Visitors looking for a cool and adventurous experience should consider visiting the Irimizu Limestone Cave (入水鍾乳洞) in Tamura City.
Perhaps less known than the nearby Abukuma Cave, the Irimizu Limestone Cave offers visitors the opportunity to venture into its depths—the narrow cave is 900 m in total and is divided into three courses (A, B and C), each more extreme than the previous one.
Visitors should bring adequate clothing and shoes, as the inside of the cave is wet and slippery with irregular rocky ground and gushing streams.
Course A is the least extreme, and the way into the cave is lit, although there are puddles and wet spots, and you will need to duck in some places since there are short and narrow spots. Course A is 150 m long and takes approx. 30 minutes to complete.
Courses B and C go through an area of the cave where there is less conditioning. Visitors have to walk while having water up to their knees and go through slippery and narrow gaps by candlelight or flashlight.
Course B is 450 m and takes about 60 minutes to complete, while course C is 300 m and takes about 90 m to complete.
Visitors hoping to undertake course C, the most difficult of the three, have to make a reservation before their visit, as the course can only be completed alongside an experienced guide. *Course C is not available and is not taking reservations as of May 2023.
The temperature inside the cave is typically between 10 and 15 degrees regardless of the season.
There are candles, rubber shoes, flashlights and other items available for renting at the entrance.
Prices are as of March 2023.
The cave has been designated as a National Natural Treasure, and it’s easy to see why. You’re bound to become a geology enthusiast after experiencing the charms of the cave.
| Website | https://abukumado.com/en/irimizusyonyudo.html |
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| Contact | Abukuma Cave Administration Office |
| Best Season | All Year |
| Opening Hours | Late March - Oct. 31: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.<br>Nov. 1 - Early March: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Parking | Free |
| Entrance Fee | Course A: Adults (over 16 years old): 550 yen; Children (ages 7-15): 450 yen | Course B: Adults (over 16 years old): 700 yen; Children (ages 7-15): 500 yen | Course C: Adults (over 16 years old) only 4,600 yen for up to 5 people* *Course C is by reservation only. The fee includes the guide service and entry for up to five people. Course C is not available and is not taking reservations as of May 2023. |
| Related info | Discounts apply for groups of over 15 people. |
| Access | 89-3 Sugaya Aza Dairoku, Takine-machi, Tamura City, Fukushima Prefecture View directions |
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| Getting there | By Car: Approx. 1 h 10 min. from Fukushima City or 45 min. from Koriyama City by car. By Train: 30 min. walk (2.2 km) or 5 min. by taxi (Haba Taxi Abukuma Cave Business Office [羽場タクシーあぶくま洞営業所 ‘Haba Takushi Abukuma Dou Eigyou Sho’], phone no. 0247-78-3167) from Sugaya Station [菅谷駅] (JR Ban-Etsu Line). Useful Links |
At Marusei Orchard, you can enjoy seasonal fruit picking as well as beautiful rural views. You can even treat yourself to delicious sweet treats made using fresh fruit at their onsite cafe! (The cafe menu changes by season).Fruit-Picking Experience Info & BookingSee more information about fruit picking in Fukushima City here.
A world of mystical beauty created over millions of years, Abukuma Cave is said to have the greatest variety and the largest number of stalactites in the whole of Asia. It takes about an hour to explore the inner world of the cave and the terrain is easy to navigate on foot.Abukuma Cave is a limestone cave that was discovered in 1969. Inside, visitors can walk the 600-meter-long path to explore and view the beautiful cave formations. Visitors can’t help but be impressed by the beauty of these natural creations formed over the course of 80 million years. The largest hall in the cave, called Takine Goten (Takine Hall), and Tsuki no Sekai (The Moon World), is illuminated with dramatic stage lighting and is particularly impressive.Also not to be missed are the rare cave formations called boxwork, you can identify them by their unique shape; thin blades of minerals coming off the walls and ceilings forming a honeycomb or box-like pattern. Abukuma Cave is the only cave in Japan with boxwork that is open to the public. Another notable stop along the cave path is the Christmas Tree and Silver Frost; both are impressive stalagmites that resemble festive holiday trees. The Christmas Tree is over two meters tall and said to be the largest example in all of Asia.There is an additional thrilling adventure course; experience crawling through narrow passages and climbing a ladder to spectacular views over the cave! This 120-meter-long course runs parallel to the main passage, but please note that visitors may have to crawl on their hands and knees at times.When you have finished exploring the mysterious depths and come back to the surface you can find plenty of restaurants and souvenir shops. Visit from mid-June to July to see the neighbouring hillside covered in 50,000 lavender plants.
