1Tsuruga Castle

Enjoy a historical stroll through the end of the Edo period at a castle with beautiful red roofing

Known as the site of the Boshin War at the end of the Edo period, Tsuruga Castle is characterized by its reddish purple roof tiles known as "akagawara." Inside the castle tower, there are many exhibits related to the history of the Aizu clan, and the observation deck at the top offers a panoramic view of the city. If you ask for a volunteer guide at the castle's tourist information center, you can take a free 30-minute tour of the castle's highlights, such as the old stone walls and the "Hashirinagaya" that stretches from the castle tower to the Kuroganemon iron gate. "Castle seals" are also available for people who enjoy visiting castles around the country.

Visit the teahouse associated with Shoan, the son of Sen no Rikyu

At the Teahouse Rinkaku in Tsuruga Castle Park, you can not only tour the inside of the building, but also enjoy matcha green tea and sweets while enjoying the seasonal scenery of the garden. This teahouse was built for Sen no Rikyu's son Shoan, the lord of the Aizu domain, when he was hiding out in the garden with Gamo Ujisato. It was moved to its current location and restored in 1990. On the 7th of each month, which is the anniversary of Shoan's death, a tea ceremony is held by the six schools of Aizu tea ceremony.

2Aizu Samurai Residences

Tour the residence of an Aizu clan retainer and learn about the life of a samurai

This outdoor museum features a group of historical buildings, including the "Karo Yashiki," a restored residence of Saigo Tanomo, a retainer of the Aizu clan during the late Edo period, and the former Nakahata Jinya magistrate's office. Boasting a vast 8,000m2 site, the Karo Yashiki has 38 rooms, including the "Onari no Ma," which was only used when the feudal lord or high-ranking samurai visited, as well as the guest room, tea room, dressing room, and maid's room, which can all be viewed from outside the building. The long corridors, surprisingly spacious kitchen, and luxurious furnishings give a sense of the high-class lifestyle of the retainers of the time.

Exhibits of rice mills and crafts are also abundant

Next to the chief retainer's residence is a relocated rice mill that was used from the late Edo period to the mid-Showa period. It was capable of polishing approximately 1,000 kg of brown rice per day and was once one of the largest in the Tohoku region. You will be amazed at the systematic movement of wooden poles that are lifted in order by water power alone and pounded into 16 stone mills.
Additionally, the Aizu Historical Museum on the premises has exhibits of intricately crafted weapons and crafts. There is also a Handicraft Experience Center where you can Experience at painting Akabeko and Koboshi dolls, as well as Dining Area and shops selling local crafts and ingredients.

Aizu Samurai Residences

• http://bukeyashiki.com/
• Fukushima Prefecture Aizuwakamatsu City Higashiyama Town Ishiyama Innai 1 MAP
• Approximately 7 minutes by car from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station
• Take the sightseeing bus from JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, get off at "Aizu Buke Yashiki-mae" and walk for a short distance
• April to November: 8:30 to 17:00, December to March: 9:00 to 16:30
• Open everyday *There are winter closing days
• Admission fee: Adults 850 yen, Junior and senior high school students 550 yen, Elementary school students 450 yen
  Experience fee: Akabeko painting 920 yen, Okiagari Koboshi painting 920 yen, etc.
• 0242-28-2525
• free

3Mt. Iimori

A sacred mountain that conveys the tragedy of the late Edo period

The Byakkotai was a group of boys aged 16-17 formed in the Aizu Domain at the end of the Edo period. Mt. Iimori, located in the northeast of Aizuwakamatsu City, is famous as the place where the Byakkotai soldiers committed suicide during the Boshin War. In a square halfway up the mountain, there are gravestones of the 19 Byakkotai soldiers, and even today many people from all over Japan visit to offer flowers and incense. These boys committed suicide at the tender age of 16-17. Their tragedy still touches the hearts of many people.

The small shrines and the babbling brook are soothing

There are 183 steps from the foot of the mountain, where souvenir shops line the road, to the square where the Byakkotai gravestones are located. However, there is an electric ramp called a "slope conveyor" that makes the climb easier.
When descending, we recommend taking a route that passes through Aizu Sazaedo, Ugajindo, Itsukushima Shrine, and other places. The greenery of the mountains is beautiful, and the babbling of the stream nearby is soothing. Behind Itsukushima Shrine is the Tonoguchiseki Cave, through which the Byakkotai troops are said to have passed.

