If you are in Tokyo and want to make a short interesting trip outside the city Ashikaga can be recommended. This small city is packed with history that goes back to the early Middle Ages. The Ashikaga Clan that descended from the Minamoto clan, who were the conquerors of Honshu and dominated the Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333). Ashikaga Takauji overthrew the Kamakura shoguns and installed himself in the Muromachi district of Kyoto. The clan contributed greatly to the beautification of Ashikaga and built temples, gardens, and retirement villas.

　

It's a small city with a lot of history packed into an attractive and easily walkable radius, from the mound tombs (kofun) and mountain-top shrines of pre-Buddhist Japan to dozens of temples built by members of the long-powerful Ashikaga clan, notable patrons of classical Japanese theatre (Noh), art (flower arranging and tea ceremony), and architecture (the Golden and Silver Pavilions in Kyoto). The Ashikaga clan was an offshoot of the Minamoto clan who conquered Honshu and dominated the Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333). Ashikaga Takauji overthrew the Kamakura shoguns and installed himself in the Muromachi district of Kyoto. The Ashikaga shoguns did not just help beautify Kamakura and Kyoto, they also built temples, gardens, and retirement villas in their hometown, which has been called a Little Kyoto and calls Kamakura one of its sister cities. The clan also sponsored the Ashikaga Gakkō, the most famous Confucian academy of eastern Japan, and Ashikaga has a friendship city relationship with Jining, China, which includes Qufu, the hometown of Confucius.

As the Ashikaga shoguns got weaker, the country fractured into civil war, until it was reunited and pacified under the Tokugawa Shogunate, with its headquarters in Edo (modern Tokyo). Ashikaga and other towns on the edge of the Kanto plain prospered as Edo grew into a bustling metropolis, two of Ashikaga's specialties being soba and silk. Classic, Edo-period merchant stronghouses are still frequent sights along Ashikaga streets. Long prominent in the silk industry, Ashikaga, Kiryu, and nearby towns became important centers of Japan's industrial revolution, with textile manufacturing leading the way. Although the factories have moved overseas, textile handicrafters are still active, and fine woven goods can be found in many local souvenir shops.

Travelers coming from Narita airport should note that bus may be cheaper, faster and more convenient than taking train.

By train

The nearest Shinkansen (bullet train) stations are Oyama on the Tōhoku Shinkansen and Takasaki on the Jōetsu Shinkansen, both of which are connected to Ashikaga by the JR Ryōmō Line (両毛線), which has about 30 trains daily running in each direction between about 5 am and 11 pm. JR Ashikaga station is on the north bank of the Watarase River, in the older, more walkable section of town.

The private Tōbu Asakusa-Isesaki Line (東武伊勢崎線) [2] runs about 60 trains in each direction through Ashikaga-shi station every day between about 5 am and midnight. Express trains leaving Asakusa in Tokyo reach Ashikaga-shi in about 75 minutes (60 minutes from Kita-Senju in Tokyo). The local (or "Section Semi-Express" ,"Section-Express") takes twice as long. Kita-Senju is more convenient than Asakusa as a transfer point in the Tokyo area. Tōbu Ashikaga-shi station is on the south bank of the Watarase River, in the rapidly expanding south side of town, with strip malls, big-box retailers, and ample parking.

By bus

The Keisei Bus Salvia [3][4] line runs directly between Narita airport and Ashikaga each way daily for ¥4300 one way. The trip takes about 3 hours, depending on Tokyo traffic. Six buses leave Tōbu Ashikaga-shi station between 4:52 a.m. and 1:53 p.m., and six buses leave Narita between 8:15 a.m. and 7:50 p.m.

The JR Bus Kantō Watarase line [5] runs directly from the Yaesu South exit of Tokyo Station to the JR Ashikaga station and back five times a day for only ¥1600 each way. This particular JR Bus is not free for JR Rail Pass [6] users. Reservations are not usually necessary, and tickets can be purchased from the bus driver. (Service suspended)

By car

Take the Sano-Fujioka exit from the Tōhoku Expressway and follow National Route 50 west toward Ashikaga. The four-lane divided highway is usually busy, and highway buses schedule a half-hour between the Sano Premium Outlets [7] and the Ashikaga train stations. National Route 50 runs along the south edge of Ashikaga.

It takes 15 minutes from the Ota-Kiryu exit in the Kita-Kanto Expressway to cetral Ashikaga.Take the Ota-Kiryu exit and follow National Route 122 & 50 east toward Ashikaga.

Get around

The Ashikaga City Bus runs 4 times a day each way through Ashikaga on a long route that runs far up the mountain valleys that flank the city. It costs ¥200 each way.

The old downtown of Ashikaga north of the Watarase River is very walkable, while the riverbank itself is very bikeable (and walkable). A bicycle trail runs along the levees for the full length of Ashikaga city, sometimes along the north levee, sometimes along the south. The levees were raised and flood control measures were improved after severe flooding in the wake of Typhoon Catherine in 1947.