A city I want to keep secret because I love it.
About Shimobe and Tokiwa
Recommendations
- Enjoy “hot springs” and “gold mines” with plenty of charm that cannot be hidden away!
- The calm and serene Lower Hot Spring Village will soothe both your mind and skin.
- Ride the “JR Minobu Line” and feel the “YuruCan△” feeling!
If you want to make your stay in this area more intellectual, you should know Takeda Shingen. He was one of the most invincible samurai in the 16th century in the east Japan. He conquered neighboring countries to expand his territory. His troops were fearless and he was a brilliant tactician. He is said to have had two secrets behind his success; one was hot springs that cured wounded soldiers, and the other was gold mines that brought him wealth.
Amazingly, in the Shimobe area. you will find these two secrets that Takeda Shingen!
Shingen’s secret hot springs in Shimobe area
The Shimobe area is known as Shimobe Onsen hot springs town, where there are hotels and Japanese style accommodations, ryokan, along a 2.5-km-long slope near a small train station. The accommodations here are used to be some kind of hospitals where people stayed for a long time to cure the illness or heal wounds by bathing in water with natural substances in it, just what the Takeda Shingen’s troops did. Of course, we recommend you a long stay, but there is also a gym with a day-use hot spring.
Shingen’s gold mines in Shimobe Area
There were three gold mines at about the mid point of Mt. Kenashi, which were operative Shingen’s time. Regrettably, they were all closed and abandoned before anyone noticed. But, don’t be disappointed! There is a gold-mine museum where you can see how they were in video and models. The most recommendable attraction is gold panning with a professional instructor. (We heard a rumor that no one goes out without getting any placers!)
A new tourist site for anime pilgrimage -Tokiwa Area
If you follow “Laid-Back Camp”, you may have heard “Motosu High school”, where Rin Shima studies. (https://yuru-camp.fandom.com/wiki/Motosu_High_School)
Here, you can see a real-life “Motosu High School”, which is a former elementary & junior high school. It was closed in 2016, but now it is listed on top as “must-see” with the Kai-Tokiwa Station among the anime followers. Even though the station is unstaffed, you will not be lost thanks for the signboards which were set by the locals!
