Newly opened on July 8th, 2021, this is a place where visitors can learn about Daruma, the symbol of Shirakawa city!
Much of the structure of the main building is the structure of a restored old Japanese home, so the structure is beautiful and minimalistic. Inside, an elegantly restored tatami room showcases a work shop where you can watch artists expertly hand paint daruma dolls.
There is also a display that explains the process of making a daruma doll, and a showcase room where you can take a look at a collection of unique daruma that are designed by various artists.
There is also a daruma shrine and a warehouse where you can purchase daruma, paint your own, or try out the huge daruma gacha gacha machine for a surprise daruma!
| Website | https://darumaland.jp/ |
|---|---|
| Contact | 0248-23-3978 takaaki-watanabe@hanjiro.co.jp |
| Best Season | All Year |
| Opening Hours | 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM |
| Parking | Free |
| Access | 30 Yokomachi, Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture View directions |
|---|---|
| Getting there | By Car: 15 min from Shirakawa Chuo Smart Exit (ETC only), or 20 min from Shirakawa I.C. exit on the Tohoku Expressway. By Train: 11 min walk from Shirakawa Station on the JR Tohoku Main Line; 4 min by taxi from Shin-Shirakawa Station (JR Tohoku Shinkansen) |
Korinji Temple, known as Hydrangea Temple, is home to around 20 kinds of hydrangeas. Many tourists visit every year to see the beautiful blue, purple and pink flowers that bloom from late-June to mid-July.
Azuma Orchard is located along the Fruit Line (a road in Fukushima City which is surrounded by orchards). Here visitors can pick their own fruit, such as cherries from early June, peaches from mid-July, nashi (Japanese pears) and grapes from early September, and apples from October.The grounds of Azuma Orchard include a shop which has been recently renovated. Visitors can also enjoy soft-serve ice-cream in a range of seasonal flavors.
Mt. Iwatsuno is the name of a hill in Motomiya City which is populated with numerous temples, shrines, carvings, statues, caves, and other ancient things. Mt. Iwatsuno has long been known as a place for Shugendo and other religious training for Buddhist monks from the school of Tendai. One of the most notable of Mt. Iwatsuno's temples is Gankakuji Temple, which was founded in 851. Other highlights include Okunoin, located at the top of Mt. Iwatsuno, which was built in the Kamakura Era, and Bisshamondo, which was rebuilt in the mid-19th century. Mt. Iwatsuno can be explored on foot in around 1 hour, but visitors can easily spend longer if they want to explore all of the hidden treasures the hill has to offer. It's possible for groups to do Zazen meditation on the hillside if visitors contact Mt. Iwatsuno in advance (bookings must be conducted in Japanese).
Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art, located at the foot of Mt. Shinobu on the north side of Fukushima City, houses over 2,000 pieces of art, including paintings, block prints, carvings, craft works, and more. Some highlights of the museum's collection include paintings by Shoji Sekine and woodblock prints by Kiyoshi Saito, both of whom were born in Fukushima Prefecture, as well as a collection of impressionist art, and 20th century paintings by artists such as Ben Shahn and Andrew Whyeth.
Azuma Orchard is located along the Fruit Line (a road in Fukushima City which is surrounded by orchards). Here visitors can pick their own fruit, such as cherries from early June, peaches from mid-July, nashi (Japanese pears) and grapes from early September, and apples from October.The grounds of Azuma Orchard include a shop which has been recently renovated. Visitors can also enjoy soft-serve ice-cream in a range of seasonal flavors.
The Kunitaya Miso Factory is a small shop that was founded in 1777 to produce miso paste for the local community. Miso is one of the most (if not the most) popular flavor for foods in Japan. Many people drink miso flavored soup at least once a day and it isn’t uncommon to find miso soup present in every meal of the day. Before grocery stores and convenience stores were as widespread as they are today, people would go to their neighborhood miso shops to source this kitchen staple Today, many of these small shops have disappeared, however at Kunitaya Miso Factory, the owners want to preserve their small business and the unique culture of small batch local miso makers.The small scale operation allows for more freedom and diversity in flavors. At the café next door, “Kura Café,” you can try different variations and flavors of the miso that they produce at the Kunitaya Miso Factory.The brewery is housed in an old fashioned Japanese ware-house style building with a red lattice front. Years ago, during festivals, the red lattice front was removed to make the building more open to the street and the public. If you are interested in getting a more in depth experience, consider joining a tour of the brewery! Contact us if you are interested.
TATAMI VILLAGE (Kuboki Tatami Shop) is a shop, cafe, and workshop in Sukagawa City in Southern Fukushima prefecture. The Kuboki Tatami business was founded in 1740 in Sukagawa and is currently run by the 15th generation of the same family. ‘Tatami’ is a kind of woven mat made with rush grass frequently used as flooring in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Kuboki Tatami is not only dedicated to flooring, but also makes tatami coasters, smartphone mats, and accessories made with tatami-heri (a kind of ribbon used to fasten the sides of a tatami mat).At Tatami Village, visitors can make a tatami coaster to take home as a souvenir (reservations here), with the experience and tour taking about an hour to ninety minutes. Additionally, the cafe on site serves matcha and seasonal sweets, and features a modern, bright space that uses tatami elegantly.
Located in the sleepy village of Tamura-machi, and surrounded by sprawling rice fields is the Niida-Honke brewery. Since its founding in 1711, Niida Honke has seen eighteen generations of head brewers, each bringing their own personality and subtle changes to the company and its sake. The current head brewer is Yasuhiko Niida, an incredibly nice person with an awe inspiring passion for making Sake.Under Mr. Niida’s supervision, Niida Honke has seen many changes. In 2011 the brewery celebrated its 300th anniversary and the achievement of using 100% natural rice in its brewing process. Unfortunately, this was the same year as the Great East Japan Earthquake and the following nuclear disaster. Despite the difficulties, Niida Honke worked hard to return the health of the rice fields.After the fields were cleaned and returned to their healthy status, a decision was made to move the company into a more sustainable and natural direction with the goal of creating its sake with 100% natural and organic ingredients. They currently grow much of the rice used to create their sake in the fields that surround the brewery. Working with local farmers to create healthy, high quality rice that is grown without the use of pesticides or harmful chemicals.In the future Niida Honke aims to brew all of its sake in natural wooden tanks, switch entirely to solar power, and grow 100% of its own rice. For each bottle that you buy, Niida Honke takes one step closer to these goals.Read more about the sake brewing process at Niida Honke!