Aizuwakamatsu Seasonal attractions and events - Winter in Fukushima

Aizuwakamatsu city , located at Fukushima Prefecture in Tohoku(North-eastern) area in Japan. It's my second stop in my 17-days winter journey in Japan . It's a popular spot for cherry blossom and autumn leaves. If you come here in winter, you can enjoy the marvelous snow view of the Tsuruga Castle and the city in black and white.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. A day in Aizuwakamatsu 2. TOP 1 must-see landmark: Tsuruga Castle 3. Aizuwakamatsu - "home village" of Samurai 4. Sightseeing in Aizuwakamatsu 5. The vintage steam train departs from Aizuwakamatsu

A day in Aizuwakamatsu

Please watch this video: (English subtitle included)

https://youtu.be/dba1TXXG1Uk

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TOP 1 must-see landmark: Tsuruga Castle

Tsuruga Castle , one of the TOP 100 castle in Japan, is the only one with red tile rooftop .

Seasonal scenery

In spring and autumn, Tsuruga Castle is a famous sightseeing spot for the cherry blossom and autumn leaves view.

In winter, the snow turns it into a clean white world of serenity. The castle tower covered by snow is the seasonally limited scenery here. And that's the main reason I came for.

Get to the observation deck and you'll find the view even more marvelous. The city view in front of you is just like a black & white painting.

Every time I visit a castle in Japan, I'll get to the observation deck at the top flour. Coz I really enjoy that feeling. In front of you are countless small houses and buildings. When you looking at the furthest point, you can't see clearly what's out there but infinity. The Sky and the ground merge into a line. The wind at the top is strong but yet it wakes your brain up. The cold air passes through your head, nose, and ear and it vitalizes your mind.

Aizu Painted Candle Festival

The painted candle is the traditional craft in Aizu area. From waxing, painting to polishing. Every step is performed by the talented artisan on hand. Each year in early February, the Painted Candle Festival is held in Aizuwakamatsu city to promote and pass on this traditional art. The main venue is in Tsuruga Castle and Oyakuen Garden , but the light-up area extended to the main streets in the city. (image from 会津まつり協会 )

Official site： http://aizu.com/erousoku/index.html

Aizuwakamatsu - "home village" of Samurai

"the area was ruled by many famous samurai from the Sengoku (Warring States) Period (the end of the fifteenth century) up until the end of the Edo Period (the end of the nineteenth century), Aizu culture has deep roots in samurai culture."--- 会津地域スマートシティ推進協議会

Every year in late September, there is the biggest festival of the city, The Aizu Clan Parade . Over 500 man dressed in samurai and historical figures outfits walk in a parade around the city. (Image from 会津若松観光ビューロー )

↓In the souvenir shop at Tsuruga Castle , there are various well-designed products in Samurai theme.

Sightseeing in Aizuwakamatsu

Beside Tsuruga Castle, there are numerous worth-visiting spots in the city. Below are just a few examples among all:

Nanokamachi Street

The main street outside Nanokamachi train station. There are historic Japanese and Western buildings, traditional craft shops, Cafe, and local restaurants out there.

Unique Cafe and restaurant

The Aizu Ichiban-kan Cafe

↓Do you know who is it on the 1000 JPY dollar?

This Cafe is on Nanokamachi street. It's formerly theKaihiyo Clinic, where the great doctor Hideyo Noguchi received an operation for his left hand in his early childhood. After that, he started learning medicine from his doctor. This is the place gave birth to his doctor career.

Now, the 1st floor of this building turns into a Cafe, while the 2nd floor is The Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Hall .

The street outside the building is also named as "Hideyo Noguchi Youth Street". The church where Mr.Hideyo received baptism and the house where Mr.Hideyo's first lover lived, is still existed and maintained well.

Eki Café

It's an Cafe located inside the Nanokamachi train station. There are also souvenirs, handcraft, and accessories sold in the shop. Also, you can get sightseeing guide and city map there. (Image from 会津若松観光ビューロー )

Aizu Sakura Nabe

"Sakura Sashimi", "Sakura meat", "Sakura pot"...guess these cuisines relate to cherry blossom? Not at all, they all refer to horse meat gourmet. Horse meat meal is famous cuisine in Aizu area so remember to give it a try when you are visiting Nanokamchi street! (image from web)

Official site of Tsuruga Honten: Aizu Sakura Nabe ： http://turuga829.com/

The Aizu Aoi Silk Road Museum

The Silk Road Museum「絲綢之路 文明館」（シルクロード文明館）is located near Tsuruga Castle. It's built with 30,000 of recycled bricks. The whole building is in a very unique style. The 1st floor is traditional Japanese dessert shop. The mezzanine floor is Cafe area. And the 2nd and 3rd floor is the art museum, displaying several items of the silk road and ancient culture. (image from 会津地域スマートシティ推進協議会 )

Oyakuen Garden

It's a historical and representative Japanese Garden, located near Tsuruga Castle. It takes about 15mins to walk from the Castle so I strongly recommend visiting them at one time. Unique herbal tea is served in the tea room of the garden. （Image from 「換一個地方喝咖啡」by Luke Lai）

"In mid 16 century, the dictator of Aizu started planting herbs in the garden in order to cure contagious diseases which broke out among citizens. That's why ihe garden is called as oyakuen herbal garden. "--- 福島縣觀光物產交流協會

The vintage steam train departs from Aizuwakamatsu

SL Banetsu Monogatari departs from Aizuwakamatsu, stops at Niigata on the West. The train only operates in, spring, summer, and autumn. And it mainly operates on weekends and holidays. Hence, make sure you check out the train calendar and timetable . (image from wikipedia )

More travel information

Aizu area: Click here

Aizuwakamatsu city: http://samurai-city.jp/en/

Fukushima Prefecture: http://iplayfukushima.com/

Aizuwakamatsu Seasonal attractions and events – Winter in Fukushima

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