The place is not a day trip from Haneda Airport, but can be reached in less than two hours from Omiya, a city in Saitama Prefecture, or from lodgings in the retro area (by train). The shaved ice here is very famous, but you will have to wait more than 2 hours for your order. The fresh greenery in Saitama can be enjoyed from late April. Summer is very hot and humid. The best time to visit is in May, before the rainy season starts.
It is an unusual terrain with a series of huge rock formations. There are many people near the boat pier, but as you move away from that area, the number of people decreases. It is a very relaxing place rich in nature. The kids enjoyed their rocky adventure. We can find many tadpoles and frogs here. The view of the boats on the river is also beautiful. The boats are very popular and you may have to wait in line for quite a while to get tickets.
A really beautiful place to have a stroll around. Trails are parallel to the river with many spots to sit and have a snack, take pictures and look at the beautiful river view.
Beautiful place to enjoy the nature. But not really recommended to visit in winters (of course you can just mark it off on the checklist). Preferably go in spring/summer. DON'T do the boat ride. It's so useless. 1000 yen for a 20 minutes ride. They may shorten the ride according to them but will not change the price. NOT WORTH. Other than that, great place to enjoy nature and good food.
