The shinto gods of hot spring water and medicine are the enshrined deities of this shrine.
This Onsen Shrine is widely thought of as being Iwaki Yumoto Onsen town’s own local Shinto deity.
| Website | http://www.iwakiyumoto.or.jp/en/ |
|---|---|
| Contact | Iwaki Yumoto Onsen Tourist Association (+81) 246-42-4322 iwakiyumotoonsen@gmail.com (+81) 246-42-4322 iwakiyumotoonsen@gmail.com |
| Best Season | All Year |
| Opening Hours | Open 24/7 Free |
| Access | Sahako-322 Joban Yumoto-machi, Iwaki City, Fukushima Pref. 972-8321 View directions |
|---|---|
| Getting there | By Car: 8 min drive from Iwaki-Yumoto I.C. exit off the Joban Expressway. By Train: 8 min walk from Yumoto Station on the JR Joban Line. |
<p>Tenzan Bunko is a quaint old-fashioned house stood in beautiful Kawauchi Village, which has been opened up as a museum. This house was presented by the village to the famous Japanese poet Kusano Shinpei. Kusano found inspiration to create many of his works at Tenzan Bunko, and this house now serves as the venue for the annual Tenzan Poetry Festival, which gives local people and poets a place to meet and network.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#000000">Café Amazon Kawauchi is a modern cafe and restaurant located only 350 meters away from the Tenzan Bunko Museum. </span></p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#000000">Café Amazon has over 1500 restaurants abroad, and serves Asian food and coffee.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#000000">This was the first Café Amazon restaurant in Japan, opened to help reinvigorate Kawauchi, attract visitors and, of course, serve delicious Thai dishes!</span></p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#000000">In 2016, following extensive revitalization efforts, all restrictions were lifted in Kawauchi village, which had had to be evacuated in 2011 following the nuclear accident. Kawauchi is now is a quiet, green village surrounded by mountains and streams, home to a few thousand people.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#000000">But because the village had remained uninhabited for some time, the only coffee shop there had closed, and, left without a local hub, it seemed difficult for the community to rekindle—that’s when Thai restaurant chain Café Amazon stepped in.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#000000">Café Amazon Kawauchi has a warm and light wooden interior (built using wood from Fukushima!), as well as a piano and guitar you can play freely. You can sit indoors or outdoors on a wooden deck.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#000000">Café Amazon Kawauchi isn’t only a coffee shop, it’s a fundamental part of the reconstruction of Kawauchi village, a meeting place for both locals and visitors.</span></p>
<p>Wonder Farm, which covers the same area as 3.5 football pitches, includes a local products shop, restaurant, BBQ site, and tomato-picking experience!</p><p>Mori no Kitchen (the restaurant inside Wonder Farm) is stylish, comfortable, and serves great food. The delicious pizzas and tomato curries are particularly popular! </p>
<p><span style="color:#000000">Futaba Art District is an art initiative carried out by art collective Over Alls in Futaba (</span><span style="color:#000000">双葉町)</span><span style="color:#000000">, a town in the coastal area of Fukushima.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">As of February 2023, Futaba Art District comprises ten murals located between the JR Futaba station and the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">Futaba town had to be evacuated and was severely affected by the nuclear accident in 2011. In 2020, the evacuation order was lifted for the area around Futaba station.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">The murals that make up Futaba Art District depict various aspects of Futaba's culture and pay homage to its residents.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">When the artists asked Futaba residents what was most representative of their town, many answered ‘daruma dolls’ (traditional Japanese dolls for good luck). Since the Edo period, Futaba town held a yearly daruma market which had a famous tug-of-war. There are now murals depicting both the tug-of-war and the daruma dolls. </span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">In 2023, the Futaba Daruma Market was held again in Futaba town after 12 years.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">A woman who tended the local cafe and a family who used to live in the town, as well as other members of the community, are depicted in some of the murals.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">On each mural, you’ll find a QR code that you can scan to learn more about it (in Japanese).</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">You can easily reach the Futaba Art District from the JR Futaba Station. Click </span><a href="http://www.overalls.jp/cn23/cn30/futaba-art-district.html" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="color:#1155cc">here </span></a><span style="color:#000000">for a map of the Futaba Art District (in Japanese).</span></p>
<p>Iwana no Sato is well-suited for family trips! Try out fishing ‘Iwana’ (charr fish), and enjoy the picturesque scenery of Japanese-style gardens, watermills, & other traditional Japanese architecture. There is an onsite restaurant, areas for having a BBQ, and even accommodation too. Iwana no Sato is close to <a href="https://fukushima.travel/destination/tenzan-bunko-museum/183">Tenzan Bunko</a> and <a href="https://fukushima.travel/destination/caf%C3%A9-amazon-kawauchi/350">Café Amazon</a>, popular spots among tourists visiting Kawauchi Village.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#202833">In a crescent shaped cove separated from the mainland on the small island known as Bentenjima Island, you will find the mysterious Bentenjima Shrine. The vermillion painted tori gate stands out against the jagged stone and the powerful waves. It is believed that the shrine was land based until an earthquake that occurred in 1410 resulted in the formation of this jagged rock island. The construction date of the original shrine is unknown. </span></p><p style="text-align:justify"> </p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#202833">The island is also known as Wanigafuchi because, according to legend, a creature known as a “wanizame” (crocodile shark) lived on the island. Half crocodile, half shark, this creature can be seen in many old Japanese paintings. The creature may have been believed to cause the swirling water and violent waves that crashed against the rocks, sometimes resulting in people getting swept into the water. Another legend suggests that the wanizame once kidnapped a young woman from Iwaki who had wandered out to explore the island.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify"> </p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#202833">This coast is lined with small round pebbles that shine when the water hits them. However, do not take any of these pebbles home, legend says that anyone who takes pebbles home from this coast will suffer from eye disease. </span></p><p style="text-align:justify"> </p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#202833">This area was once a very popular destination for tourists and I highly recommend checking out the photos on the Iwaki city website linked below. It is all in Japanese, but you can read it with the google translate extension on google chrome browsers.</span></p>
<p>Selected by Iwaki City as a Natural Monument, the great weeping cherry tree is over 500 years old. The flowers bloom slightly earlier than those of Yoshino cherry trees, and are lit up by traditional Japanese lanterns in the evenings of cherry blossom season. Stretching even further down than the roots, the weeping branches of the tree give it an extremely beautiful appearance.</p>
<p><span style="color:#000000">The Remains of Ukedo Elementary School in Namie Town (震災遺構浪江町立請戸小学校) are located in the coastal area of Fukushima prefecture.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">Ukedo Elementary School, located 300 meters from the sea, was having classes when the earthquake struck at 2:46 p. m. on March 11, 2011. </span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">A few minutes later, a tsunami warning was issued for Ukedo. The school staff urged students to evacuate immediately to nearby Mount Ohirayama, approximately 1.5 km from the school. </span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">When the tsunami hit about 40 minutes after the earthquake, all of the students and staff had evacuated safely.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">The school building suffered great damage from the earthquake and the tsunami, as did most of Namie town, which shortly after became under evacuation order due to the nuclear disaster (the evacuation order for some areas in Namie Town was lifted on March 31, 2017).</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">In 2021, the remnants of the Ukedo Elementary School building opened to the public. The facilities remain largely untouched, with debris, broken floors and ceilings, smashed objects, collapsed furniture and other school items. Visitors can see the extent of the destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami and learn about the importance of disaster preparedness.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">At the entrance, you can scan a QR code using your phone to access the English translation of each explanation panel as you proceed through the school grounds.</span></p>