Mt. Iimori

• https://www.aizukanko.com/spot/137
• Fukushima Prefecture Aizuwakamatsu City Ichinomachi Yahata Bentenshita MAP
• Approximately 8 minutes by car from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station
• Take the sightseeing bus from JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, get off at "Imoriyamashita" and it's a short walk away
• Free entry
  Slope conveyor March 21st to December 21st 8:00-17:00, December 22nd to March 20th 10:00-15:00
• Open daily
• Free entry
  Slope conveyor: Adults 250 yen, elementary school students 150 yen
• 0242-23-8000（会津若松観光ビューロー）
• Paid

4Aizu Sazaedo

The uniquely designed Kannon Hall is a designated important cultural property of Japan

This three-story hexagonal Kannon Hall is located halfway up Mt. Imoriyama. It was built in 1796 (Kansei 8) during the mid-Edo period and is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Upon entering the hall, a spiral slope runs clockwise, and you can ascend to the third floor while looking at the plaques of the Twenty-Four Filial Piety of the Imperial Court (Aizu Domain moral textbook) hanging on the wall. Once you reach the top, a descending slope runs counterclockwise, so that people going up and down do not pass each other. A structure with two slopes stacked on top of each other like this is said to be rare even on a global scale.

A unique space where you can feel the thoughts of people from the past

During the Edo period, the building housed the Kannon statues of the Thirty-Three Temples of the Western Provinces, and it gained popularity as a pilgrimage Kannon hall where visitors could view all of the Kannon statues by climbing up and down the 16m-high hall. All over the pillars and walls of the hall are "senshafuda," or "thousand shrine charms" bearing the names of worshippers, which gives a sense of the history of the building as well as the deep faith of the people at the time.
The Kannon statue has not been placed there since the Meiji period, but the building's structure itself is interesting and the details are beautiful, so many people still visit to see it.

Aizu Sazaedo

• http://www.sazaedo.jp/
• 155 Yawata Takizawa, Ichinomachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
• Approximately 8 minutes by car from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station
• Take the sightseeing bus from JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, get off at "Iimoriyamashita" and walk for about 5 minutes
• April to November 8:15 to sunset, December to March 9:00 to 16:00
• Open daily
• Adults 400 yen, high school students 300 yen, elementary and junior high school students 200 yen
• 0242-22-3163（山主飯盛本店）
• Paid

5Aizu Domain School Nisshinkan

An educational institution that excels in both the arts and sciences, producing the Byakkotai.

The Aizu Domain School was restored on Mt. Takatsuka in the suburbs of Aizuwakamatsu City. Aizu Domain boys would become samurai who excelled in both the arts and the military, so from the age of 10 they would attend the domain school, Nisshinkan, where they learned reading and writing, etiquette, martial arts, and more. It was one of the largest domain schools in Japan, with a site area of 26,000 m2 and 1,000 students. Students with excellent grades were also given the opportunity to further their studies, such as entering university or studying abroad in Edo or other domains. The classroom exhibits recreate the scenes of the boys who later joined the Byakkotai, as well as many students studying calligraphy, Confucianism, arithmetic, astronomy, and other subjects.

A full menu of Experience including archery and zazen

Another feature is the large number of Property for learning martial arts. The vast grounds include practice areas for archery, swordsmanship, rifles, and cannons, as well as wooden horses for practicing horse riding. The "Suiren Suimaike" (Water Horse Pond), where students practiced swimming while wearing armor and horses, is said to have been Japan's first swimming pool at an educational institution.
In Property, you can paint a Byakkoto (wooden sword), an Akabeko (a small doll made of bamboo), or a Kobushi (a doll made of bamboo with a slanted handle), and you can also Experience archery, Zen meditation, and tea ceremony. (Reservations are required for Zen meditation and tea ceremony for groups of 10 or more.)

Aizu Domain School Nisshinkan

• https://nisshinkan.jp/
• Fukushima Prefecture Aizuwakamatsu City Kawahigashi Town Minamitakaya Takatsukayama 10 MAP
• Approximately 5 minutes by car from JR Hirota Station
• Take the bus from JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station and get off at "Aizu-Hanko Nisshinkan" bus stop. It is a short walk from there.
• 9:00-17:00 (last entry at 16:00)
• Open daily
• Admission fee: Adults 620 yen, Junior and senior high school students 500 yen, Elementary school students 450 yen
  Experience fee: Akabeko painting, Byakko sword painting 920 yen each, Okiagari Koboshi painting 770 yen, etc.
• 0242-75-2525
• free

6Oyakuen (Medicine Garden)

Admire the garden beloved by successive feudal lords of Aizu

During the Muromachi period, the site of a sacred spring allowed feudal lords and feudal lords of Aizu to build villas here and use the site as a resort. The current building was constructed in the Edo period, and the strolling garden has been designated a national site of scenic beauty. In the main house, Ochaya Goten, with its impressive thatched roof, you can enjoy matcha green tea and Japanese sweets while admiring the beautiful garden. There is also a small waterfall and a hermitage called Rakujutei around the pond, so you can enjoy a variety of views as you walk around. At the back of the garden, all 15 types of maple trees native to Fukushima Prefecture are gathered together, and the autumn foliage is spectacular.

