Over the past few years, my definition of an “ideal trip” has changed quite dramatically. I used to crave the buzz and energy of big cities. Now, I find myself longing for quiet towns, forest trails, and the simple joy of watching my kids run wild in nature.
So this time, we only stayed one night in Tokyo. The next morning, we rented a car and hit the road — destination: Nasu Highlands. As we drove northbound, skyscrapers melted into trees, open fields, and distant snowy peaks…
三月的早晨，在東京租了台小車，導航設定：一路往北。窗外的風景從高樓大廈漸漸換成山林、原野、和遠方的雪山。
這幾年，對 “理想旅行” 的定義真的變了。以前喜歡城市的喧囂與刺激，現在更想往山裡走，去小鎮散步，看孩子在大自然中奔跑。所以這次我們只在東京停留一晚，隔天一早便開車前往那須。
Nasu Highlands is an area in northern Tochigi Prefecture, nestled at the foot of the mountains, known for its hot springs, natural beauty, and artistic spirit. What it offers isn’t excitement or spectacle, but a gentle rhythm of life.
Our three-day trip turned out even more charming than we imagined. If you’re looking for something slow-paced, slightly spontaneous, child-friendly yet fun for adults too – Nasu might just be it. Sharing our itinerary here in case you’d like to borrow it.
那須是栃木縣北部一個依山傍林的小鎮，以溫泉、自然與藝術氣息聞名。這里有遼闊的森林、安靜的山路。小店藏匿於街角與林間，販賣的不是熱鬧，而是一種溫柔的生活節奏。
三天兩夜的行程，比想象中還要美好。如果你也在找一場不趕行程、帶點即興、適合親子且不失質感的旅程，也許那須會是很好的選擇。行程分享在這里，歡迎跟隨。
Nasu 3-day Itinerary
那須三日行程
Day 1
10:00 Depart from Tokyo / 從東京啟程
12:30 Arrive in Kuroiso – lunch, easy stroll, library visit / 抵達黑磯，午餐+小店+圖書館
16:00 Check-in at The Key Highland Nasu / 入住 The Key Highland Nasu
Day 2
8:30 Breakfast at the hotel, snow play, onsen / 飯店早餐、玩雪、泡溫泉
12:30 Explore Takaku Otsu / 探索高久乙: White Note, Nasu Shozo Cafe, Good News Neighbors
16:30 Back to hotel for roasting marshmallows, dinner, onsen / 回飯店烤棉花糖、晚餐、溫泉
Day 3
10:00 Check out / 退房
10:30 Visit Yoshitomo Nara’s museum N’s YARD / 奈良美智美術館 N’s YARD
12:00 Lunch at Roadside Station Meiji-no-Mori, then on to the next destination… / 道の駅 明治の森午餐，前往下一站…
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/ Day 1 /
To get an early start, we landed in Tokyo the day before, spending the night near Nihonbashi. To save time and hassle, we had a simple but delicious breakfast inside our hotel room: breads from 365 Nichi and Bank Bakery, paired with in-season Amaou strawberries and local yogurt.
為了早點出發，我們前一晚就住在日本橋附近，早餐也提前準備好：365日和 Bank Bakery 的麵包，配上三月正當季的あまおう (Amaou) 草莓和優格，在飯店的桌上簡單又滿足地吃完，便啟程。
10:00 Depart from Tokyo / 啟程，開往那須
We rented our car through Toyota Rent-a-Car’s website – it was the smoothest experience we’ve had so far in Japan, better than Nissan or rental car agencies. Highly recommended if you’re planning to self-drive.
這次在 Toyota Rent-a-Car 官網租車，流程順暢，比過去用 Nissan 或其他租車行的體驗都更好，推薦給打算在日本自駕的人。
The girls fell asleep within 30 minutes (after a bawling session from El, almost obligatory when she sits in an unfamiliar car seat). A and I put on our favorite roadtrip music and munched on dorayaki from Tsubameya, a famed wagashi shop in Nihonbashi, as we swiftly moved northward.
兩姐妹在三十分鐘內（經歷 El 一場短暫的爆哭後）就睡著了。 我和 A 邊聽音樂、邊吃昨天在日本橋名店ツバメヤ買的銅鑼燒，開啟這段期待已久的山中旅程。
12:30 Arriving at Kuroiso / 抵達黑磯
Our first stop was Kuroiso, a small town nestled at the base of the mountains. The streets are short and peaceful, dotted with unique little shops. It was a Tuesday, quiet and calm, perfect for exploring.
我們的第一站，是那須山腳下的小鎮黑磯。街道不長，卻安靜有味，藏著不少風格獨特的小店。那天是周二，沒有游客的喧囂，空氣中只有在地人與旅人偶遇的從容。
We had lunch at Chus, a cozy hybrid of select shop, restaurant, and guesthouse. Warm wood tones and a strong sense of place greeted us as soon as we stepped inside.
午餐選在 Chus – 一間集合選物店、餐廳和旅宿的復合空間，一進門就能感受到溫暖木調與在地氣息。
The restaurant serves set meals made with local Nasu ingredients. We ordered the Tochigi wagyu hamburger patty, spiced curry, and wagyu omurice. Every bite was fresh and deliciously comforting, simple but full of flavor.
餐廳主打使用那須當地食材的定食，簡單而美味。我們點了栃木和牛漢堡排、香料咖喱、栃木和牛蛋包飯，每一口都吃得出新鮮與誠意，味蕾與心情都被安撫。
All dishes came out of this little open kitchen, which added to the homely feel.
