The breeze from the nearby Lake Inawashiro, seasonal flowers, and art displays of the Inawashiro Herb Garden await your visit!
The outdoor garden area is around 100,000 square meters and is filled with various herbs, flowers, and plants that bloom at different times on the year, creating a unique visitor experience that changes with the seasons. The park has around 500 varieties or herbs, flowers, and plants including lavender, mint, chamomile, nanohana blossoms, poppies, sunflowers, cosmos, and kochia!
There is an indoor greenhouse area, so, even on rainy days, visitors have plenty of greenery and flowers to see! In addition to the herbs, flowers, and plants you will also find seasonal decorations and original art displays that are created and updated for guests to enjoy.
The outdoor garden area of the Inawashiro Herb Garden also features 5 m-tall wooden statues carved by a Canadian artist, Glen Greenside. The 12 statues, one for each zodiac sign, were carved over the course of twelve years as part of a now-discontinued annual chainsaw festival that took place at the garden.
Inside, at the shop, visitors can find products and snacks that are made from various herbs and flowers.
| Website | http://www.listel-inawashiro.jp/english/ |
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| Contact | Inawashiro Herb Garden (+81) 242-66-2690 |
| Best Season |
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| Opening Hours | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Closed for winter between Dec. and Mar. |
| Parking | Available |
| Entrance Fee | Adults (Junior high school students and above): 450 yen. Elementary school students: 300 yen. Groups of over 15 people: 50 yen discount per person |
| Access | Listel Park, Kawageta, Inawashiro town, Fukushima pref. View directions |
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| Getting there | By Train: 10 min taxi ride from Inawashiro Station (JR Tohoku Main Line) Useful Links |
Visitors can taste and purchase sake made at Aizu Homare, one of Tohoku's most popular sake breweries. After learning about how sake is made on a brewery tour, visitors can discover their new favorite drink by sampling over 10 kinds of fresh refined sake, liqueur, and shochu. The brewery grounds also contain a vast Japanese garden, which can be explored by visitors. A video of the sake-making process is available to watch on request.
A lovely restaurant where you can savor the flavors of handmade soba and coffee. This restaurant is commited to serving delicious, seasonal food. In summer, the noodles are made thinner. In winter, they’re made a bit thicker. You’ll be able to relish the stone-ground, handmade noodles. Their most popular topping for soba is their large umeboshi (sour pickled plums) from the Kishu Domain, which can be enjoyed as part of Ishiharaya's Grated Plum Soba dish.
Nanokamachi-dori Street is a quaint shopping street with an olde-worlde atmosphere, located in central Aizu-Wakamatsu City. There is a mix of western-style buildings, and traditional Japanese architecture, including Japanese-style storehouses and wooden town houses, from the Taisho Period (1912-1926). This street is home to a number of shops selling local products such as Aizu lacquerware and Aizu momen (cotton made in the Aizu area). Nanokamachi-dori Street is a great spot to grab a bite to eat, and is also useful as a base to explore Aizu-Wakamatsu City. Suehiro Sake Brewery and Suzuzen lacquerware shop are just two of the esteemed businesses located close to this shopping street.
Yunokami Onsen is famous for having one of the only thatched roof station buildings in Japan. The hot spring area is fed from 8 source springs. Each ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in the town draws its hot water directly from the source. The clear, transparent water is beloved for being soft and gentle on the skin. Many lodges offer just day-use of their baths, making it a great place to enjoy on a whim. There is also a public foot bath located at Yunokami Onsen Station. During the cherry blossom season, visitors can enjoy a warm foot bath while watching the light pink petals fluttering in the wind.
