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- Hiking from Omiya Station
The hiking event has finished. We look forward to serving you again.
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| It is also possible to join the hike on the day of the event but a prior application is more convenient! | English-speaking staff is available to help you! | English maps are also available. A wonderful free gift is included! Customers who make a reservation through the Internet will receive another wonderful free gift as well! |
There are no time limits, etc. Please enjoy the hiking in your own way! |
The hiking from Omiya Station is going to be held for 6 days: you can participate on any day from Friday, March 9 to Wednesday, March 14, 2012.
Participation is free of charge so by all means take this opportunity to gain some wonderful memories of travelling in Japan!| Date | Friday, March 9 to Wednesday, March 14, 2012 |   Original Can Badge & Hiking Map (English Translation) [Information about Special Deals!] If you have the Original Can Badge, you can get a discount on the admission fees for the Railway Museum and the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum! |
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| Application Time | 9:00 am to 11:00 am | |
| Nearest Station | Omiya Station on the JR Utsunomiya Line |
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| Reception Area | Omiya Station Information Center |
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| Walking Time | Approx. 2 hours and 30 minutes (excluding tours of establishments) | |
| Walking Distance | Approx. 8 km | |
| Tour Fee | Free of charge | |
| Lunch | Feel free to bring your own lunch. | |
| Guide | Basically no guide is provided. Each participant is free to walk around where he/she likes, using his/her map to find the way to each destination. |
- You will be walking for about 2 hours and 30 minutes so please wear sturdy clothes and shoes, etc. on the hike.
- The event will still take place even if it is raining on the day. In the event of rain please bring your rain gear with you.
- Please take all of your trash home with you. Thank you for your cooperation.
- Entry fees are required for the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum and the Railway Museum. (Discounts are available and you can receive a stamp for free)
- The Railway Museum is closed on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 and the municipal museum and library, the Saitama Prefectural Museum of History and Folklore, and the Cartoon Art Museum are closed on Monday, March 12, 2012.
Railway Museum
Railway Museum… The Operation Simulator and Railway Model Diorama are highly recommended. If you can be there at the right time, the Motorman Experience Classroom is also interesting (there is a separate charge of 500 yen for this).
[Notes]
The Railway Museum is closed on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. Its operating hours are 10:00-18:00 (last admission 17:30).
There is an admission fee, but if you present your Can Badge at the reception, you can get the discounts listed below.
- Adult: 1000 yen → 800 yen
Omiya Bonsai Art Museum
Omiya Bonsai Art Museum… Currently bonsai artist Kaori Yamada is presenting a solo exhibition of saika bonsai at the museum.
[Notes]
The Bonsai Art Museum is closed on Thursdays. Its operating hours are 9:00-16:30 (last admission 16:00).
There is an admission fee but if you present your Can Badge at the reception you can get the discounts listed below.
- Adult: 300 yen → 200 yen
- High School and College students, or people aged 65 and older: 150 yen → 100 yen
- Elementary and Junior High school students: 100 yen → 50 yen
A "bonsai" is an art work which creates grand natural landscapes inside a small pot.
Unlike static paintings, sculptures, etc., bonsai show us a variety of changes. Bonsai are "living artworks" in which we can feel the beautiful changes formed by nature and the pulse of life throughout the four seasons.
Furthermore, bonsai is extremely highly regarded throughout the world, with tens of thousands of specialist bonsai magazines published in the United States, Spain and France. In Italy there is even a bonsai university and a bonsai art museum.
In the Western countries bonsai is considered to be living, changing art, and the extremely charming aspect of bonsai is the fact that it lives and gradually changes over time.
Enthusiasm for bonsai is particularly strong in Italy and Spain where techniques and sensibilities have reached a level comparable to that in Japan. Recently the number of bonsai lovers has been increasing in Taiwan and China as well.
So we can see that bonsai is now highly regarded throughout the world as "an example of the wonderful traditional culture of Japan."
[Note]
Municipal museum and library are closed on Monday, March 12, 2012.
Said to have a history of more than 2,000 years, this is one of the greatest old shrines in Japan and is also the origin of the name of the area, "Omiya" (which means "great shrine" in Japanese). It is the headquarters for all Hikawa shrines in Kanto and has large grounds with an area of approx. 30,000 tsubo (approx. 100,000m2). The approach to the shrine is approximately 2 kilometers long, and the Ni-no-Torii (second shrine gate) is said to be the largest wooden shrine gate extant in Kanto.
This is a sports ground in Omiya Park exclusively for playing soccer. Currently, local Saitama FM radio station FM NACK5 has the naming rights so it is called NACK5 Stadium Omiya. It is the main stadium of Omiya Ardija, a team in the Japan soccer league.
Inside the park there are many trees, most famously the Japanese Red Pine forest and 1,200 cherry trees, enabling visitors to enjoy the new greenery of spring and the turning leaves in autumn. In addition it has a small zoo and a playground for children, and offers outstanding sports facilities including a baseball stadium, and a soccer field.
[Note]
Saitama Prefectural Museum of History and Folklore is closed on Monday, March 12, 2012.
[Notes]
The Cartoon Art Museum is closed on Monday, March 12, 2012. Its operating hours are 9:00-16:30.
This is located to the north of Omiya Park and is known as one of the most outstanding bonsai cultivating areas in Japan. Every year from May 3 to May 5 the Omiya Bonsai Festival is held here, attracting many bonsai lovers from throughout the country.
The museum was opened in March 2010 as a place to communicate bonsai culture to the world. Visitors can learn about the history and meaning of bonsai and there are a wide range of exhibits including bonsai, bonsai pots, stones, etc.
Read about the charm of bonsai
[Notes]
The Bonsai Art Museum is closed on Thursdays. Its operating hours are 9:00-16:30 (last admission 16:00). There is an admission fee but if you present your Can Badge at the reception you can get the discounts listed below.
- Adult: 300 yen → 200 yen
- High School and College students, or people aged 65 and older: 150 yen → 100 yen
- Elementary and Junior High school students: 100 yen → 50 yen
Visitors can learn about the history and technologies of railways while enjoying the exhibits of the Imperial train and other real train cars from the Meiji era onwards, the Railway Model Diorama, and the Operation Simulator, etc. The museum is very popular with a wide range of people from family groups to railway enthusiasts.
[Notes]
The Railway Museum is closed on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. Its operating hours are 10:00-18:00 (last admission 17:30). There is an admission fee but if you present your Can Badge at the reception you can get the discounts listed below.
- Adult: 1000 yen → 800 yen
Detailed map of route (FLASH version)
Detailed map of route [PDF/158KB]
| Routes (Traveling times) | Fare | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Keihin-Tohoku Line (Approx. 50 minutes)  |
Omiya | 540 yen | |
| Shinjuku | Saikyo Line or Shonan Shinjuku Line (Approx. 30 minutes) |
450 yen | ||
| Ueno | Takasaki Line/Utsunomiya Line (Approx. 25 minutes) |
450 yen | ||
| Suica is recommended for traveling to Omiya because it adjusts the fare automatically and saves you the trouble of buying tickets at each ticket vending machine! | The JR Kanto Area Pass covering all of the "Kanto Area" including Tokyo and the surrounding regions is recommended! | The JR East Pass is recommended for good-value travel because it allows unlimited rides, without any additional charges, anywhere within the JR East area! |
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