Take the JR Itsukaichi Line from the JR Shinjuku Station and you’ll reach Musashi-Itsukaichi Station in 1 hour and 15 minutes. You can reach many popular scenic spots from this station like the Akigawa Valley. From here, take a rental car to start off the Nishitama experience!

Boasting a great view of Hinohara’s mountains and zen gardens while serving delectable Japanese treats, the cafe is 30 minutes away from the JR Musashi-Itsukaichi Station, and is unique in that it also doubles as a Buddhist temple.

Take your time as you sit on the red carpet and take in the beautiful Zen garden in the backyard. The place is also great for foreign visitors who are interested in trying authentic matcha in a more relaxed setting. What better place to enjoy a good cup of matcha than a temple which embodies Japanese tradition?

Other drinks like coffee, sencha or lattes are also available, so people who don’t match with matcha will not lose out in the experience. The wagashi, made in the wee hours of the morning, is also not overly sweet and it’s chewiness goes well with the matcha.

Other perks of the cafe include mock sutra recital and meditation sessions. Enjoy a moment of reprieve in this temple cafe embraced by nature.

*The cafe is closed from December 1st to March 31st for their winter break
*Reservations only
As the wagashi are all hand-made, it is recommended to make a booking at least one day in advance.
https://www.syu-un.jp

Watch how honey is made right before your very eyes! This bee farm which also offer candle-making workshops is a mere 7 minutes away from the JR Musashi-Itsukaichi Station. Enter the bee yard and watch the bees work in the honeycombs.

Even behind the net, one can already see numerous bees toiling within the beehive. The nectar is collected over a period of 4 to 6 months, which you can see seeping inside the hives in the form of glimmering honey.

It’s not just watching the bees work though. You get to hear about other buzz related to the nectar-collecting critters, such as their lifespan and their matriarchy.

As mentioned earlier, the Mitsubachi Farm also offers candle-making workshops that showcases a traditional method using wax. Simply dip 80% of the wick into a cupful of wax and repeat the process many times over.

They also offer honey-sampling of various kinds, the same kind of honey used in the Mitsubachi Farm Cafe just next door of the place. Enjoy the different kinds of honey, be it on conventionally on a pancake, or with a more exotic touch in curry. It's certainly one of the more unique places to visit outside of Tokyo!

http://88838.net

This lodging-cum-restaurant used to be a school, until it received a huge makeover due to the school’s closure. 8 minutes away from the JR Musashi-Ichika Station, you’ll reach the place after a short climb up the narrow residential district. Not only is the terrace a restaurant and shelter, it is also serves as an exhibition ground for Geo-exhibits.

Retaining some vestiges of its primary school incarnation, the restaurant’s interior is warm and soothing due to the woodwork. Not just the ingredients, the tables and chairs are also made from local wood. Their most popular item is their agepan, which attracts many customers who simply fell in love with the bread’s soft texture.

The lodgings are on the second floor and are only available for booking by organizations or associations. If you’ve ever had dreams of sleeping over in school as a child, this place is the perfect place to fulfill that childhood fantasy.

A floor above the bedrooms is the geo-exhibition floor, where you can experience firsthand the wide wonders of nature through their workshop, where they provide hands-on sessions on manufacturing, agriculture, local colors, and history. If you’ve ever wanted to try an outdoor school, this is the place for you.

http://tokura-taiken.jp

A gassho-zukuri style building with over 250 years of history surrounded by the forest, the Kabuto-ya Ryokan is a place where you can enjoy delicious mountain vegetables under a rafter roof. As expected, the place is a lot farther compared to the previous two locations, requiring a 40-minute journey by car from the JR Musashi-Itsuka Station. However, it’s also the only village in Tokyo (excluding those on the islands). This spot should be among all bucket lists of places to visit outside of Tokyo.

Its namesake comes from the unique kabuto helmet shape of the ryokan. Due to the design of the roofs, the place is cool in summer, yet warm in winter. The rooms are also Japanese-styled, complete with tatami. Some rooms also have their own hearths, popular amongst many foreign guests.

As mentioned just now, their mountain vegetable dishes are a must-try. Not only are they generous with the portions, all the ingredients are local specialties. Depending on the course, you might even get to try their wild boar hotpot.

After a good meal, the night is welcomed by an ocean of stars stretching across the sky. Blanketed by nature and negative ions, you’re sure to have a good night’s sleep and be reinvigorated in the morning.

http://www.kabutoya.net

A 30-minute journey car ride from the station takes us to Inoue Shokuhin, a shop that hand-makes their konjac jelly, the local specialty of Hinohara. As one would expect, they treat their trade with the utmost pride.

Here, you can learn how this exotic jelly is made. Unchanged since the olden days is their bataneri technique, which produces konjac with just the right amount of bite that is a sure surprise with its deliciousness. The shop also sells other unusual dishes, such as sashimi konjac, and visitors are sure to discover more about this uncommon jelly.

“If I’m unable to create konjac with this technique anymore, I’ll stop making konjac.” Such were the words of the owner, who has made no small amounts of konjac in this very shop. As expected, the place also lets visitors taste-test their konjac.

http://hinohara-kankou.jp/kaiinpage/inoueshokuhin/inoue.html

A short 5 minutes away from the usual station, the eatery has an impressive lineage extending to 270 years ago and is located amongst maple trees and bamboo. Adding on to its majesty is the water wheel at the front door of the structure, adding austerity to the ambiance.

Their woodland cuisine is impressive too, a feast for both the eyes and belly. Using not only the region’s famous konjac but taro taken from the mountains as well, their dishes are made so that people not good with these types of ingredients can enjoy it as well. Non-locals who worked in the area for a while also regularly visit, giving the place a reputation within some foreign countries as well.

In addition, there is a tea room called Mizunone that’s open in summer, and you can enjoy coffee and shaved ice while gazing out at the Akikawa Valley.

*Mizunone is only open from the middle of March to the end of November
https://www.kurochaya.com/top

Our final recommendation is located 15 minutes away from the JR Station. Built in year 10 of the Meiji era, or 1877, the Hinode-machi Bukeyashiki holds regular ninja workshops where you get to wear kunoichi or ninja outfits as you learn their techniques. The place itself is often used in shoots for commercials, TV programs, and even movies.

Why do ninja go “nin-nin”? Why were ninjas even created? For people who’ve always had these burning questions, this is where you get your answers.

Other activities are also available, such as the princess trials for the fair, tea ceremony trials, as well as staying in the samurai quarters. Embrace your inner ninja and get an experience no other country has to offer.

https://www.taiyonoie-vc.com/bukeyashiki/

There’s much more to discover in Nishitama, including its long history and abundance of natural sights. A perfect place to spend the weekend going around and experience new things, no?