Social Residence Minami-Nagareyama is in Nagareyama city in Chiba prefecture. The closest station is Minami-Nagareyama station on either the JR Musashino or Tsukuba Express lines. The area around the house is mostly a quiet neighborhood of public housing, but what about the rest of the city? We took a look around!

Minami-Nagareyama Power Spot
Akagi Jinja is a Shinto shrine in Nagareyama. The large decorative shimenawa ropes are made every October, and weigh 500kg! Local residents come here on New Year’s day for their first shrine visit of the year. It is normally a quiet place with big trees and nice atmosphere. Our foreign teammates learned how to properly pray at the shrine, and then we all made our prayers and took a picture by an interesting stone statue.

Akagi Shrine
5-649 Nagareyama, Nagareyama, Chiba
URL：http://www.city.nagareyama.chiba.jp/tourism/7748/7754/007794.html

Great for walks! Enjoy the changing seasons
Just a 2-minute walk from Akagi Shrine is the large Edogawa river. We all let out a surprised gasp at the beautiful sight. We had great weather that day, so it was even better! We took lots of pictures, too. There are beautiful yellow flowers that blanket the riverside in the spring.

After walking along the river we came to a baseball diamond, where many people were practicing. There aren’t that many people here during the day, but many people come out to practice and play on the weekends. On the other side of the river is a soccer field. We also saw also people walking their dogs, jogging, or couples playing tennis. It’s nice that there are places to do activities with others or even by yourself. The sunset was also wonderful.

Edo Riverside
Nagareyama city
URL：http://www.city.nagareyama.chiba.jp/institution/7700/5429/005866.html

Enjoy coffee or lunch!
The coffee shop Kinomi looks as if it has emerged from the forest. We’re hungry after our walk along the river. We sat out on the terrace, surrounded by trees, it was like having a tea party in a strange land. For lunch they have pasta, omuraisu, hamburger steak, with soup, salad, and a drink. This is a popular place among the locals and there are many regular customers. Their pudding a la mode is famous, but only sold on the weekends, so unfortunately we couldn’t have any. Definitely next time!!

Coffee Kinomi
6-23-4 Minami Nagareyama, Nagareyama, Chiba
URL：https://tabelog.com/chiba/A1203/A120305/12007710/

Many parks in Minami Nagareyama

Close to Kinomi is Minami Nagareyama Park 9. We were attracted by the beautiful fall colors. There are even places for children to play. We decided to have some fun on the swings!
Minami Nagareyama actually has many parks, delineated by numbers, up to 11. Minami Nagareyama is a place you can be close to nature, whether it’s the river or the parks!

Minami Nagareyama Park 9
5-11 Minami Nagareyama, Nagareyama, Chiba
URL：http://www.city.nagareyama.chiba.jp/institution/7700/5429/005694.html

Everything you need for your lifestyle
It’s not all just parks and nature in Minami Nagareyama: there’s also everything you need for your lifestyle. Along the big streets are an electronic store, large shopping center, supermarket, and 100 yen shop. You can buy fresh fish at Kakujoe fish market, a supermarket that does a tuna carving show every Sunday afternoon. The fishmonger then auctions off various cuts of the fish, which is really fun to see. You might even want to line up for a good cut!

Kakujoe Nagareyama
9-800-21 Nagareyama, Nagareyama Chiba
URL：http://www.kakujoe.co.jp/chiba/nagareyama.php

Wonderful Japanese snacks!
Shoke Minamoto Kitchoan even has shops overseas. There are many amazing types of snacks lining the shelves and display case. It’s almost overwhelming, but the staff happily explained to us their many creations. They have new products depending on the season, and they make great gifts. We tried the chestnut snacks, which were so great.

Shoke Minamoto Kitchoan Minami-Nagareyama store
6-6-23 Minami Nagareyama, Nagareyama Chiba
URL：http://www.kitchoan.co.jp/site/

Nagareyama city is home to the Ryutetsu Nagareyama line. It connects Mabashi station in Matsudo city and Nagareyama city, and it is a small line with only 6 stations. It is somewhat of a nostalgic feeling, buying your ticket with change and the train rambles throughout town. From Social Residence Minami Nagareyama, you can get to Haiwadai station on the Nagareyama line in 20 minutes walk. We decided to take the train to Mabashi station, the end of the line.

The last stronghold of the Shinsengumi
To talk about Japanese history for a little bit: The Shinsengumi was a police force in the Edo period led by Isami Kondo that was originally tasked with protecting Kyoto, and Nagareyama was its last home base. He and his trusted right-hand-man Toshizo Hijikata spent their last days here.
Volunteers here at the remains of Isami Kondo’s hold explain on the weekends what kind of group the Shinsengumi was, why they came to Nagareyama, and why Kondo was captured, as well as the background of the end of the Edo period. Outside these grounds are other relevant sites such as temples and other buildings used by the Shinsengumi. There were even tour groups here. It can be fun to learn the history of the place where you live!

Isami Kondo encampment remains
2-108 Nagareyama, Nagareyama Chiba
URL：http://www.jalan.net/kankou/spt_12220af2170020139/

So, how did you like the Oak Explorer report on Minami Nagareyama? It’s a small bedroom town outside Tokyo, but it has everything you need for a pleasant daily lifestyle, with shops, cafes, and more. The people are relaxed and friendly. And most importantly: everyone at Social Residence Minami Nagareyama are lively and kind! After we got back to the house, we shared the snacks we bought with everyone and chatted about our journey. They all greeted us warmly when we returned. We hope you come live at Minami Nagareyama Social Residence too!