Nasu Travel Virtual Tours A simple travel guide to things to do, eat, and see in Nasu, Japan

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Let us enjoy Nasu with Kaori! — Welcome to Michi-no-Eki Meiji no Mori Kuroiso, where you can visit the Nasu villa of Aoki Shūzō.

Michi-no-Eki Meiji no Mori Kuroiso

道の駅 明治の森・黒磯1
The Nasu villa of Aoki Shūzō is a place you should see here.
This roadside station has large grounds and is a good spot for a short walk after driving.
▼ Virtual View (Surroundings)

You can see the area around the roadside station on Google Street View.

▼ Kaori's Report

道の駅 明治の森・黒磯1

This roadside station is on a large site.
It is a good place to get out of the car and take a short walk.

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The main highlight here is the Nasu villa of Aoki Shūzō, which is an Important Cultural Property of Japan.

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Inside the villa, you can see materials about Aoki Shūzō, who was Japan’s ambassador to Germany in the Meiji era, and about the development of the Nasu no Hara area.

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This building was once a villa of the noble class.
It is like an early example of today’s holiday homes in Nasu.

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When I look at the white, European-style building, I imagine the luxurious villa life of the Meiji era.


(Kaori’s Highlights)

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Viscount Aoki Shūzō, who served as minister to Germany and as foreign minister in the Meiji era, built this Nasu villa on Aoki Farm in 1888 (Meiji 21).
At first, only the central two-story part existed, but extensions in 1909 (Meiji 42) created the current shape.
The architect, Baron Matsugasaki Manshō, was one of the founders of the Architectural Institute of Japan. He studied architecture in Germany and brought German building techniques to Japan.
This villa is his only remaining work in Japan and is a valuable modern building, with features such as fish-scale slate cladding on the exterior walls.
It is truly a building that you should see.
Aoki also served as the first president of the Architectural Institute of Japan from 1886 (Meiji 19) to 1892 (Meiji 25).
It is wonderful that this Nasu villa, built in that historical context, still survives today.

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You can also enjoy flower fields that appear here in each season.

▼ Contact Information


[Phone] +81-287-63-0399


[Address] 27 Aoki, Nasushiobara-shi, Tochigi


[More Info.] info Opening hours and details

▼ Map


You can check the exact location of the roadside station on the map below.

▼ Season's Menu
▼ Pick Up Menu (Related)