Nose retains a truly natural environment: fields in the valley, green mountains, and other elements that are fast being lost elsewhere in Japan. Here, unlike in an urban area, you can feel firsthand the distinctive four seasons of Japan. Nose is surrounded in all directions by mountains, including Mt. Miyama (791 m), the highest peak in the area; Mt. Kenpi (784 m); Mt. Myoken (660 m), a well-known sanctuary of Myoken Bodhisattva worship; Mt. Mikusa (564 m); and Mt. Utagaki (554 m), one of Japan’s three most representative utagaki* sites. The fields in Nose are kept rich by the clear streams of the Yamabe, Hitokuraohroji, Noma and Tajiri Rivers, which flow in the Inagawa River basin. (*Utagaki: an ancient ritual exchange of love songs and poems as part of spirit worship and courtship)

Nose Town is a life-size gallery of rural life and Nature. The district around Mt. Mikusa is a quintessential Nose landscape, dotted with charming traditional houses. Enjoy a panoramic view on Mt. Myoken, whose northwestern face is covered with Japanese beech trees all the way from the peak. This view is sure to inspire a sense of awe for Nature. Nose's rich natural environment is inevitably home to numerous creatures that are becoming increasingly rare in other locales, such as deer, Japanese giant salamanders (Andrias japonicas; protected animal), forest green tree frogs (Rhacophorus arboreus; protected animal), extremely rare green hair streak (Favonius cognatus) and other butterflies. Beautiful greenery, clear streams and fresh air - they have probably become ultimate luxuries in modern life, but in Nose they exist in abundance. It is no easy task to preserve the beautiful rural landscape and Nature while also enhancing daily convenience for local residents. Yet, here in Nose, we are determined to preserve our precious natural treasures to pass them on to future generations for years to come.