所有料理都出自這個溫馨的小廚房：
After lunch, I browsed the shop and quickly filled a basket with interesting local finds. First, there’s Brown Cheese Brothers, which comprises of caramelized cheese spread made from leftover whey, sandwiched in buttery cookies. Sweet, tangy, layered.
飯後在店裡閑逛，發現幾家很有意思的在地品牌，讓我默默裝滿了一大籃。比如 Brown Cheese Brothers，將製作乳酪時剩下的乳清熬成焦糖風味的棕色起司醬，夾在酥香餅乾中，酸甜有層次。
Then there’s Sanaburi Lemon, which are delicate cakes crafted from imperfect or leftover lemons, skin and all, for zero waste.
Sanaburi Lemon 利用不合規格或剩餘的檸檬，將果皮與果肉完整轉化為細致的甜點，實現零浪費。
Lastly, Butter no Itoko is crisp wafers sandwiching jam-like cream made from skimmed milk (a byproduct of butter-making), an innovative way to support dairy farmers. All three of the brands I tried are beautifully packaged and surprisingly delicious. Definitely worth trying if you are in Nasu or if you come across their shops in other cities.
Butter no Itoko 使用製作奶油剩下的脫脂牛奶熬製成奶醬，夾入威化餅中，奶香濃郁，也為酪農創造了新的可能。這幾款商品的包裝設計都很吸引人，味道也出乎意料地好。有機會來那須或是在其他城市巧遇門店的話，值得試試。
The fresh fruits and vegetables in the shop were lovely as well. Look at these beautiful green onions!
商店裡的蔬果看起來也都很新鮮美味。好想買一包蔥回家！
Picked up two cans of craft beer, to be enjoyed later in the evening.
順手帶了兩罐啤酒準備晚上在酒店喝。
14:00 Shopping & Library / 逛小店和圖書館
Post-lunch, we wandered the streets a bit and discovered a few interesting shops, such as this cute little florist named Dear, Folks & Flowers.
離開 Chus 後，我們繼續在小鎮上散步，逛了幾家風格各異的空間。比如花店 Dear, Folks & Flowers，像是從歐洲小巷搬來的秘密角落。
ROOMS, an antique store filled with beautiful pieces, including a cabinet I loved but couldn’t ship home.
古董店 ROOMS 里看到了美麗的櫃子，可惜無法寄送海外。
Soma Japon, full of lovingly woven, homey items.
還有生活用品店 Soma Japon，滿是編織類的溫暖小物。
And then, the biggest surprise: Miruru, the Nasu-Shiobara City Library. Who would’ve thought such a design-forward public library would be hiding in this quiet town?
最後走進那須鹽原市圖書館 Miruru，完全超出預期。空間明亮、開放，融合自然光和大量木質元素，令人驚艷。一個小鎮，竟然有這樣設計感十足的公共圖書館。
We loved the children’s area the most – divided into the “Forest of Picture Books” and the “Forest of Learning”, with mini tunnels inviting children to explore, and soft mats tempting them to sit down and read.
我們最喜歡的一樓兒童區，分成 “繪本之森” 和 “學習之森”，還有迷你隧道和軟墊座椅，設計充滿童趣，引導孩子自然地走進閱讀世界。
Em found a princess book and absolutely refused to leave.
找到一本公主繪本後就不想離開的 Em。
A few shops we wanted to visit (like Iris Bread & Coffee and antique store tamiser kurioso) happened to be closed that day – leaving us with the perfect excuse to return to Kuroiso another time.
另外還有幾家原本想造訪的小店，如 Iris Bread & Coffee 和古董店 tamiser kurioso，那天剛好都休息。留點遺憾，也許更有理由再來一次。
16:00 入住 / Check-in at The Key Highland Nasu
By late afternoon, we checked in at The Key Highland Nasu, a hot spring hotel surrounded by forest. This seems to be quite a local hotel, as we were the only international guests during our two-night stay, but the staff spoke enough English to make things easy and warm.
傍晚時分，我們驅車前往今晚入住的溫泉飯店 The Key Highland Nasu，位在那須高原深處，四周被森林包圍。我們連續住了兩晚，似乎是那時唯一的外國旅客，但接待人員能用簡單英語溝通，服務貼心，無需擔心語言障礙。
Just as we arrived, it began to snow. In mid-March! A lovely surprise – especially for two little ones seeing snow for the first time. Em twirled in the falling flakes shouting, “I’m Elsa!” and opened her mouth to catch snowflakes. Seeing her unfiltered joy really made everything worthwhile.
抵達時，天空剛好開始飄雪。都三月中了還能遇到雪，實在驚喜，尤其對兩個第一次看到雪的孩子來說。Em 高興地在雪地里轉圈，大喊 “我是 Elsa！”，張開嘴巴接住雪花。這種毫無保留的快樂，只有孩子才擁有吧?
We stayed in Suite Type A, which comes with a private open-air onsen. The room was warm and spacious, with forest views out the windows. (I forgot to take more room photos, but you can peek on the hotel website for details).
我們選擇的是帶露天溫泉的套房 Suite Type A，房間寬敞溫暖，窗外就是整片樹林。忘了多拍房間照片，有興趣的人可以上官網看看。
That night, after the girls fell asleep, I slipped into the public onsen alone. The bath wasn’t fancy, but it was perfectly comfortable. I soaked in the warmth as snow fell silently into the forest, making everything looked sugar-dusted. A moment to think about nothing, and just feel.
Day 2 coming soon.
夜裡孩子們入睡後，我獨自去了大眾溫泉。浴池不華麗，但格外舒適。浸在暖湯里，看雪花無聲地落下、消失，森林像是被撒了一層糖霜。那一刻，腦子里什麼也不想，只覺得自己離日常很遠、很輕。
下一篇，那須第二日。