Tohoku · Prefecture · JP-07
Fukushima
福島県ふくしまけんFukushima-kenThree regions, one prefecture: castle towns, volcanoes, orchards and the Pacific shore
Fukushima is the southernmost prefecture of Tohoku and the third largest in Japan, divided by two mountain ranges into three distinct regions: Aizu in the west, Nakadori in the centre and Hamadori on the Pacific coast.
Overview
Fukushima Prefecture forms the southern gateway to Tohoku, bordering the Kanto region to the south. After Hokkaido and Iwate it is the largest prefecture in Japan by area, and its size is matched by its variety: the Ou Mountains and the Abukuma Highlands run north to south through it and split it into three regions that differ in climate, history and even dialect.
Aizu, the mountainous west, was one of the most powerful domains of the Edo period and the scene of the fiercest fighting of the Boshin War in 1868; its castle town Aizu-Wakamatsu still defines the region's identity. Nakadori, the central corridor along the Abukuma River, carries the main road and rail links between Tokyo and northern Japan and holds the prefectural capital Fukushima and the commercial hub Koriyama. Hamadori, the Pacific coast, grew on coal, fishing and electricity generation, and its largest city, Iwaki, is the most populous municipality in the prefecture.
Since 11 March 2011 the name Fukushima has also been tied to the Great East Japan Earthquake, the tsunami and the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on the Hamadori coast. Most of the prefecture lies far from the plant and was never evacuated; on the coast, evacuation orders have since been lifted across large areas, and reconstruction, decommissioning and remembrance have become part of the prefecture's story alongside its volcanoes, lakes, sake breweries and orchards.
Name and origins
The prefecture takes its name from the castle town of Fukushima in the Shinobu basin, whose castle is said to have borne the name since the late sixteenth century. The characters mean "fortune" and "island"; a popular explanation holds that the hill Shinobu-yama once looked like an island rising from a lake.
In the ancient ritsuryo system the whole area belonged to the vast province of Mutsu. In 1869 the Meiji government divided Mutsu, and the future prefecture was split between the new provinces of Iwashiro (Aizu and Nakadori) and Iwaki (Hamadori and the southern Abukuma area). After the abolition of the domains, three prefectures emerged – Fukushima, Wakamatsu and Iwasaki – and in 1876 they were merged into today's Fukushima Prefecture. The merger explains why the three regions of Aizu, Nakadori and Hamadori, each with its own former domains and centres, still regard themselves as distinct.
Cities
Geography
Two north–south mountain systems structure the prefecture. The Ou Mountains, crowned by the volcanoes of the Azuma range, Adatara and Bandai, separate Aizu from Nakadori; the gentler Abukuma Highlands divide Nakadori from the narrow coastal plain of Hamadori. Aizu is a basin ringed by mountains, drained by the Agano river system towards the Sea of Japan, while Nakadori follows the Abukuma River northwards to Miyagi.
The volcanic west is rich in lakes and wetlands. Lake Inawashiro at the foot of Mount Bandai is one of the largest lakes in Japan, and the eruption of Bandai in 1888 dammed rivers to create the lakes and ponds of Urabandai. In the far south-west, Fukushima shares the high moor of Oze and holds Hiuchi-ga-take (2,356 m), the highest peak in Tohoku.
Climate
Each region has its own climate. Aizu belongs to the Sea of Japan side: heavy snow in winter, especially in Oku-Aizu, and warm, humid summers. Nakadori has an inland climate with hot summers – the Fukushima basin is among the hottest places in northern Japan – and cold, mostly dry winters with moderate snow. Hamadori has a mild Pacific climate with little snow and relatively cool summers.
Landscape
- 磐梯山Bandai-san
Stratovolcano (1,816 m) above Lake Inawashiro, called "Aizu's Fuji"; its 1888 eruption collapsed the northern flank and formed the lakes of Urabandai.
- 猪苗代湖Inawashiro-ko
Fourth-largest lake in Japan, at about 514 m above sea level; its outflow feeds the Asaka Canal and hydroelectric stations.
- 裏磐梯・五色沼Urabandai, Goshiki-numa
Plateau north of Bandai with Lakes Hibara, Onogawa and Akimoto and the Goshiki-numa ponds, coloured blue, green and red by volcanic minerals.
Azuma Mountains
吾妻連峰Azuma RenpōVolcanic range west of Fukushima city on the Yamagata border, crossed by the Bandai-Azuma Skyline past the crater of Azuma-kofuji.
Mount Adatara
安達太良山Adatara-yamaVolcano (1,700 m) above Nihonmatsu, known from Takamura Kotaro's poem cycle Chieko-sho, in which his wife calls the sky above Adatara "the true sky".
