Oyama City

Two keyhole tombs, close and aligned.

Biwazuka and Marishitenzuka

Photo by Saigen Jiro (CC0)

01 ／ Teranohigashi Site

A Jomon ring-shaped earthwork extendingin a semicircle about 165 m in outer diameter.

The ring-shaped earthwork at the Teranohigashi Site extends in a semicircle about 165 m in outer diameter and about 15 to 30 m wide. Its inner area was dug down, in stages, to below the Kanuma pumice layer, and brown soil mixed with pumice was piled thickly on the upper outer part. The Agency for Cultural Affairs writes that great earthworks were carried out intermittently over some 700 years from the beginning of the Late Jomon period.

About 165 m in outer diameter
Some 700 years of intermittent works
National Historic Site, 1995

02 ／ Tile Kiln Site

Tiles of the same mold as ShimotsukeYakushi-ji's turned up at the kiln site.

The Otomefudohara Tile Kiln Site stands on the western edge of a plateau along the left bank of the Omoi River. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, 66 eaves tiles were excavated, and some are of the same mold as tiles unearthed at Shimotsuke Yakushi-ji and the presumed site of the Shimotsuke provincial office. The city dates the kiln to the mid-8th century, in the Nara period, and writes that it made tiles for Shimotsuke Yakushi-ji and Shimotsuke Kokubun-ji, among others.

66 eaves tiles excavated
Same mold as Shimotsuke Yakushi-ji tiles
National Historic Site, 1978

03 ／ Jagamaita

Serpents made by seven neighbourhoods,one each, gather at Mamada Hachimangu.

This serpent festival of Mamada is a nationally designated important intangible folk cultural property. Serpent bodies (ja) made of rice straw, wisteria vines, ferns and other materials are carried toward Mamada Hachimangu to the chant of "Jaagamaita, Jagamaita". Once the seven have gathered, they are carried up the steps to the shrine building, and in the Benten pond within the grounds they are made to drink water.

Seven neighbourhoods, one serpent each
Every 5 May
Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, 2019

Living here

41 minutes to Tokyo, 16 to Ōmiya.

about 170,000 people
Shinkansen stops here

Besides the Tohoku Shinkansen, Oyama Station is served by the Tohoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line), the Mito Line and the Ryomo Line. Tokyo Station is as little as 41 minutes away by Shinkansen and Ōmiya 16 minutes; Shinjuku is 72 minutes on the Shonan-Shinjuku Line without changing trains. The house of the Ogawa family, who ran the fertiliser wholesaler "Kurumaya" at the early modern Otome river port, has five buildings that are Registered Tangible Cultural Properties.

People living here: 166,666people
Area: 171.75km²
Households: 69,624households
Rent (average for rentals): 50,511yen
Healthcare: 9 hospitals ／ 123 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —40 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Oyama City in Japan36.315°N 139.800°E

to TokyoTohoku Shinkansen41min
to ŌmiyaTohoku Shinkansen16min
to ShinjukuJR Shonan-Shinjuku Line72min

Travel times follow JR東日本の駅の時刻表（timetables.jreast.co.jp。2026年10月改正の版 /2610/）。小山駅の東北新幹線東京方面(上り) と宇都宮線(東北本線) 大宮・上野・新宿方面(上り) の平日・土曜休日の時刻表から、各列車の『停車駅一覧』ページ（列車ごと）で小山発と各駅着の時刻を読んだ。平日と土曜・休日の両方の時刻表に載り、運転日注意（◆）の印が無い列車だけを『毎日の定期便』として数えた (checked 2026-10-08). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 7 municipalities across 1 prefectures.

Territory of Oyama City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

18.4km

Tochigi Prefecture: 栃木市, 野木町, 下野市, 真岡市
Ibaraki Prefecture: 結城市, 筑西市, 古河市

Oyama City isthis kind of town.

01The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the keyhole-shaped National Historic Site tombs Marishitenzuka and Biwazuka are the same in shape and size and share one orientation
02The Teranohigashi Site's ring-shaped earthwork extends in a semicircle about 165 m in outer diameter, and tiles of the same mold as Shimotsuke Yakushi-ji's turned up at the Otomefudohara Tile Kiln Site
03The Mamada Jagamaita, in which seven neighbourhoods each make one serpent, is an important intangible folk cultural property held every 5 May

See the town as it is now.

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Oyama City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