UTSUNOMIYA CITY - Must see's

Shinohara Residence
- House of ridiculously wealthy soy sauce Merchants in 1895. Take a tour by casette tape in English of this exquisitely beautiful Edo-era house. 10 seconds walk from your hotel :) 3 mins from the station.

Futaara-san Shrine
- The BIG shrine in the middle of the city. Lots of steps, but Im sure theres a driveway around back too! It's unusually quiet at the top, being at the 2nd biggest intersection in Utsunomiya. 10 mins by bike on the main road. 5 mins by bus.
(Or-Dorey)

Kouzen-ji Temple
- Really cute gorgeous little temple with statues and small stone bridges. 8 min walk from the hotel. Bring your camera.

Zengan-ji Temple and the Bronze Buddha
- Another lovely temple with a 3.6m high statue of a meditating Buddha. Built in 1735. 10 min walk from the station.

Orey-on-Dorey street (Orion)
- This is an arcade mall of sorts near Futaara-san Shrine.. You can find them in any city. Its a pleasant stroll where you can see just about every kind of store... teeny boppers photobooths (PURIKURA), antiques, hiphop clothes, kimono shoes and acessories, a grocery store that looks like its been there since 1964, a tea store where the owner himself blended all 300 styles of tea(HIGHLY recommed that place!) and lots of jewellry stores.

Izakaya Mura
- A tiny section near Orey-on-Dorey and the big Shrine that has so many little restaurants crammed into one place, you wont believe your eyes. Each is the size of your bathroom (without the bath) Best seen at night when its open, and all the drunk and disordely folks stop by for a drink and a bite before heading home. 'Round the corner from Orey-on Dorey street. 3 mins walk from the bottom of the Shrine.

Utsunomiya Dont Have to see's...
Parco shopping centre - high price, crazy fashion.
Hachimanyama Park - The giant bridge where Aki proposed.
The cute little canal next to Orey-on-Dorey.
Lion's Head - Foreigner Bar where all the gaijin in Utsu hang out.
Yamada Denki-Electronics and Cell Phone Shop
Yodobashi Kamera - Bigger Electronics and cell phone store in LaLa Square.
The "famous" gyoza statue tha nobody knows about.
Utsunomiya (fake) castle.

About 1 hour from Utsunomiya:

1. Nikko

This gem is nestled in the hills on the edge of the kanto plain, just before it becomes mountain ranges and 1 goat towns. Learn more about Nikko... external link.

2. Oya 40 mins by bike, or 15 by car/bus for the less adventurous.　Its famous for 3 things... This larger than large statue of the "Canon of peace". She is carved out of the cliff side. (free) The temple which is partly built in a cave. (free?) The Underground Stone quarry - (cost = ￥1200?) Endless tunnels in dim light where they dug out the Oya stone. Almost every old stone storehouse and wall is built from Oya stone because its porus, apparently perfect for keeping things the right temperature and humidity in any season. These massive caverns stay just above freezing all year round.

	3. Tokyo is 50 mins by Shinkansen. A good place to get off the train is UENO station. From there you can take the yamanote loop train to just about every place worth seeing. Good spots: AKIHABARA 秋葉原 (electric gadget town) Ueno Park 上野公園 Tokyo proper 東京 Shinjuku 新宿 (the human sea) Harajuku 原宿（goth lolly fashion central) Odaiba (modern elegance build on tokyo's own trash heap in the ocean!)
	I LOVE HARAJUKU!!