi MAP
  • Direction Approximately 20 minutes by car from JR Kuroiso Station
  • Business hours 10:00-17:00 (from December to 16:00)
  • Closed Thursdays (Wednesdays and Thursdays in November and December)
  • Admission Fee Crystal Valley 800 yen, Underground Mine 1,800 yen (capacity of 3)
    *Advance reservation required
  • TEL 0287-73-8039
  • Parking Free of charge

A happy museum filled with the charm of teddy bears

On the first floor of the museum, you can enjoy the story of the original character
On the first floor of the museum, you can enjoy the story of the original character "Uncle Ted.

This place, with its fashionable red bricks set in a lush green forest, is a museum where all the world's beloved teddy bears come together. On display are Teddy Edward, the most traveled teddy bear in the world, as well as antique items and artist bears created by teddy bear artists. The teddy bears have different personalities depending on the country they come from, and each artist has his or her own unique expression, so no two teddy bears look alike. Please try to find your favorite teddy bear.

A museum full of your favorite characters. Art exhibition "My Neighbor Totoro's Stuffed Toy Exhibition"

Flying on the ceiling is the Great Totoro. Touch the stuffed animals and feel the warmth of their touch!
Flying on the ceiling is the Great Totoro. Touch the stuffed animals and feel the warmth of their touch!

Also of note is the special exhibition "My Neighbor Totoro's Stuffed Toys" currently being held on the second floor for an extended period of time. The nostalgic world of Studio Ghibli's animation "My Neighbor Totoro" is expressed through dioramas and stuffed toys. There is also a photo spot where visitors can take pictures with Totoro and the cat bus, fulfilling the dream of riding the cat bus, which Ghibli fans would like to experience at least once.
Don't forget to stop by the museum's tea room and museum store. The teddy bear motif cookies, handmade from molds and with faces painted one by one, make great souvenirs.

Local Guide Comment
The loveliness of the teddy bears will make you happy just by looking at them. It is also interesting to learn about teddy bears visiting from all over the world and the historical background of the birth of teddy bears.
Nasu Teddy Bear Museum
  • Address 1185-4 Takaku Hei, Nasu-cho, Nasu-gun, Tochigi MAP
  • Direction Approximately 10 minutes by car from the Nasu IC
  • Business hours 9:30-17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
  • Closed The 2nd Tuesday of February, March, June, and December (Open if the day of closing is a national holiday.) The 2nd Tuesday and Wednesday of February are consecutive holidays.
  • Admission Fee Adults 1,350 yen, Junior high and high school students 1,000 yen, Elementary school students 800 yen
  • TEL 0287-76-1711
  • Parking Free of charge

Let's learn about rare insects from around the world while looking at real ones!

Exhibition corner. Visitors can get a close-up look at insect specimens from around the world and observe living insects and reptiles.
Exhibition corner. Visitors can get a close-up look at insect specimens from around the world and observe living insects and reptiles.

Mr. Toshihiko Narikawa, the director of "Nasu Insect World," opened his own museum four years ago out of his love of insects. The museum, which includes an exhibition area, a maze where visitors answer insect quiz questions, and a store, is filled with ideas for learning about insect ecology in a fun way. The main exhibition area features an array of specimens of beetles, stag beetles, and scarab beetles from Asia, Africa, North and South America, and other species. There is also a collection of rare species such as the world's longest stick insect, which is about 30 centimeters long, and the giant Riocco cricket. There is also a petting zoo* where visitors can directly touch the insects.
*Suspended due to the Corona disaster, but scheduled to reopen after November 2021.

The special prize is a Hercules beetle! Participatory events are very popular with children!

The Hercules beetle is the most popular item in the store among children. Price depends on the individual.
The Hercules beetle is the most popular item in the store among children. Price depends on the individual.

At the store, visitors can purchase a wide variety of insects, including those not sold at most home improvement stores. The insect raffle, which costs 500 yen per draw, is a no-lose event, and the special prize is a Hercules beetle, the world's longest species of beetle. At the event corner, visitors can fish for beetles from July to early September, and have the experience of digging for larvae around that time. The larvae will hatch over the course of a year, and visitors are encouraged to bring them to the Property by the end of August, with the Hercules beetle being awarded to the person who can grow the largest.

Local Guide Comment
Around June, outdoor insect collecting tours are held on sunny Saturdays and Sundays only. Participants can find trees with sap on them and have the simulated experience of collecting sawfly and stag beetles. This is sure to be a lot of fun for children.
Nasu Insect World
  • Address 5327-1 Takaku-ko, Nasu-cho, Tochigi MAP
  • Direction Approx. 15 min. by car from Kuroiso Station on the JR Tohoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line)
  • Business hours Mar-Oct 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb 10:00-16:00 (admission until 30 minutes before closing)
  • Closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from mid-January to mid-March (open on national holidays during the above period)
    *Special closures may occur on scheduled days of operation.
  • TEL 0287-74-5933
  • Parking Free of charge

MAP

Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
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The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.