Aizu-Wakamatsu

Overview

Landmarks

• Tsuruga-jo

  鶴ヶ城Tsuruga-jō

  Castle of the Aizu domain, officially Wakamatsu-jo; the reconstructed five-storey keep houses a museum and is the only one in Japan roofed with red glazed tiles. The grounds are a national historic site with some 1,000 cherry trees.

• Rinkaku tea house

  茶室麟閣Chashitsu Rinkaku

  Tea house in the castle grounds associated with Sen Shoan, son of Sen no Rikyu, who found refuge in Aizu under Gamo Ujisato.

• Iimori-yama

  飯盛山Iimori-yama

  Hill east of the centre with the graves of the Byakkotai, the viewpoint from which they saw the town in flames, and monuments to their memory.

• Sazae-do

  さざえ堂Sazae-dō

  Hexagonal wooden hall of 1796 on Iimori-yama whose double-helix ramp lets visitors go up and down without crossing paths; an Important Cultural Property.

• Nisshinkan

  會津藩校日新館Aizu Hankō Nisshinkan

  Reconstruction of the domain school where samurai sons studied Confucian classics, martial arts and even swimming in armour.

• Oyakuen

  御薬園Oyakuen

  Landscape garden of the Aizu lords with a pond, a villa and a medicinal herb garden; a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty.

• Aizu Bukeyashiki

  会津武家屋敷Aizu Bukeyashiki

  Open-air museum centred on a reconstruction of the residence of the domain's chief retainer Saigo Tanomo, whose family took their lives during the siege.

• Nanokamachi-dori

  七日町通りNanokamachi-dōri

  Street of restored Meiji- and Taisho-era shops, storehouses and Western-style facades with lacquer, candle and sake shops.

Districts

• Castle area

  Tsuruga-jo, its moats and park, and the former samurai quarter to the south with the Oyakuen garden nearby.

• Nanokamachi and Noguchi Hideyo Seishun-dori

  七日町・野口英世青春通りNanokamachi, Noguchi Hideyo Seishun-dōri

  Old merchant streets west of the centre, including the street where Noguchi Hideyo underwent surgery on his hand and began his medical training.

• Iimori-yama and Higashiyama

  飯盛山・東山Iimori-yama, Higashiyama

  Eastern hills with the Byakkotai graves, Sazae-do, Aizu Bukeyashiki and the valley of Higashiyama Onsen.

• Station area

  Aizu-Wakamatsu Station in the north, starting point of the loop buses and of the Ban'etsu West and Tadami lines.

History

Culture

Festivals

• Aizu Festival

  会津まつりAizu Matsuri

  Held in late September; its centrepiece is the Aizu Hanko Gyoretsu, a procession of the successive lords of Aizu, the Byakkotai and the women's corps.

• Toka-ichi

  十日市Tōka-ichi

  New Year market on 10 January in the centre, where people buy okiagari-koboshi tumbler dolls – one more than the members of the household.

• Aizu Painted Candle Festival

  会津絵ろうそくまつりAizu Erōsoku Matsuri

  Winter festival in February when thousands of candles light the snow at Tsuruga-jo and the Oyakuen garden.

• Higan-jishi

  彼岸獅子Higan-jishi

  Lion dances performed through the city around the spring equinox to announce the end of winter.

Food

• Kozuyu

  こづゆkozuyu

  Clear soup of dried scallop stock with taro, konjac, shiitake and wheat-gluten balls, served at weddings and New Year in shallow Aizu lacquer bowls.

• Sauce katsudon

  ソースカツ丼sōsu katsudon

  Thick pork cutlet in sweet sauce on cabbage and rice, often so large that the lid will not close.

• Wappa-meshi

  わっぱ飯wappa-meshi

  Rice steamed with salmon, mushrooms or mountain vegetables in round bentwood boxes.

• Aizu dengaku

  会津田楽Aizu dengaku

  Tofu, rice cakes, taro and herring on skewers, coated with sweet miso and grilled over charcoal.

• Basashi

  馬刺しbasashi

  Raw horse meat, in Aizu usually lean red meat eaten with a garlic-and-chilli miso.

• Aizu sake

  会津の地酒Aizu no jizake

  Sake from breweries in the old town, several with tasting rooms, using basin rice and soft mountain water.

Getting around

• From Tokyo, the usual route is the Tohoku Shinkansen to Koriyama, then the JR Ban'etsu West Line to Aizu-Wakamatsu in a little over an hour; the whole journey takes around three hours.
• From the south, Tobu trains from Asakusa run via Kinugawa onto the Aizu Railway, which reaches Aizu-Wakamatsu via Ashinomaki Onsen.
• Two loop buses, Haikara-san and Akabe, connect the station with Nanokamachi, Tsuruga-jo, Iimori-yama and Higashiyama Onsen.
• The JR Tadami Line runs west through Oku-Aizu towards Niigata Prefecture; the Ban'etsu West Line continues north-west to Kitakata and Niigata.

Day trips

• Ouchi-juku

  大内宿Ōuchi-juku

  Edo-period post town in Shimogo with a street of thatched houses, a nationally protected townscape famous for negi soba.

• Kitakata

  喜多方Kitakata

  Town of earthen storehouses and ramen shops, about 20 minutes north by train.

• Lake Inawashiro and Noguchi Hideyo Memorial Museum

  猪苗代湖Inawashiro-ko

  Large lake at the foot of Mount Bandai, with the birthplace of Noguchi Hideyo on its northern shore.

• Mount Bandai and Urabandai

  磐梯山・裏磐梯Bandai-san, Urabandai

  Volcano and the lake plateau its 1888 eruption created, with the Goshiki-numa ponds.

• To-no-hetsuri

  塔のへつりTō-no-hetsuri

  River cliffs eroded into tower-like forms on the Okawa, near a station of the Aizu Railway.

Other cities in the prefecture

Frequently asked questions