Ashikaga
Discover Ashikaga
Ashikaga makes an ideal day trip from Tokyo. It's a small city with a lot of history packed into an attractive and easily walkable radius, from the mound tombs (kofun) and mountain-top shrines of pre-Buddhist Japan to dozens of temples built by members of the long-powerful Ashikaga clan, notable patrons of classical Japanese theatre (Noh), art (flower arranging and tea ceremony), and architecture (the Golden and Silver Pavilions in Kyoto). The Ashikaga clan was an offshoot of the Minamoto clan who conquered Honshu and dominated the Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333). Ashikaga Takauji overthrew the Kamakura shoguns and installed himself in the Muromachi district of Kyoto. The Ashikaga shoguns did not just help beautify Kamakura and Kyoto, they also built temples, gardens, and retirement villas in their hometown, which has been called a Little Kyoto and calls Kamakura one of its sister cities. The clan also sponsored the Ashikaga Gakkō, the most famous Confucian academy of eastern Japan, and Ashikaga has a friendship city relationship with Jining (Shandong), China, which includes Qufu, the hometown of Confucius.
What to Experience in Ashikaga
Taste of Ashikaga...
Not available
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsTravelers coming from Narita airport should note that bus may be cheaper, faster and more convenient than taking train. The nearest Shinkansen (bullet train) stations are Oyama on the Tōhoku Shinkansen and Takasaki on the Jōetsu Shinkansen, both of which are connected to Ashikaga by the JR Ryōmō Line (両毛線), which has about 30 trains daily running in each direction between about 5AM and 11PM. JR Ashikaga station is on the north bank of the Watarase River, in the older, more walkable section of town. JR Ashikaga Flower Park Station, also on the JR Ryōmō Line, is seven minutes away on foot from Ashikaga Flower Park. The private Tōbu Asakusa-Isesaki Line (東武伊勢崎線) runs about 60 trains in each direction through Ashikaga-shi station every day between about 05:00 and 00:00. Express trains leaving Asakusa in Tokyo reach Ashikaga-shi in about 75 minutes (60 minutes from Kita-Senju in Tokyo). The local (or "Section Semi-Express", "Section-Express") takes twice as long....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The Ashikaga City Bus runs 4 times a day each way through Ashikaga on a long route that runs far up the mountain valleys that flank the city. It costs ¥200 each way. The old downtown of Ashikaga north of the Watarase River is very walkable, while the riverbank is very bikeable (and walkable). A bicycle trail runs along the levees for the full length of Ashikaga city, sometimes along the north levee, sometimes along the south. The levees were raised and flood control measures were improved after severe flooding in the wake of Typhoon Kathleen in 1947. The principal local specialties of Ashikaga are: textiles, soba noodles, and now Coco Farm wines and a locally made citrus wine. The most convenient place to shop for textiles is along the flagstone-paved (ishi-datami) streets that lead into Bannaji and Ashikaga Gakko. Natural indigo dyes are a local specialty, but look for some very nice natural brown dyes from walnut and chestnut as well.
Money & Budget
The principal local specialties of Ashikaga are: textiles, soba noodles, and now Coco Farm wines and a locally made citrus wine. The most convenient place to shop for textiles is along the flagstone-paved (ishi-datami) streets that lead into Bannaji and Ashikaga Gakko. Natural indigo dyes are a local specialty, but look for some very nice natural brown dyes from walnut and chestnut as well. The less expensive varieties of each fabric are most likely made in China (and sometimes India). A range of Coco Farm wines can be found in most supermarkets, but you might need to look in larger specialty liquor stores for the best (and more expensive) varieties, or at Coco Farms itself.
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Glimpses of Ashikaga
Ashikaga Flower Park. Japan.
A beautiful flower. Ashikaga Flower Park. Japan.
Iceland Poppy
Beautiful flowers. Ashikaga Flower Park. Japan.
Beautiful flowers. Ashikaga Flower Park. Tokyo. Japan.
Red Leaves
Beautiful flowers. Ashikaga Flower Park. Japan.
Beautiful flowers. Ashikaga Flower Park. Japan.
Cherry blossom. Ashikaga Flower Park. Tokyo. Japan.
Beautiful yellow flower. Ashikaga Flower Park. Tokyo. Japan.
Ashikaga Flower Park. Japan.
A beautiful flower. Ashikaga Flower Park. Japan.
Iceland Poppy