Natsuyu Valley

Natsuyu Onsen

Natsuyu Onsen is a deep secluded hot spring located at the northern end of Kurikoma Quasi-National Park, overlooking the Natsuyu Valley surrounded by virgin beech forest. The discovery and use of hot springs has a long history, and a medicinal book from the Edo period described it as ``the most famous hot spring in the Nanbu Domain.'' In the hot spring rankings published in Edo and Kyoto at the time, it was ranked as the highest ozeki in the east, along with Hongu Onsen in Kishu, the ozeki in the west. It is still one of the ``100 famous hot springs in Japan''.

Ezuriko Tumulus Group

A group of ancient tombs built from the late 7th century to the early 8th century. There are approximately 120 round tombs with diameters of 6 to 15 meters, and many magatama beads, kiriko beads, warabi-te swords, straight swords, horse harnesses, etc. have been unearthed. Among them, the gold-layered glass beads are valuable excavated items of which there are only a few examples in Japan, leading to speculation that there was trade with the continent.

Kitakami City Museum (Waga Branch)

Opened in September 2016. In the history corner, you can learn about the entire history from the Paleolithic period to modern times, and there is also a corner to honor our predecessors who contributed to the development of Kitakami. There is also a wide range of exhibits in the natural field, including stuffed animals, specimens of insects, fossils, and minerals.