Aizu Painted Candle Festival

Aizu Painted Candle Festival

Aizu painted candles (e-rousoku) are one of Aizu’s most well-loved traditional crafts. The Aizu Painted Candle Festival was started in order to let people all over Japan (and all over the world) know about this traditional art form, and to give people an appreciation for the work that is needed to make every single candle.

Take in the picturesque snowy scenery in Aizu-Wakamatsu City by candlelight this winter - the Aizu Painted Candle Festival takes place at Tsurugajo Castle (main venue) and Oyakuen Garden (sub venue) on the second Friday and Saturday of February. The castle grounds are lit up with artisanal candles and lanterns, while the garden at Oyaku-en has colourful illuminations that reflect in the clear waters of the ponds. Visitors to the castle can enjoy food stalls, while the garden offers a rare opportunity to drink green tea from the teahouse overlooking the ponds, which typically is only open during the day.

The 2026 festival took place on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th February, 2026.

Venue Details

Venue Details
Websitehttp://www.aizu.com/erousoku/(Japanese)
Contact

Secretariat of the Aizu Candle Festival Executive Committee

Best Season
  • Winter
ParkingUsually about 300 yen to park at Tsurugajo Castle; parking at Oyaku-en (or the nearby Aizu Chamber of Commerce) is free of charge
Access Details
AccessTsurugajo Castle: 1-1 Otemachi, Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima 965-0873
View directions
Getting there

Tsurugajo Castle:

By Train: 30min walk from Nishi-Wakamatsu Station (Aizu Railway / Tadami Line)

By Car: 20mins from Aizu-Wakamatsu IC

By Bus: 20min bus from Aizu-Wakamatsu Station to Tsurugajo Kita-guchi (鶴ヶ城北口)

Fukushima Festival Guide

Nearby

The World Glassware Hall
Cultural Experiences

Tsukimigaoka Chomin Center

Tsukimigaoka Chomin Center (a town hall-turned-hotel which is only a 20-minute walk from Aizu Yanaizu Station) is known for their famous sauce katsudon lunch. This dish contains fried pork cutlet and a simple egg omelet on rice which is covered with a savory sauce that simply melts in your mouth. There are other places in Yanaizu that serve the katsudon dish as well, but according to local opinion, the katsudon at Yanaizu Chomin Center is hard to beat. Why not stop by and fill your stomach before taking in the other local sights? There are even some great shared hot spring baths, which can be enjoyed as day visit onsen. There are plenty of nearby attractions. Enjoy your time hiking or fishing or at the nearby Kiyoshi Saito Museum of Art or the beautiful and serene Enzoji Temple. Kiyoshi Saito Museum of Art houses works by esteemed woodblock artist Kiyoshi Saito and the beautiful works he created throughout his lifetime. At the Enzoji Temple experience tranquility and nature, also learn about the origin legend of the akabeko, the nodding red cow famous in the area. And only a 15-minute drive away you can look at the No. 1 Tadami River Bridge View Spot; this bridge offers a spectacular sight of the Tadami River and the surrounding nature.

The World Glassware Hall
Cultural Experiences

Makie Painting Lacquerware Experience at Suzuzen

Suzuzen was established in 1832 as a lacquerware wholesale shop. Not only can visitors see process of lacquerware being finished using gold and silver dusted designs called 'Makie', but visitors can also have the opportunity to design their own lacquered product using Makie design techniques, which is perfect to take home as a souvenir. Booking & More InformationSuzuzen is made up of 6 kura (Japanese-style warehouses), which have been renovated. The Suzuzen warehouses include a gallery featuring pieces by contemporary artists who use lacquer in their work, and a cafe which is open for lunch. English-language signs also make the history of lacquer in Aizu accessible for overseas visitors.
The World Glassware Hall
Cultural Experiences

Makie Painting at Suzutake Workshop

Suzutake workshop tours began in the 1950s as a way of providing families with a chance to learn about the history and artistry of lacquerware. Even today, visitors are able to actually see artisans at work at three key stages of the Aizu lacquerware making process: 1) applying a base layer of unrefined lacquer or astringent liquid to wood; 2) adding additional layers of lacquer in a desired style, and 3) adding hand-drawn delicate designs ('makie') using either colored lacquer or gold and silver power (a technique called 'Sunken gold makie'). Visitors can also take part in a makie-painting experience.
The World Glassware Hall
Cultural Experiences

Mori no Bunko Fuzawa

Mori no Bunko Fuzawa is a mountain village life workshop facility where guests can experience the lifestyle, nature, and charms of living in a Japanese rural mountain village. [photo id="wedA3wsHghGka5MbrORGYjRkj8BGAinlLCOG5O0L.jpg"] This building was a working school up to 40 years ago, the black board in one classroom where all of the students wrote their goodbye messages on the last day of school has been preserved as is. (If you visit, please be sure to avoid touching, erasing, or writing on the black board.) [photo id="fNNbYszCkKk3qvw1ozp5lY5yn8UDJPkrsrHf05Jf.jpg"] All three classrooms are available to stay the night in! Guests are charged per person, not per room, so if your group are the only ones staying the night then you are free to spread out into all three of the rooms. This is the kind of lodging that Japanese students would stay in on overnight school trips, so there is a sense of nostalgia when staying here.  There are also many different activities that you can experience when staying here, such as local and traditional craft making and even river trekking with local guides! Read more about river trekking experiences here. [photo id="YrRrT5cHuDe3wK75RWrxgat8d8JPQP9P7bQgJwuY.jpg"]

Discover Aizu Area

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