Enjoy the Charm of Old Japan and Snowy Scenery! 7 Popular Tourist Spots in Aizuwakamatsu

If you visit Aizuwakamatsu, winter is the recommended season for seeing its beautiful snowy scenery.
The mystical sight of Tsuruga Castle, the symbol of Aizuwakamatsu, covered in white is a must-see.
The Tadami River gorge blanketed in deep snow, visible from the windows of the JR Tadami Line connecting Aizuwakamatsu Station in Fukushima Prefecture and Koide Station in Niigata Prefecture, is also fantastical and beautiful.

If you are visiting Aizuwakamatsu from Tokyo, first take the Shinkansen to Koriyama, then use a local train or highway bus from there.
Whichever route you choose, the travel time should be around from 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Sazaedo is a Kannon hall on the slope of Mount Iimori, known as the place where the Byakkotai committed ritual suicide, and its official name is Entsu Sansodo.
Built in 1796, this three-story hexagonal Kannon hall is Approx. 16.5m tall. It was constructed by Ikudo, a monk of Shomasa Temple, which once stood here.
The exterior of this hall is already quite unusual, but the inside is even more extraordinary, and once you step inside, you will quickly understand why it was named Sazaedo.

This castle is also known as a famous cherry blossom spot and is a symbol of Aizuwakamatsu City.
Its official name is Wakamatsu Castle, and it is also sometimes called Aizu Castle or Aizuwakamatsu Castle.
The castle tower, the only one in Japan roofed with red tiles, still conveys the beautiful appearance of the castle from the feudal era.
Inside the castle tower is the Wakamatsu Castle Tenshukaku Local Museum, where materials related to the region's history are displayed.

Nanokamachi Street and Noguchi Hideyo Seishun Street are retro sightseeing streets located in central Aizuwakamatsu City.
Lined with buildings from the Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods, these streets let you enjoy an atmosphere that feels like stepping back in time to a bygone era.
Nanokamachi Street once prospered as the western gateway to the castle town and the busiest downtown street in Aizu.

Located near Higashiyama Onsen, this large-scale history museum park recreates the residence of Saigo Tanomo, a chief retainer of the Aizu Domain, and features relocated and restored traditional buildings and museums around it.
Saigo Tanomo’s senior retainer residence is a magnificent wooden samurai mansion with tatami floors, containing 38 rooms including the Onari-no-Ma, where the domain lord was entertained, and the Oku Ichi-no-Ma, the chief retainer’s bedroom.

Nisshinkan was the school of the Aizu Domain, opened in 1803 to educate the domain’s future leaders.
Sons of upper-ranking samurai entered Nisshinkan at age 10, where they studied not only the oral reading of classics such as the Analects, but also archery, gunnery, suiren, swimming training while wearing armor, medicine, astronomy, and more.
Within the grounds are the Taiseiden Hall enshrining Confucius, the Daigaku advanced academy, the Sodokujo reading hall, martial arts halls, and Japan’s first swimming pool, the Suiren Suibaba-ike, but in fact all of them were reconstructed on this site in 1987 based on surviving historical records.

Known as the “inner retreat of Aizu,” Higashiyama Onsen is a historic hot spring area said to have been discovered Approx. 1,300 years ago by the priest Gyoki, guided by a three-legged crow.
Although it is only Approx. 15 minutes by car from central Aizuwakamatsu, it is surrounded by rich nature and is popular as a quiet hot spring area where you can forget the bustle of the city.
The spring water is mainly a clear, colorless sulfate spring, said to help with cuts, neuralgia, skin conditions, and more.

At the eastern edge of the Aizu Basin, this is one of Aizuwakamatsu City’s leading tourist destinations, visited by as many as 2 million people each year.
You can climb on foot to the summit of this 314m hill, or use a paid escalator for easy access.

If you are exploring Aizuwakamatsu, be sure to try the transportation options introduced below.
In addition to enjoying seasonal natural scenery from the window, the special interiors will let you experience an even deeper sense of travel.

A long-established hot spring ryokan representing Higashiyama Onsen, the inner retreat of Aizuwakamatsu.
It took over Kitsune-yu, which had been used as a designated retreat by the Aizu Domain in the Edo period, and opened as a hot spring inn in 1873.
The large public baths include Kitsune-yu, which also soothed the bodies of Aizu samurai, and Saru-no-Yu, where you can enjoy natural views from the windows. Both have separate baths for men and women. There is also a private family bath, and all baths feature 100% free-flowing spring water with no added water or heating.
Day-use bathing is not available, but that allows overnight guests to enjoy the famous waters at a leisurely pace.

Ashinomaki Onsen, said to have opened Approx. 1,200 years ago, is located along the Okawa Gorge, where strange rock formations and cliffs carved by a rushing river continue for miles.
Facing the Agano River, Okawaso is a hot spring ryokan where you can enjoy the beauty of the gorge from the guest rooms and open-air baths.
As soon as you step inside, the first thing that catches your eye is the soaring open lobby connected by stairs from the basement to the first floor.
The “floating stage” partway up the stairs, used for events, and the intricately layered Japanese-style design look strikingly similar to the Infinity Castle, the demons’ headquarters in the popular comic and anime series Demon Slayer.

A long-established inn standing along a mountain stream in Ashinomaki, the inner retreat of Aizu.
Among its various guest rooms, including Japanese-style rooms with spectacular gorge views and compact twin rooms, the inn’s signature accommodations are the luxurious rooms with private open-air baths fed by free-flowing spring water.
In the large public bath, where you can enjoy natural hot spring water flowing directly from the source, the large bath made from ancient hinoki cypress over 2m in diameter is especially impressive.

Jumonjiya is located in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture.
It is a restaurant where you can enjoy Aizu specialties such as sauce katsudon and ramen.
Its katsudon, topped with cutlets so large they stick far out of the bowl and finished with a special sauce, is known for both its volume and flavor.

A tonkatsu specialty restaurant founded in 1978, located along Sengoku Street in Aizuwakamatsu City.
Its signature is a slightly sweet secret sauce that has been passed down since the restaurant first opened.
The crispy breaded tonkatsu pairs perfectly with fresh cabbage.
With a motto of local production for local consumption, the restaurant uses 100% Aizu-grown Koshihikari rice.

Tontei was founded in 1972 in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture.
It is a specialty restaurant for sauce katsudon.
The key to its flavor is the secret “Tontei Special Sauce,” which has been continuously added to since the restaurant first opened.
Among Aizu locals, it is known as a familiar taste that everyone has tried at least once.