Gyozas and the Underground World of Utsunomiya (2-Day Trip)

The old mining site of Utsunomiya’s specialty， Oya Stone， has now been turned into a historical museum. The exhibition features the long history of the mining since the 17^th century， with many documents on display. The underground cavern， covering 20，000 sq. metres， is large enough to fit a baseball field. With a fantastic atmosphere reminding visitors of the ruins of Ancient Rome， the cavern is widely utilized as a location for shooting movies and music videos， as a venue such as concert hall， theatre， Noh theatre， business functions and wedding receptions.

“Utsunomiya Gyoza” is a centre of local culture. The city has over 300 Gyoza restaurants， and people enjoy queuing in front of their particular favourite. These eateries compete in creating unique recipes to be recognised as “one of the best” Gyoza in the city， with all sorts of ingredients and cooking methods. Go from one eatery to another like the local Japanese do， and sample some of the enormous selection! You can even join in hands-on Gyoza-making classes led by veteran lecturers. Takeaway and Gyoza-related goods are also popular as souvenirs.

Tour Utsunomiya by renting bicycles from this station that also offers tourist information.
http://miya-cyclestation.jp/

At this roadside station you can find Onsen， restaurants， local products， a farm and accommodations in a vast space of area. Experience the daily life of the countryside here! Tochigi Prefecture has the highest production volume of two-rowed barley – an ingredient used in the making of beer. From “Mugitaro”， the most popular local beer， to “Gyoza Romance”， the beer perfectly matching to Gyoza， be sure to try a freshly brewed one!