- 尾瀬Oze
High moor shared with Gunma, Niigata and Tochigi; the Fukushima side includes Oze-numa and Hiuchi-ga-take (2,356 m), the highest peak in Tohoku.
Abukuma River and Highlands
阿武隈川・阿武隈高地Abukuma-gawa, Abukuma KōchiThe river flows north through Nakadori into Miyagi; the eroded highlands to the east hold the limestone cave Abukuma-do.
Tadami River
只見川Tadami-gawaRiver of Oku-Aizu, lined with large hydroelectric dams and followed by the JR Tadami Line through deep snow country.
Nature in this prefecture
History
The Shirakawa barrier in the south marked for centuries the threshold between the capital's world and the "deep north". In the late sixteenth century Aizu changed hands between the Ashina, Date Masamune, Gamo Ujisato and Uesugi Kagekatsu before the Tokugawa placed it under a branch of their own family. Under Hoshina Masayuki and his Matsudaira successors, Aizu became a model of samurai education and loyalty to the shogunate – a loyalty that led to its defeat in the Boshin War of 1868, the suicide of the young Byakkotai soldiers and decades of hardship for its people.
In the Meiji period the prefecture was formed, the Asaka Canal turned the dry Asaka plain around Koriyama into farmland, and the Joban coalfield powered the industrialisation of the Kanto region. In the twentieth century Hamadori became a centre of electricity generation for the capital. The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident of 2011 were the gravest disaster in the prefecture's history; reconstruction and the commemoration of the disaster continue to shape the coast.
1589
Date Masamune defeats the Ashina at the Battle of Suriagehara and seizes Aizu.
1590–1593
Toyotomi Hideyoshi assigns Aizu to Gamo Ujisato, who rebuilds the castle as Tsuruga-jo and renames the town Wakamatsu.
1643
Hoshina Masayuki, half-brother of the third shogun, becomes lord of Aizu; his line later takes the name Matsudaira.
1689
Matsuo Basho passes the Shirakawa barrier on the journey later described in Oku no Hosomichi.
1868
Boshin War: the Aizu domain is besieged by the new government army; the Byakkotai youths die on Iimori-yama and the castle surrenders after a month.
1876
Fukushima, Wakamatsu and Iwasaki prefectures are merged into today's Fukushima Prefecture.
1882
Completion of the Asaka Canal, bringing water from Lake Inawashiro to the Koriyama area.
1888
Eruption of Mount Bandai; the collapse of its northern flank buries villages and creates the lakes of Urabandai.
1982
Opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen through Shin-Shirakawa, Koriyama and Fukushima.
2011
11 March: the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami strike the coast, followed by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and large-scale evacuations.
Culture
Aizu's samurai heritage remains a strong part of local identity: the domain school Nisshinkan, the code of conduct taught to its children and the story of the Byakkotai are widely known across Japan. Aizu is also a centre of lacquerware and sake brewing, with a dense cluster of breweries in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Kitakata and the surrounding towns.
Nakadori is known for its large autumn lantern and torch festivals and for a vigorous amateur music culture, while Hamadori keeps the horse-riding traditions of the former Soma domain and the jangara nenbutsu dances of the Iwaki area. Folk toys such as the red ox akabeko and the wooden Miharu horse are among the best-known souvenirs of Tohoku.
Festivals
Soma Nomaoi
相馬野馬追Sōma NomaoiHeld in late July in Soma and Minamisoma: several hundred riders in armour race and compete for sacred banners, a tradition of the Soma clan going back to its cavalry training.
Aizu Festival
会津まつりAizu MatsuriAutumn festival of Aizu-Wakamatsu in late September, centred on a procession representing the successive lords of Aizu and the Byakkotai.
Fukushima Waraji Festival
福島わらじまつりFukushima Waraji MatsuriSummer festival in Fukushima city in early August, in which a straw sandal about 12 m long is carried through the streets, echoing the offering of giant sandals at Shinobu-yama.
Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival
二本松提灯祭りNihonmatsu Chōchin MatsuriHeld in early October; floats hung with hundreds of paper lanterns are hauled through the former castle town of Nihonmatsu.
Sukagawa Torch Festival
須賀川松明あかしSukagawa Taimatsu AkashiOn the second Saturday of November giant torches are lit on Gorodai hill in Sukagawa, in memory of the fall of Sukagawa castle in 1589.
Traditional crafts
Aizu lacquerware
会津塗Aizu-nuriLacquerware fostered by Gamo Ujisato, who brought craftsmen from Omi; known for gold and coloured decoration and designated a traditional craft.
