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, be sure to visit on a winter 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 of age or older) in order to enjoy the free tasting. There are four types of sake to be sampled along the tour - Kinpyo is the most highly recommended, with its sweet aftertaste making it an excellent match for Japanese snacks.
| Website | https://www.nihonmatsu-dmo.jp/en/plan/sake_1/ |
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| Contact | (+81) 243-23-0164 |
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| Entrance Fee | Free |
| Related info | Brewery Tours: Run between 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM. Please reserve at least one day in advance. By appointment on Sundays and national holidays. Booking Tours Contact Himonoya Sake Brewery at (+81) 243-23-0164 Or book via Nihonmatsu Tourism Association via their website, or by calling (+81) 243-24-5085. |
| Access | 173 Matsuoka, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Pref. 964-0905 View directions |
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| Getting there | By Car: 5 min drive from Nihonmatsu I.C. exit off the Tohoku Expressway. By Train: 4 min walk from Nihonmatsu Station (JR Tohoku Main Line). |
There are well-known onsen in Tohoku, but Kashi Onsen, is treasured as one of this region's smallest, most off-the-beaten-track hot springs. In fact, Kashi Onsen home to only one ryokan inn: Daikokuya. Daikokuya’s oiwaburo (big-stone bath), which is measures 5m by 15m, with a depth of 1.2m, is gently warmed up from the source water that gushes up from the bedrock at the bottom of the bath, which is decorated with a number of large stones and small jewels.
Mt. Handa (known as 'Handayama' in Japanese), which rises 863 meters above sea level, and Handa Pond are the focal points of this park. Handayama Natural Park is known for its late-blooming cherry trees, as well as the diverse wildflowers that bloom. It is a great place for visitors to feel close to nature throughout the year.
Somei Yoshino cherry blossom trees bloom along both sides of the Fujita River for three kilometers, centering around Horinouchi Bridge near Kikuta Station. The long stretch of leafy foliage features several banks suitable for picnics under the cherry blossoms, which bloom typically in mid-April. (For reference: though blooming periods can change year-to-year, the 2025 blossoms were at full bloom around 15th April.)The riverside is served by nearby Kikuta Station on the Ban-Etsu Line, or there are large car parks near the river walk.
Mt. Adatara is actually made up of multiple active volcanoes that form a broad mountain. It last erupted in 1996. Poems in the book Chieko-sho by Kotaro Takamura (1883-1956) helped make the mountain famous.The summit of Mt. Adatara stands at an altitude of 1700 m, stretching about 9 kilometers in a north-to-south direction. Views of Mt. Adatara are lovely in and of themselves, but the views that visitors have of the surrounding area once they reach the summit are breathtaking. Chosen as one of Japan’s top 100 mountains, as well as one of the top 100 mountains for flowers, a view spot at an altitude of 1300 m can be accessed by gondola lift. This means that it is relatively easy to climb even for beginners.On summer evenings, a light-up event inspired by the Milky Way and the flowers of Mt. Adatara is held, gracing those scaling the mountain by a gondola lift with a spectacular view. In autumn, visitors are afforded a stunning view of autumn leaves making it a popular place for scenic momiji-gari (autumn leaf viewing).Kurogane-goya Mountain Lodge, which closed in August 2023, was a rest stop for visitors and served as lodging for longer hikes. The lodge’s public hot spring facility used naturally-sourced, cloudy hot spring water. The lodge is being torn down in 2025 and will be rebuilt anew for roughly a 2028 re-open.
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.
Fukushima is renowned for its delicious fruits, and a wide variety of direct-sale farmer's fruit stalls, 30 minute all-you-can pick tourist orchards, and other fruit attractions can be found among the vast fruit fields and orchards that line the "Fruit Line," which is the nickname for a road that runs for 14 km along the base of Mt. Azuma, and the "Peach Line (National Road 13)," which runs along the train tracks. Come and enjoy the bounty of cherries, peaches, Japanese pears, grapes, and apples of Fukushima City, known as the Fruit Kingdom of Japan!Check out our full updated guide to Fukushima fruit picking here.See below for when each fruit is in season: Strawberries....January to May Cherries..........June to July Peaches..........July to September Nashi Pears....August to October Grapes............August to October Apples.............October to DecemberFruit Picking at Marusei Orchard: Info & Booking
The Fukushima Product Promotion Center (also known as the ‘Bussankan’) is a short walk from the west exit of Fukushima Station and is the best spot to buy unique souvenirs from your trip to Fukushima.Enjoy a delicious lunch, and even do a sake tasting, at the Fukushima Lounge. All food and sake has been grown and produced locally in Fukushima.Browse locally-made items – which have been designed over generations in response to Fukushima’s rich history and culture, and have become representative of various areas of Fukushima Prefecture – displayed and sold in the ‘Local Products’ section.Great food, dried goods, local products and traditional crafts – the best from all over the prefecture can all be found at Fukushima Prefecture Souvenir Shop.As well as displaying and selling delicious local produce and locally-made folk crafts from a wide range of areas across the prefecture, the Fukushima Product Promotion Center also provides information on local products and sightseeing opportunities in Fukushima. Local artisans, farmers and performers also regularly visit the shop to display and sell their work.
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!
