[Saitama ]Nagatoro is full of richness in every season.

Nagatoro Station of Chichibu Railway is the base for sightseeing in Nagatoro. The wooden station building was selected as one of the 100 best stations in the Kanto area "in 1997 ". A tourist information center is located in front of the station, where you can get detailed tourist information about Nagatoro.

Walking along the Iwadatami shopping street leading east from Nagatoro Station for about 300 meters, you will hit the Arakawa River. Both banks of the river are lined with uplifted crystalline schist. On the west bank of the river, you can not only see the cliff called Chichibu Red Cliff, but also a panorama of natural works of art, such as rocks that look like they have been carved in relief with chrysanthemum water patterns and rocks with stripes reminiscent of a tiger's skin. The Arakawa River that flows along the rock pavement is calm and moist.

In addition to sitting on a rock tatami mat and watching the Arakawa River flow by, Nagatoro offers visitors the chance to actually experience the flow of the water. Most visitors to Nagatoro board the Nagatoro Line Crawl. "Shatoro "means that the river is gently flowing. The name Nagatoro was given to the area because of its long stretches of still water. In Nagatoro Line Crawling, dozens of passengers glide slowly down the river in a wooden boat. The boatman skillfully navigates a pole as he moves the boat forward with the current of the river, entertaining the passengers with his unique guiding style.

Rafting is recommended for those who would like a more active experience than relaxing on a wooden boat and feeling the flow of the river. Several people get into a rubber boat and paddle down a rough river.

The Arakawa River around Iwadatami offers all-day river fun with a variety of activities, but it is also important to replenish energy. Nagatoro Auto Campground is located on the riverbed about 1 km downstream from Iwadatami. Visitors can enjoy a BBQ and fill up on food between river excursions. Glamping cottages and bungalows are also available, so the nights must be enchanting as you gaze at the stars in the sky.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name Nagatoro Auto Camp Ground
Address: 559-1 Oaza Ido, Nagatoro-cho, Chichibu-gun, Saitama
Phone number 0494-66-0640
Open from March 10 to December 26

About 2 km west of Nagatoro Station, beyond the riverbank of Iwadatami, rises the 470-meter-high Hodo Mountain. A hiking course has been established and the small mountain is surrounded by nature and full of attractions different from the river.

Hodosan Lohai Garden has been established at the top of Mt. Every year, from late December to late February, as winter gives way to spring, approximately 3,000 waxwings bloom with translucent pale yellow flowers.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name Hodosan Lohbai Garden
Address: 2595 Nagatoro-cho, Chichibu-gun, Saitama
Best time to visit Usually from late December to late February

Following the Hodosan waxwine, red and white plum blossoms cover the summit of the mountain. The Hodosan Plum Blossom Garden is located next to the Hodosan Lohai Garden. In the garden, about 170 varieties of plum trees are grown, including the early-blooming Fuyusi and Kanken-bai plum trees, as well as the three famous flowers of Tsuki (Full Moon, Moon of Tianyorai, and Moon of Canggeun). From early February to late March, approximately 470 plum trees are in full bloom, and the top of Hodosan is filled with the fragrance of plum blossoms.

"Facility Information "
Facility name: Baodeng Mountain Plum Blossom Garden
Address: 2595 Nagatoro-cho, Chichibu-gun, Saitama
Best time to visit Usually from late February to late March

Hodosan ropeway is a convenient way to reach the summit of Mt.

Following the ume plum blossoms, cherry blossoms are the next to color Nagatoro with the colors of the season. The "Nagatoro Cherry Blossom Festival "is usually held from late March to late April. Nagatoro is one of the best cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan "and one of the 100 best cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan ". The most important feature of the festival is that visitors can enjoy cherry blossoms everywhere for more than a month. In late March, when the plum blossoms are still in bloom, the cherry trees such as "Ote no Sakura ", "Hozenji ", "Ina-zakura ", "Iwata-zakura "and other Edohigan-zakura and weeping-zakura cherry trees open their blossoms in sequence.

In spring, Nagatoro is decorated with many kinds of cherry blossoms, but the autumn foliage is just as beautiful. Usually from late October to late November, Nagatoro Gorge along the Arakawa River looks as if a curtain of autumn leaves has been drawn. Riding down the river on the Nagatoro Line Crew Ride, you will see the colors of the season flowing along both banks of the river like a movie screen, slowly changing angles as you go.

Although winters in Nagatoro are the harshest in Saitama Prefecture, Hodosan Shrine, located at the foot of Hodosan Mountain, is one of the most popular places to visit for Hatsumode. The shrine grounds, which are said to have been built around 110 A.D. during the eastern expedition of the Japanese warrior Takezo, exude a sacred atmosphere, and the vividly colored "Nisiko "ranma carvings surrounding the main shrine, which was rebuilt in 1874 in the Gongen-zukuri style, are a sight to behold.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name Hodosan Shrine
Address: 1828 Nagatoro, Nagatoro-cho, Chichibu-gun, Saitama
Phone number 0494-66-0084

Nagatoro, with its rich natural environment and long history, hosts a wide variety of festivals throughout the year. Among them, "Nagatoro Fire Festival "is held on the first Sunday of March every year and has become an established event that heralds spring in Nagatoro. The climax of the festival is a powerful ritual in which ascetic monks jump into the flames and run barefoot.

"Upcoming Events "
Name of the festival: Nagatoro Fire Festival
Date: First Sunday in March every year
Venue: Hodosanroku Fire Festival
Address: 1753 Nagatoro, Nagatoro-cho, Chichibu-gun, Saitama
Phone number 0494-66-3424 (Nagatoro Fire Festival Dedication Committee)

During the Obon season, when all Japanese people comfort the spirits of their ancestors, the Nagatoro Funadama Festival "is held on the banks of Iwadatami ". Two lantern boats with over 400 lanterns assembled go up and down the long Shatoro River while Chichibu yataiayashi (festival music) plays.

"Upcoming Events "
Name of the festival: Nagatoro Funadama Festival
Date August 15 every year
Venue Nagatoro-iwa Tatami
Address Nagatoro-cho, Chichibu-gun, Saitama
Phone number 0494-66-3311（Nagatoro-cho Tourist Association)

Nagatoro is blessed with the natural beauty of Arakawa River and Hodo Mountain, which changes its appearance with each season. There are also a variety of activities that take advantage of the river and mountains. Visitors can choose how to enjoy themselves according to their own preferences.