There is a special bus running from Fukushima Station to the Jododaira plateau while the mountain is open. Please visit the Jododaira Sky Access page for more details.Jododaira and the Bandai-Azuma Skyline mountain road are open from April 21, 2026.Every year in spring, as the snow melts away, it leaves behind the shape of a giant white rabbit on the side of Mt. Azuma-Kofuji. This is called the “seeding rabbit”, and it signals to the people of Fukushima that the farming season has come.From April to November each year, you can experience the beauty of the awe-inspiring natural landscape of Mt. Azuma-Kofuji.Mt. Azuma-Kofuji is an active volcano with an appealing symmetry to it and a soft conical shape; because of these classic features, it was named Kofuji ('little Fuji'), after the iconic Japanese mountain.Thanks to its volcanic ground, the area has given birth to many nearby onsen areas perfect for relaxing, such as Tsuchiyu Onsen and Takayu Onsen.Mt. Azuma-Kofuji is a great destination for those who decide to drive through the area as the Bandai-Azuma Skyline happens to pass just below the crater of Mt. Azuma-Kofuji. Along the roadway is the Jododaira Visitor Center, which offers visitors a place to park, rest up, get a snack, and maybe even buy souvenirs. It is the perfect spot to take a break and explore one of the many short hiking routes to stretch out your muscles after a long car ride. From there, it is just a short hike up to the crater, and there are plenty of other great trails. Circle the crater of Mt. Azuma-Kofuji on a relaxed 40-minute walk and—if you are lucky—enjoy gorgeous views of Fukushima City, Mt. Bandai, and the Urabandai area. But do watch your step as the ground can be uneven and even slippery on grey days. The mountain is open from spring to autumn every year.
The Hitomachi Jizo Sakura in Hinata is a solitary cherry tree standing along an old mountain pass in Nihonmatsu. Its name comes from the small stone Jizo statue at its base, which appears to be quietly watching over travelers passing through the countryside.The cherry tree is especially known for the striking combination of pale pink blossoms, bright yellow rape flowers, and the Jizo statue. In the distance, visitors can also see the snow-covered peaks of the Azuma and Adatara mountain ranges, giving the landscape a dramatic backdrop.Believed to be around 100 years old, the tree is a mature Somei Yoshino with a broad canopy and thick trunk. It blooms from early to mid-April, slightly earlier than some of the other famous cherry trees in Nihonmatsu, and has become one of the most photographed sakura spots in the area.
The famous Okukuji Prefectural Nature Park in Ibaraki Prefecture designated Furoyama Park as a top Green Spot of Fukushima. Furoyama Park is famous for its yama-tsutsuji (mountain rhododendron), which come into bloom from late April through to early May. There are around 3,000 rhododendron plants which cover the park in deep shades of red. Climb halfway up the hill to gain a great view of the town.
This arched iron bridge crossing the Abukuma River is famous as a viewing point for the fresh green of early summer and brightly colored autumn leaves. The bridge is 138.5 meters long, with a maximum height of 60 meters from the bottom of the valley, and you can enjoy the refreshing feeling of being totally enveloped in the surrounding scenery as you look down from the bridge.
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.
This weeping cherry tree is around 400 years old and is called the "daughter" of Miharu Takizakura, another famous cherry tree located in Fukushima. Countless visitors have visited from inside and outside the prefecture after hearing about the beauty of this cherry tree. Photography tip: Around 2 pm is the best time to take a picture.