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Destination Spotlight

Going to See Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival

WHY IS THERE A GION FESTIVAL IN AIZU-TAJIMA? The most famous Gion Festival takes place every year in Gion, Kyoto. Hundreds of years ago, elite families were moved to various areas around the country. One of these areas was Aizu-Tajima, in Minamia Aizu, Fukushima. The families that moved from K...

Going to See Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival
Destination Spotlight

Tomato Heaven in Wonder Farm, Iwaki

Peaches are the most famous produce of Fukushima, but blessed with a climate slap bang in the middle of Japan, Fukushima produces countless types of delicious fruit and veggies. At Wonder Farm, a ‘new age farm’, visitors can learn about farming and also eat lots of delicious, local...

Tomato Heaven in Wonder Farm, Iwaki
Destination Spotlight

Stumbling upon Traditional Japan in Nanokamachi-dori

Dotted around Nanokamachi-dori Street (Aizu-Wakamatsu City) stand a number of extremely old buildings. Coming to this area of the city feels like stepping back in time, especially at quieter times of day. Many of the warehouses and factories that stand on Nanokamachi-dori are still used to this d...

Stumbling upon Traditional Japan in Nanokamachi-dori
Destination Spotlight

Enjoying Mt. Adatara in Autumn

Mt. Adatara is one of Fukushima Prefecture’s most spectacular places to go and see the bright colours of the autumn leaves, in a custom that is called 'momiji-gari' in Japanese. I went to Mt. Adatara in Nihonmatsu to try and do some momiji-gari of my own! I was a little worried abou...

Enjoying Mt. Adatara in Autumn
Destination Spotlight

Ouchi-juku Snow Festival

Ouchi-juku, Minamiaizu, is a town with a rich history, and is well known having been used as a ‘post-town’ for travellers during the Edo period. The area includes 33 buildings which have been painstakingly preserved as they were hundreds of years ago. Ouchi-juku’s breathtak...

Ouchi-juku Snow Festival
Destination Spotlight

5 Reasons to Visit Sazaedo Temple

Sazaedo is a very special Buddhist temple. Constructed in 1796 entirely from wood, Sazaedo has a double-helix structure, meaning that those who enter Sazaedo will leave the temple without encountering anybody traveling in the opposite direction. The one-way route of Sazaedo was int...

5 Reasons to Visit Sazaedo Temple
Destination Spotlight

Watching Exhilarating Samurais On Horseback – Soma Nomaoi

The Soma Nomaoi is a 3-day festival takes place during the last weekend of July every year, and is centered around 3 main shrines in the cities of Minamisoma and Soma. It is thought that the festival has its roots in a local tradition from the 10th century, when horses were chased and tame...

Watching Exhilarating Samurais On Horseback – Soma Nomaoi
Destination Spotlight

10 things to do at Abukuma Cave

Formed over 80 million years by underground streams and covered with stalactites and stalagmites is the Abukuma Cave. This 3 km-long limestone cave network was discovered in 1969, and 600m of it has been opened to the public to date. Abukuma Cave is said to hold the biggest variety and number ...

10 things to do at Abukuma Cave
Destination Spotlight

Visiting Aquamarine Fukushima

Aquamarine Fukushima is a fun, thought-provoking aquarium and research center in Iwaki. Aquamarine Fukushima educates visitors about the marine animals and ecosystems found in oceans, rivers, streams, seashores, and even rice paddies, through a wide range of displays. From ‘li...

Visiting Aquamarine Fukushima
Destination Spotlight

The Hula Girls Of Iwaki Yumoto Onsen

A city on the eastern coast of Fukushima is probably the last place you would expect to find a Polynesian Hula Girl Show. Since the 1960s, Spa Resort Hawaiians (a resort complex, home to countless spas, swimming pools, hotels and the world’s largest open-air bath) has been a ven...

The Hula Girls Of Iwaki Yumoto Onsen
Destination Spotlight

Historic Maezawa Farmhouses In Rural Japan

Constructed at the end of the 16th century, the thatched roof farmhouses of Tateiwa Village are a hidden gem, buried deep in the heart of Minamiaizu, Fukushima Prefecture. L-SHAPED FARMHOUSES One of the first things I noticed upon arriving at Maezawa Village was the huge size and o...

Historic Maezawa Farmhouses In Rural Japan
Destination Spotlight

Yunokami Onsen In Spring

I visited Yunokami Onsen during the cherry blossom season! We visited the station in late April – which just so happened to be perfect timing! We were greeted with blue skies and sakura in full bloom. YUNOKAMI ONSEN STATION Yunokami Onsen Station is a very picturesque local station on...

Yunokami Onsen In Spring
Destination Spotlight

Daruma Paradise In Shirakawa City

I love art and creating things, so I was really pleased to learn I’d be painting a daruma as part of my trip to Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. WHAT IS A DARUMA? Daruma are a traditional craft with origins rooted strongly in Buddhism. The word daruma seems to have come from ...

Daruma Paradise In Shirakawa City
Destination Spotlight

Spending A Winter Day In Tsuchiyu Onsen

Tsuchiyu Onsen has been a well-loved kokeshi-producing onsen town for over 170 years. Kokeshi are painted wooden dolls, which have been produced in Japan since the late 18th century in onsen towns in Tohoku (the eastern region of Japan). Kokeshi were originally made and sold in ...

Spending A Winter Day In Tsuchiyu Onsen
Destination Spotlight

5 Reasons To Visit Tadami Line’s Yanaizu Town

Yanaizu Town lies west of the historic city of Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture. It’s a perfect destination to include in a day trip from Aizu-Wakamatsu City, or as part of the journey to Kaneyama or Miyashita, where you can stay the night before venturing out to see the No. 1 Tadami Ri...

5 Reasons To Visit Tadami Line’s Yanaizu Town

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