The Mashiko and Moka areas are famous for strawberry cultivation, and strawberry picking can be enjoyed in winter. In Mashiko, visitors can experience Mashiko-yaki pottery making, and Moka is famous for its SL locomotive.
Mashiko and Moka are home to tourist attractions such as Hie Shrine, Kumano Shrine, and Mt. Kamakura, sightseeing events such as the Gion Festival, Culture Festival, and Kayanokuguri, and local delicacies such as shimotsukare, chitake soba, and yuzukippe.
Moka City (Mooka-shi) is located in the southeastern part of Tochigi Prefecture and has a good balance of agriculture, commerce, and industry. The origin of the name is said to be that the hills in the Daicho area, the center of the city, were once covered with swamps and streams and were a habitat for waterfowl, or that cranes flew to the pine trees and other trees and called the area "Maioka," meaning "hill where cranes dance," or "maioka," because of the way they soared. The name Moka is said to have come to be written "Moka.
In Moka City, there is a sightseeing spot, Omae Ebisu Shrine, the largest Ebisu Shrine in Japan. The shrine has a 20-meter-high Ebisu-sama holding a golden carp in his left hand, which is said to bring good fortune and prosperous business.
Mooka Squirrel Village Fureai no Sato is ideal for those who love small animals. In addition to squirrels, visitors can interact with prairie dogs, horses, sheep, ostriches, and a variety of other animals.
Mashiko Town is located in southeastern Tochigi Prefecture and is known for its Mashiko pottery. No visit here would be complete without a trip to the Mashiko Ceramic Art Museum, Mestse Mashiko.
Located on Ceramic Hill in the center of Mashiko Town, the main facility is the Mashiko Ceramic Art Museum, which exhibits works by Shoji Hamada and others associated with him. Also on the grounds are Shoji Hamada's former residence, his favorite climbing kiln, and the Sasajima Kihei Museum, which exhibits the works of Kihei Sasajima, a printmaker from Mashiko Town.
Kuroba Town used to be located in northeastern Tochigi Prefecture, and was incorporated into Otawara City on October 1, 2005, together with the neighboring village of Yuzukami. The town is famous as the home of Matsuo Basho, a Japanese haiku poet who stayed in the town during his travels along the Oku no Hosomichi route in the Edo period (1600-1868) and left many haiku poems.
The Basho no Yakata exhibits materials related to Matsuo Basho, the great haiku poet, as well as materials on local history, literature, and humanities. The Kurobane Kanko Yana is also famous for its ayu set menus, ayu koku, fried ayu, una-jyu, etc. Visitors can also enjoy catching an ayu (sweetfish). Visitors can also enjoy catching ayu.