Shimobe / Minobu / Hayakawa

Top Things to do

• Lake Motosu

  Yamanashi Pref. Minamitsurugunfujikawaguchikomachi Motosu

  Lake Motosu is the deepest lake of the Fuji Five Lakes boasting a maximum depth of about 122 meters. The lake water is so transparent you can see an upside down Mt. Fuji like that printed on the back of the 1,000 yen note. The lake is also famous for being a place where you can see the Diamond Fuji phenomenon which is when the rising sun on the New Year’s Day aligns perfectly with the peak of Mt. Fuji. Windsurfing and bass fishing are also popular things to do on the lake with many windsurfers and anglers visiting especially during the summer.

• Minobusan Kuonji Temple

  Yamanashi Pref. Minamikomagunminobuchou Minobu 3567

  High Priest Nichiren entered Kuonji Temple at Mt. Minobu where he remained for his entire life teaching his disciples. This sacred place where Nichiren devoted his life to reciting the Lotus Sutra draws many worshipers as the head temple of the Nichiren sect. Many annual events are also held here. The Setsubun Ritual held in February attracts tens of thousands of people. In the grounds of the temple are drooping trees said to be 400 years old. The place is well known as a cherry blossom viewing spot with beautiful pale pink flowers showing their full glory during the spring.

• Roadside Station Fujikawa

  Yamanashi Pref. Minamikomagunfujikawachou Aoyagimachi 1655-3

  This roadside station located in Fujikawa Town, Minamikoma County, Yamanashi Prefecture features a tourist information area offering information on roads and tourist sites, a farmer's market, a restaurant, and more. The farmer's market offers a variety of locally-harvest fruits and vegetables including tomatoes and yuzu citrus. The station's restaurant, Fujikawa Kitchen, is notable for its large menu featuring dishes that leverage seasonal ingredients and traditional flavors.

• Mitama Hot Spring

  Yamanashi Nishiyatsushiro-gun Ichikawamisato Cho Otsuka 2608

  This hot spring bathhouse is located in Otsuka, Ichikawamisato Town, Nishiyatsushiro County. Its outdoor baths are fed from free-flowing alkaline simple springs containing natural organic compounds released by ancient plants. The nighttime views from these baths earned the facility a place amongst the 100 Night Views of Japan, a first for a hot spring bathhouse. The bathhouse's other facilities include saunas, a massage parlor, a restaurant, and a lounge. There is also an adjacent farmers' market.

• Roadside Station Tomizawa

  Yamanashi Pref. Minamikomagunnambuchou Fukushi 28507-1

  This roadside station in Nanbu Town, Minamikoma County, Yamanashi Prefecture has a giant statue of a bamboo shoot as a landmark. Located at the border of Southwest Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefecture, the facility is a key hub for stimulating the region's economy and life. The farmer's market offers the town's specialties, locally-harvested seasonal vegetables, and more. The food court's takenoko gohan (rice cooked along with bamboo shoots) and seasonal soba noodles are quite popular with visitors.

• Roadside Station Minobu Fujikawa Tourism Center

  Yamanashi Pref. Minamikomagunminobuchou Shimoyama Within 1597 Fujikawa Craft Park

  Minobu Roadside Station is in Fujikawa Craft Park, located about five minutes by taxi from Shimobe Onsen Station on the JR Minobu Line in Minamikoma County, Yamanashi Prefecture. It is an information center that provides information about tourism and products in southern Yamanashi Prefecture and the Kyonan region. In the Nishijima Washi Kobo Sutekiya, visitors can try their hand at making postcards or collages of Nishijima washi (handmade paper) with their own designs. Other hands-on experiences include seal engraving, making items out of rattan, and kite flying lessons, all held in the Monozukurikan.

• Shiitake and Yuba Specialty Shop Bushuya

  Yamanashi Minamikoma-gun Minobucho Minobu 3850-1

  This natural foods store located along the approach to Minobusan Kuonji Temple specializes in shiitake mushrooms and yuba (tofu skins). Minobu yuba is said to have originated from tofu skins offered to Nichiren, the founder of Nichiren Buddhism, by acolytes training under him at Kuonji Temple. Their completely additive-free tofu skins are made exclusively with domestic soy beans and underground water from Mt. Fuji. Their Seisui raw tofu skins, which are lifted out of the soy milk slowly and carefully folded into layers, are their most popular product. Their domestic and agrochemical-free dried shiitake mushrooms are great for use at home or as gifts. Another popular item is their kuzumochi, a chilled sweet made with exclusively with Yoshino-Honkuzu kuzu powder.

• Roadside Station Shimobe

  Yamanashi Pref. Minamikomagunminobuchou Furuseki 4321

  This roadside station, part of Shimobe Noson Culture Park, is nestled in a quiet spot in the mountains. Its attractions include a barbequing square, a relocated folk home, a grassy square, a soba noodle restaurant, and a shop offering local specialties. It also has a firefly dome where visitors can learn about fireflies. From December to February, visitors can try their hand at making Shimobe miso paste with soy beans grown in Minobu Town, a very popular activity.

• Minobusan Ropeway

  Yamanashi Pref. Minamikomagunminobuchou Minobu 4226-2

  This aerial cable car now in service for 55 years has an altitude difference of 763 meters, the largest in the Kanto region. It also has three observation decks near Okunoin Station at the peak. The eastern observation deck near the station offers a grand panoramic view spanning from the Tenshi Mountains to Suruga Bay and the Izu Peninsula. It also features a view of Mt. Fuji selected as one of the 100 best in Kanto. In September, October, and November, the park hosts an event called Minobu Night Walk Sorawatashi for two days each month.