The herb garden, with its many different plants, is also a highlight.

The name "Oyakuen" comes from the fact that Hoshina Masatsune, the second lord of the Aizu Matsudaira clan, established a medicinal herb garden on the premises to save his people from epidemics. The third lord, Matsudaira Masakata, planted ginseng here and encouraged the common people to grow it. This was the beginning of Aizu Otane ginseng, a specialty of the Aizu region. Even now, the "Medicinal Plant Specimen Garden" is located next to the garden, where about 400 types of medicinal herbs and trees are planted. In addition to "Aizu Otane ginseng," you can see many flowering plants such as ginger and green onions, which are familiar for use in traditional Chinese medicine and as food, as well as roses, peonies, and lotus flowers.

Oyakuen (Medicine Garden)

• https://www.aizukanko.com/spot/136
• Fukushima Prefecture Aizuwakamatsu City Hanaharucho 8-1 MAP
• Approximately 10 minutes by car from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station
• Take the sightseeing bus from JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, get off at "Oyakuen" or "Chikaikousho-mae" and walk for a short distance.
• 8:30-17:00 (last entry at 16:30)
• Open daily
• Admission fee: Adults 330 yen, High school students 270 yen, Elementary and junior high school students 160 yen
  Special set ticket for admission and matcha tea: Adults 800 yen, High school students 750 yen, Elementary and junior high school students 600 yen
• 0242-27-2472
• free

7Nanokamachi Street

Enjoy souvenir hunting and dining on this retro street

A nostalgic street that stretches from Nanokamachi Station to Noguchi Hideyo Seishun Street. There are many shops and Restaurant that make use of old Western-style buildings and Japanese architecture, and it is popular for its Taisho-era romantic atmosphere. It has flourished since ancient times as a key transportation point where the three main roads of Nikko, Echigo, and Yonezawa intersect, and the name comes from the fact that a market was held on the 7th of every month.
There are many long-established shops that still retain their historic buildings, such as Shibukawa Ton'ya, where you can try traditional Aizu dishes such as the hearty soup "kozuyu" and herring pickled in Japanese pepper, the miso brewery "Mitsutaya," and the sake brewery "Tsurunoe Sake Brewery," and you can enjoy a unique atmosphere.

You can find lots of Aizu-style miscellaneous goods and crafts

Another feature of the area is the large number of shops selling Aizu's traditional crafts. At Aizu lacquerware shops, such as the elegant Western-style building "Shirokiya Lacquerware Shop," you can find lacquerware of various designs, from traditionally decorated dishes to colorful dessert cups. There are also several select shops that sell cloth accessories made from Aizu cotton with a rustic texture, painted candles, pottery, and miscellaneous goods with motifs such as okiagari koboshi dolls and akabeko dolls, making it an attractive place to find a product that is unique to Aizuwakamatsu. You can also enjoy meals at a variety of restaurants, from Japanese restaurants serving local cuisine to Italian Restaurant, cafes, and sweet shops.

Nanokamachi Street

• https://www.aizukanko.com/course/778
• Fukushima Prefecture Aizuwakamatsu City Nanukamachi MAP
• A short walk from JR Nanukamachi Station
• Take the sightseeing bus from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station, get off at "Nuzukamachi Chuo", "Nuzukamachi Shirokiya-mae" or "Nuzukamachi Station", and it is a short walk from there.
• Varies by store
• Varies by store
• 0242-23-9611（七日町観光案内所）
• Paid

8Hoshino Resorts　Bandaisan Onsen Hotel by Hoshino Resorts

A lodging where you can fully enjoy Aizu culture and stay active all year round

Hoshino Resorts Bandaisan Onsen Hotel by Hoshino Resorts is located in a place where Mount Bandai, one of Japan's 100 famous mountains, towers before your eyes and overlooks the mirror-like sparkling Lake Inawashiro. The hotel offers a heated pool, spa, and hot spring, and you can enjoy a stay that will allow you to experience the unknown Aizu culture. You can stay active from the season of fresh greenery to the burning autumn leaves and deep snow. Enjoy a stay at a highland resort surrounded by magnificent nature and the changing seasons.

Hoshino Resorts　Bandaisan Onsen Hotel by Hoshino Resorts

• https://hoshinoresorts.com/ja/hotels/bandai/
• 6838-68 Kiyohira, Sarashina, Bandai-machi, Yama-gun, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
• Approximately 15 minutes by free shuttle bus from JR Bandaimachi Station
• 050-3134-8094（予約センター/9:30-18:00）
• Hoshino Resorts Bandaisan Onsen Hotel by Hoshino Resorts Reservation Site