Doaidate Park

Doaidate Park

Approximately 5,000 colorful hydrangeas bloom here every summer. Nicknamed by locals as "Hydrangea alley," this is a great place for relaxing or taking photos. 

Venue Details

Venue Details
Websitehttps://www.tif.ne.jp/jp/spot/spot_disp.php?id=4754
Contact

024-567-2265

Best Season
  • Summer
Access Details
Access7 Doaidate, Matsukawa-machi, Fukushima-shi
View directions
Getting there

By Car: 28 min from Fukushima-Nishi I.C. exit off the Tohoku Expressway
By Train: 20 minutes walk from "Matsukawa Station" bound for Koriyama / Kuroiso on the Tohoku Main Line

Nearby

The World Glassware Hall
Nature & Scenery

Miharu Takizakura

Miharu is a small town in central Fukushima Prefecture. The town’s name means “three springs” and it is easy to see how it got such a name. With cherry, plum, and peach trees blossoming in spectacular displays every spring, it is almost as if spring has tripled! But the most famous of the trees in Miharu is the Miharu Takizakura tree, which is a nationally recognized Natural Monument.Over ten centuries old, the beautiful Miharu Takizakura is a flowering cherry tree that spreads out in all directions and makes for a breathtaking vista. The cascading blankets of blossoms are how this tree got the name takizakura, or “waterfall cherry tree.” It is even one of the “three great cherry trees” of Japan (along with Usuzumizakura in Gifu and the Jindaizakura in Yamanashi Prefecture).Miharu Takizakura sits in a sakura hollow in order to protect it from the elements while providing excellent drainage. The heavy boughs of the tree are supported by wooden beams and lend to its elegant form. The Miharu Takizakura begins blooming from mid-April. During the day the sight is whimsical, but visit in the evening and you’ll be treated to an almost haunting beauty as the tree is illuminated.Aside from this huge cherry tree (over 12 meters tall and 18 to 22 meters in spread), the area is also blessed with various wildflowers, including cherry and rapeseed flowers. But, of course, the Miharu Takizakura is what the annual 200,000 visitors are there to see. The view from the base of the sakura is considered to be the most beautiful and the Miharu Takizakura often ranks as the best sakura tree in all of Japan.
The World Glassware Hall
Nature & Scenery

Jorakuen

Jorakuen (浄楽園) is a traditional Japanese garden located in Fukushima City. It was completed by an expert gardener who worked on the famous Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto, and it has a total area of about 25,000 square meters (over 269,000 square feet).The garden can be enjoyed in spring, summer and autumn. Spring brings about delicate cherry blossoms, irises, and rhododendrons; water lilies and lotus flowers adorn the ponds during the summer; and brightly colored trees decorate the park in autumn.  No matter the season, the backdrop of the Azuma mountains makes for a spectacular sight at Jorakuen.There is a souvenir shop and traditional teahouse at the garden where visitors can enjoy matcha and Japanese sweets (‘wagashi’). The park remains closed during the winter season, from December 1st to March 31st.
The World Glassware Hall
Local Foods

Himonoya Sake Brewery

Fukushima’s sake is renowned across Japan, and Nihonmatsu is known in particular as a region with great sake production and high-grade sake producers. Using water from Mt. Adatara, the sake of the area is characterized by a mellow taste and is popular with sake lovers around the world. Himonoya Sake Brewery was established in 1874 and specializes in Senkonari sake; Senkonari is named after the battle standard "Sennari Hyotan (1000 Gourds)" of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the famous military leader and one of the great unifiers of Japan. The sake at Himonoya is a local secret that many outsiders, even Japanese, don’t know about. To get real sake-brewing experience to be sure to visit in the winter on a morning when the sake brewing art begins and most of the day’s tasks are performed. Because Himonoya Sake Brewery operates in a traditional and artisanal manner, it only makes sake during the winter season (a centuries-old rule). The tours and sake tasting offered at this old-fashioned brewery are available by reservation and are a treat to anyone with a taste for Japanese sake, or Nihonshu. These sake brewery tours are free for groups of one to ten people and take only 30 minutes to experience the brewing process. Guests should be legal Japanese drinking age, 20 years old or more, in order to enjoy the free tasting. There are four types of sake to be sampled along the tour, among them Kinpyo is the most highly recommended with its sweet aftertaste it makes an excellent match for Japanese snacks.

The World Glassware Hall
Hot Springs

Takayu Onsen

This famous hot spring area is located at an altitude of approximately 750 meters, which is why it’s called 'taka-yu' ('taka' means 'high-up' and 'yu' means 'hot spring'). Located on the slopes of the Azuma mountain range, Takayu Onsen area was once known as “Shinobu Takayu” and, together with Zao Takayu and Shirabu Takayu, prospered as one of three Takayu in what was once known as the northern Ou region. The waters of Takayu Onsen are a bluish milky color and are thought to have healing properties. Most of the resort facilities of the area neither add water nor adjust the temperature in order to maintain the natural allure of the hot spring waters. After bathing in the waters of this spring, your skin becomes almost slippery from the high acidic and hydrogen sulfide makeup. In the Takayu Onsen area, there are 10 natural hot spring sources, with names such as 'Takinoyu', 'Netsuyu', and 'Senkinoyu'. These sources are named after old public baths. In the olden days, bathtubs were built right next to or directly above the hot spring source. Today, the bathing facilities still receive their water flowing directly from the same source. Nowadays, Takayu Onsen consists of about a dozen ryokan (traditional Japanese inns), all offering their unique charm to travelers. You’ll be pleased to note that many of the ryokan open their hot spring baths to non-staying guests for a small fee. The most famous hot spring facility in Takayu Onsen is Tamagoyu, a wooden bathhouse with a traditional feel. There’s even a foot bath in the center of the town open to the public. If public bathing isn’t something you feel comfortable with, many of the onsen facilities in the area also offer private onsen rooms with a rotenburo (open-air bath) available for your own use. It is a relaxing experience unlike any other to soak in the hot waters and feel your worries melt away.

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Koshidai no Sakura (The Koshidai Cherry Tree)
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Koshidai no Sakura (The Koshidai Cherry Tree)

This huge Japanese cherry tree is over 400 years old and has been designated as a national Natural Treasure. The tree has a trunk circumference of about 7.2 meters and stands 20 meters high, and was thus selected as one of the "100 Giants of the Forest" by Japan's Forestry Agency. Koshidai Cherry Blossom Festival is held every year on May 3. A Yabusame horseback archery event accompanied by taiko drumming takes place during this festival, and local organizations set up food stalls. Photo tip: Try taking photos from the south side of cherry blossoms.

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