National scenic beauty "Soka Matsubara, a scenic spot of Oku No Hosomichi"

Soka-juku is the second post‐town along the Nikko Kaido Highway from Nihonbashi. Not far from there is Soka Matsubara, a row of pine trees offering beautiful scenery.

This is an area that appears in the work "Oku No Hosomichi" written by Matsuo Basho, a haiku poet from the early Edo period (1603-1715). The area was recognized as one of the scenic spots related to Matsuo Basho's "Oku No Hosomichi" in March 2014. The area was designated as a national scenic spot for its series of scenic views that have influenced the way people view the landscape in later generations and still retain the atmosphere of the past.

The two pairs of drum-shaped pedestrian bridges over the Ayase River, Hyakudai Bridge and Yatate Bridge, look like something out of an ukiyoe painting. Their appearance still tells us the atmosphere of the "Oku No Hosomichi" era.

Every year in early summer, Soka Matsubara holds the Soka Asagao Market, a summer tradition in Soka. Since 2015, the Soka Matsubara Dream Festival, in which the rows of pine trees are illuminated, has been held.

Today, it is a 1.5km stone-paved promenade along the Ayase River. It has become a place of relaxation for visitors.