Obori-Soma ware
大堀相馬焼Ōbori-Sōma-yakiPottery from Namie with a blue crackle glaze, a painted running horse and double-walled cups; potters relocated after 2011 and continue the craft elsewhere in the prefecture.
Aizu-Hongo ware
会津本郷焼Aizu-Hongō-yakiPottery and porcelain from Aizu-Misato, one of the oldest kiln centres in Tohoku.
Oku-Aizu basketry
奥会津編み組細工Oku-Aizu amikumi zaikuBaskets woven from vines and bark such as akebia and walnut by households in the snowbound valleys of Oku-Aizu.
Akabeko
赤べこakabekoPapier-mâché red ox with a nodding head, linked to the legend of an ox that helped build Enzo-ji temple in Yanaizu; a talisman against illness.
Miharu horse
三春駒Miharu-gomaCarved and painted wooden horse from Miharu, counted among Japan's classic wooden folk toys.
Traditions
Byakkotai
白虎隊ByakkotaiThe "White Tiger Force" of teenage Aizu samurai; a group of its members took their lives on Iimori-yama in 1868 believing the castle had fallen.
Aizu code: nanaranu koto wa naranu
ならぬことはならぬものですnaranu koto wa naranu mono desuClosing line of the rules taught to Aizu samurai children – "What must not be done, must not be done" – still quoted as a local motto.
Jangara nenbutsu
じゃんがら念仏踊りjangara nenbutsu odoriBon dance of the Iwaki area with drums and bells, performed at the homes of families who lost someone in the past year.
Soma Nagareyama
相馬流れ山Sōma NagareyamaFolk song of the Soma area tied to the Nomaoi horse festival and sung at local celebrations.
Cuisine
Fukushima's cooking follows its geography. Aizu developed a cuisine of preserved mountain and sea products – dried scallop, herring and salted fish carried inland – and of rice and sake. Nakadori is fruit country, with peaches, pears and apples grown in the basins, while Hamadori has fish from the Pacific. Noodles are a common thread, from Kitakata ramen to the thick yakisoba of Namie.
Kitakata ramen
喜多方ラーメンKitakata rāmenSoy-sauce ramen with flat, wavy, thick noodles from the storehouse town of Kitakata, where it is also eaten for breakfast (asa-ra).
Kozuyu
こづゆkozuyuAizu festive soup of dried scallop stock with taro, konjac, mushrooms and small wheat-gluten balls, served in shallow lacquer bowls.
Negi soba
ねぎそばnegi sobaCold soba in the post town Ouchi-juku, eaten with a whole leek used as a spoon and bitten as a condiment.
Sauce katsudon
ソースカツ丼sōsu katsudonAizu version of katsudon: pork cutlet dipped in a sweet Worcester-style sauce on shredded cabbage and rice.
Enban gyoza
円盤餃子enban gyōzaFukushima city dumplings pan-fried and served in a tight circle on a round plate.
Ika-ninjin
いかにんじんika-ninjinShredded dried squid and carrot marinated in soy sauce and sake, a winter home dish of Nakadori.
Namie yakisoba
なみえ焼そばNamie yakisobaStir-fried noodles about three times thicker than usual, with bean sprouts and pork, from the coastal town of Namie.
Peaches
桃momoThe Fukushima basin is one of Japan's leading peach-growing areas; the Akatsuki variety was bred here.
Hot springs
Higashiyama Onsen
東山温泉Higashiyama OnsenRiverside hot-spring town in a valley south-east of Aizu-Wakamatsu, long used by the Aizu domain.
Ashinomaki Onsen
芦ノ牧温泉Ashinomaki OnsenHot springs on the Okawa gorge south of Aizu-Wakamatsu, near the Aizu Railway station known for its cat stationmaster.
Iizaka Onsen
飯坂温泉Iizaka OnsenLarge hot-spring town in northern Fukushima city, visited by Basho; public bathhouses and a streetcar-style railway line from the city centre.
Takayu Onsen
高湯温泉Takayu OnsenMilky sulphur springs at about 750 m on the slopes of the Azuma range.
Tsuchiyu Onsen
土湯温泉Tsuchiyu OnsenMountain hot-spring village on the road to Urabandai and one of the home towns of kokeshi wooden dolls.
Iwaki Yumoto Onsen
いわき湯本温泉Iwaki Yumoto OnsenAncient spring on the edge of the former Joban coalfield, next to the Spa Resort Hawaiians leisure complex.
Bandai-Atami Onsen
磐梯熱海温泉Bandai-Atami OnsenHot-spring town in western Koriyama along the Gohyaku River.
