Yokote/Yuzawa in Guided tour

• Age 0～Age 99
• 2～3 hours
• 10:30 / 14:15

Take a tour with your guide through the quaint street lined with Japanese old houses! Masuda Town has prospered as a merchant town since the Edo period. Because this town has been the transportation hub, a variety of agricultural products gathered here. Merchants amassed wealth in their fields and created mansion towns. Inside these mansions, "Kura'' or a storehouse was built by wealthy merchants to store documents and household furniture. This storehouse is still inhabited and rare even in Japan. Feel the elegance in the detailed decorations such as white plaster, polished black plaster and lacquered interior. The townscape is home to many historic buildings of this area. Masuda town was designated as a National Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 2013. Find the storehouses of each mansion with its unique structure and decoration. In this guided tour, you will be able to visit two to three mansions with storehouse while receiving an explanation. English speaking guide accompanies you.

• For Rainy Days
• For Family

• Age 1～Age 99
• 4～5 hours
• 14:00 / 18:00

Admire Nishimonai Bon dance, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, in both street seat and box seat with view from above.August 16th during the Bon Festival is the day to bid farewell to ancestral spirits. As the sun sets over the Dewa mountains, the music of the yose-daiko drum resounds in Nishimonai, Ugo Town. Soon after, well-dressed children perform the Ondo dance on Honmachi Street where bonfires are lit, and the three-day Bon Odori begins.Skillful dancers who cover their faces with braided hats and hikosa hoods join in, and indigo-dyed costumes with gorgeous embroidery stand out against the bonfires. The dance has a fascinating curved beauty of interwoven graceful hand gestures and foot movements. The participants dance wholeheartedly in unison with their ancestral spirits, wishing for an abundant harvest. 100,000 viewers are intoxicated by the dreamy world of the musicians, dancers, and bonfires.The tour starts 18:00. If you interested in Nishimonai bon dance more, we can offer optional tour for free. You can learn how to dance Nishimonai Bon dance, and history. The optional tour starts 14:00 at meeting place.

• Age 0～Age 99
• 4～5 hours
• 16:00

Enjoy boat-ramming of the Okuribon Festival. The boats off square in pairs and are rammed against each other at the nose. Participants smash together, shouting and waving as fireworks go off overhead.The Boat-Ramming (Butsuke-ai)Ceremony: Each of the yakatabune that take part in the ceremony is prepared by the residents and shopkeepers of a different neighborhood of Yokote. While the boat are reused from previous festivals, every year the residents must fashion frames new straw hulls and fittings, a process that takes up to a month. Each of the participating neighborhoods builds a yakatabune, which must be carried from its home neighborhood to the dry riverbed of the Yokote River. On August 15, the boats are lined up during the bon odori so that visitors can see them up close. On August 16, the boats are pulled down to the river for the sending-off ceremony. This is followed by the “boat-ramming” (butsuke-ai) ceremony, which has become the highlight of the Okuribon Festival. The boats are brought back to the bridge, where they square off in pairs and are rammed against each other at the nose. Representatives from each neighborhood remain aboard the boats as they smash together, shouting and waving as fireworks go off overhead.

• For Family

• Age 17～Age 99
• 1～2 hours
• 10:00 / 13:00

Since you have come all the way to an unfamiliar town, why not take a leisurely walk with a guide? Let's learn about the history of life hidden in the ordinary townscape as we walk together. We will guide you through the streets of Yokote, which have developed around Yokote Station. During the walk, we will give you information on restaurants such as Yokote Yakisoba and other specialty shops, so please make use of it. After about an hour of walking around the town, it's teatime. Take a break at a cafe and reflect on your walk around the town. We will give you information on Yokote's specialties, so please use it to purchase souvenirs. ~Experience flow (morning session)~10:00 Meet at Yokote Station or Cafeteria Hirajo. Cafeteria Hirajo is a 5-minute walk from the east exit of JR Yokote Station. 10:05 Departure From Yokote Station, you will have an hour-long walk around the city while listening to the guide's stories and visiting various historical sites. 11:00 Arrive at Cafeteria Hirajo. The finish line of the Yokote walk is Cafeteria Hirajo. Refresh your tired body with a hot drink. Lunch is also available.

• For Rainy Days

• Age 7～Age 99
• 4～5 hours
• 16:00

This tour is held on 1st Feb.You will visit 2 local festivals.First, ``Gather round, everyone! Winter Festival".Thousands of mini Kamakura or igloo are made in the venue.Each of mini igloos are lit up and make fantastic mood in winter night.Leave the venue and after 1 hour ride, we will visit "Giant Icicles Festival".The giant icicles that form in the Oyasu Gorge are lit up during the festival, attracting many photographers to take pictures.The venue is lit up, creating a fantastical space that is popular with couples, and the winter fireworks that are set off in time with the music at the finale are a must-see.

• Pickup Service

• Age 10～Age 80
• 2～3 hours
• 09:00

A sightseeing tour around Yokote city on an electrically assisted bicycle with a cyclist (bicycle enthusiast) who knows the city inside and out. You can enjoy the seasonal winds, seasonal scenery, and the leisurely flow of time that only a bicycle can provide. Because it is electrically assisted, even those who are not confident in their physical strength can participate with peace of mind. The guide will take you on a reasonable route to make your day fun and memorable. 9:00 / Meet ~ City Tour ~ 12:00 / End