Originally known as Iwahashi-yama, literally a rock ladder to the sky, the renamed Mt. Bandai is no less impressive. Often referred to as 'Aizu's Mt. Fuji', Mt. Bandai is one of the 100 most famous mountains in Japan, and has even been selected as one of the top 100 geographic landmarks in Japan. In 2011, the mountain was certified as a geopark, which is a unified area with geological heritage and international significance, as defined by UNESCO. There are seven climbing routes for Mt. Bandai, with the trail starting at the Happodai trailhead being the most popular, and easiest route. From the Happodai trailhead, the 3.5 km route takes around 2 hours to reach the summit.The various routes range from 2 to 4 hours and from 3 to 7 km. At Koubou Shimizu, one of the mountain stops, there are two shops where trekkers can buy drinks, snacks, and souvenirs, but please note that there is no accommodation available. For many Buddhist mountain fanatics, Mt. Bandai holds a place of great significance. Enichi-ji Temple, located on the southwestern foot of Mt. Bandai, is a popular temple to visit nearby. The mountains situated around the temple make for a serene vista where one can feel the power of nature. Enichi-ji Temple was founded one year after Mt. Bandai erupted, in 807 C.E.; in the past, some superstitious people believed there was a connection between the eruption and the temple’s founding... Interestingly, Mt. Bandai used to be shaped more like the famous Mt. Fuji, but after a volcanic eruption in 1888, the shape changed to what we see today. It is thanks to that eruption that the mountain gained its rugged, sharp look and the Urabandai area behind Mt. Bandai was created. For non-hikers, the Bandaisan Gold Line is a popular sightseeing road that leads up the southwestern side and offers brilliant vistas of the foliage, especially in autumn when the colors change.
As the fourth-largest lake in all of Japan, Lake Inawashiro is well-known for its gorgeous blue waters, wildlife sightings and stunning views thanks to its position south of the Bandai mountain range. This sightseeing boat gives visitors a chance to get out on to the lake, where they can enjoy the atmosphere and soak in the sights.Guests can step out on to small sightseeing decks at the front and rear, although it's worth bringing a heavy jacket as the wind chill is quite bracing in winter on the front deck.On the interior, announcements over the tannoy explain more about the history of the area in Japanese, English and Mandarin. The journey takes about 35 minutes.The swan boat leaves every hour between 10am and 4pm, while the turtle boat leaves every half an hour on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only. In winter, the turtle boat remains docked and functions as a cafe and waiting area (from December 15th). The winter schedule for the swan boat is also reduced, with departures at 11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm.
With a diameter of 3.5 km, Lake Sohara is the fourth largest lake in the wetlands of the Urabandai highlands. Blessed with bountiful plankton and aquatic plants such as potamogeton distinctus and water shield, many wild birds flock to its waters. Walking the shores of this lake, you can feel as if you're in a wild highland oasis.
A national natural monument, To-no-hetsuri Crags consists of tower-shaped cliffs overlooking Okawa River. Hetsuri is an Aizu word meaning "a cliff overlooking a river" or "a steep slope" in the local dialect.These strange-shaped cliffs are thought to be made of various types of rocks formed around 28 million years ago and feature deep cracks along the vertical joints. Thanks to trees growing between the white multi-layered rocks the view in autumn is quite spectacular. In spring and summer, the lush greens create a beautiful carpet down the rocks; in winter, the heavy snows make To-no-hetsuri Crags look otherworldly.The 200-meter long, natural cliff formation has alternating types of rocks that also include a relatively soft strata, which have been eroded by rain and wind, resulting in distinctive and eye-catching dips and curves in the rock face that resemble a forest of towers. Each of these tower-like rocks has its own name: Eagle Tower, Hawk Tower, Lion Tower, House Tower, Turret Tower, Nine-Ring Tower, Elephant Tower, Goma (fire ritual) Tower, Eboshi (tall hat worn by male aristocrats in the Heian Period) Rock, Folding Screen Rock, Stage Rock, and Sumo Arena Rock.Visitors to the area of To-no-hetsuri Crags can best enjoy the dynamic scenery by crossing the nearby suspension bridge. The suspension bridge offers a breathtaking sight of the river and cliff sides. At the foot of the cliff there is also a small shrine dedicated to the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. Another great way to enjoy To-no-hetsuri Crags is from the observatory neighboring the area where guests can view a panoramic scene of Okawa River, To-no-hetsuri Crags, and the suspension bridge. After enjoying the beautiful sight, head over to the local shopping area for restaurants and souvenirs.