Economy
Fukushima combines a strong agricultural base with manufacturing along the Tohoku Expressway corridor. Aizu rice and sake, Nakadori fruit and Hamadori fisheries sit alongside factories for electronic components, precision and medical equipment and chemicals, concentrated around Koriyama, Fukushima, Shirakawa and Iwaki.
Energy has shaped the prefecture for more than a century: the Joban coalfield, the hydroelectric dams of the Tadami and Agano rivers and later the nuclear and thermal power stations on the coast supplied the Tokyo area. Since 2011 the prefecture has pursued renewable energy, robotics and decommissioning technology, notably through the Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework and the Fukushima Robot Test Field in Minamisoma.
Key industries
- Rice, peaches, pears, apples and other fruit
- Sake brewing
- Electronic components and precision machinery
- Medical devices
- Chemicals and pharmaceuticals
- Electricity generation, including renewable energy
- Fisheries on the Pacific coast
- Tourism: onsen, skiing and history
Notable people
Hoshina Masayuki (1611–1673)
保科正之First lord of the Aizu line of the Tokugawa family and regent for the fourth shogun; laid down the family precepts that bound Aizu to the shogunate.
Matsudaira Katamori (1836–1893)
松平容保Ninth lord of Aizu and Protector of Kyoto in the 1860s; led the domain through the siege of 1868.
Niijima Yae (1845–1932)
新島八重Born Yamamoto Yae in Aizu; fought with a rifle during the siege of Tsuruga-jo, later a teacher, nurse and wife of Doshisha founder Niijima Jo.
Yamakawa Sutematsu (1860–1919)
山川捨松Daughter of an Aizu samurai family, one of the first Japanese women to study in the United States and graduate from college.
Noguchi Hideyo (1876–1928)
野口英世Bacteriologist born in Inawashiro who worked at the Rockefeller Institute and died researching yellow fever in Africa; his birthplace is a memorial museum.
Koseki Yuji (1909–1989)
古関裕而Composer from Fukushima city, author of many popular songs, school and sports anthems and the Olympic March of 1964.
Getting there
- Tohoku Shinkansen: Tokyo to Koriyama in about 80 minutes and to Fukushima in about 90 minutes, with a stop at Shin-Shirakawa; the line continues north to Sendai.
- Yamagata Shinkansen: branches off at Fukushima and runs through the Azuma mountains to Yonezawa and Yamagata.
- To Aizu: JR Ban'etsu West Line from Koriyama to Aizu-Wakamatsu and on to Niigata; from the south, Tobu trains from Tokyo (Asakusa) connect via Kinugawa with the Aizu Railway.
- Coast: the JR Joban Line runs from Tokyo and Mito through Iwaki and the Hamadori towns to Sendai.
- Air: Fukushima Airport, between Sukagawa and Tamakawa, has domestic flights; Sendai Airport in Miyagi is the larger gateway for the north of the prefecture.
- Road: the Tohoku, Ban-etsu and Joban expressways cross the prefecture, meeting near Koriyama and Iwaki.
Former provinces
- 陸奥国Mutsu no Kuni
- 岩代国Iwashiro no Kuni
- 磐城国Iwaki no Kuni
Prefectural symbols
- Flower
- ネモトシャクナゲnemoto-shakunage
- Tree
- ケヤキkeyaki
- Bird
- キビタキkibitaki
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to visit Fukushima Prefecture?
Yes. The great majority of the prefecture, including Aizu, Fukushima city and Koriyama, was never evacuated and is visited normally. Access restrictions apply only to a limited area around the Fukushima Daiichi plant; the prefecture's official website publishes current information and radiation monitoring.
What are Aizu, Nakadori and Hamadori?
They are the three regions of Fukushima, separated by the Ou Mountains and the Abukuma Highlands: mountainous Aizu in the west, the inland corridor of Nakadori in the centre, and Hamadori along the Pacific coast.
What is Fukushima best known for?
The samurai town of Aizu-Wakamatsu and the Byakkotai story, Mount Bandai and Lake Inawashiro, hot springs, sake, Kitakata ramen and peaches.
How long does it take from Tokyo to Fukushima?
By Tohoku Shinkansen, Koriyama is about 80 minutes and Fukushima city about 90 minutes from Tokyo; Aizu-Wakamatsu is roughly one more hour by train from Koriyama.
Can the nuclear disaster area be visited?
Several coastal towns have reopened and can be visited. The Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba documents the disaster and the recovery.
Related
Sources
- 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
- 2.全国都道府県市区町村別面積調 (opens in a new tab) — Geospatial Information Authority of Japan
- 3.福島県ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 福島県
- 4.磐梯朝日国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省
- 5.Fukushima Prefecture (opens in a new tab) — Japan National Tourism Organization