Koriyama City’s Kaiseizan Park is home to around 1300 cherry trees, making it one of the prefecture’s most prominent cherry blossom spots. The impressive trees are lit up in the evening during cherry blossom season, making for fantastic views. That being said, whether day or night, this spot is popular amongst visitors coming to view cherry blossoms.
| Website | https://www.kanko-koriyama.gr.jp/tourism/detail2-1-349.html(Automated translation available) |
|---|---|
| Contact | Koriyama City Tourism Association (+81) 24-924-2621 |
| Best Season |
|
| Entrance Fee | Free |
| Related info | Best season: Early to late April |
| Access | Kaisei 1-5, Koriyama City, Fukushima Pref. 963-8851 View directions |
|---|---|
| Getting there | By Car: 10 min drive from Koriyama I.C. exit off the Tohoku Expressway By Taxi: 10 min by taxi from Koriyama Station (JR Tohoku Main Line) |
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 81 meters long, and has a maximum height of 50 meters from the valley bottom, and you can enjoy the refreshing feeling of being totally enveloped in the surrounding scenery as you look down from the bridge.
Mt. Iwatsuno is the name of a hill in Motomiya City which is populated with numerous temples, shrines, carvings, statues, caves, and other ancient things. Mt. Iwatsuno has long been known as a place for Shugendo and other religious training for Buddhist monks from the school of Tendai. One of the most notable of Mt. Iwatsuno's temples is Gankakuji Temple, which was founded in 851. Other highlights include Okunoin, located at the top of Mt. Iwatsuno, which was built in the Kamakura Era, and Bisshamondo, which was rebuilt in the mid-19th century. Mt. Iwatsuno can be explored on foot in around 1 hour, but visitors can easily spend longer if they want to explore all of the hidden treasures the hill has to offer. It's possible for groups to do Zazen meditation on the hillside if visitors contact Mt. Iwatsuno in advance (bookings must be conducted in Japanese).
This sightseeing road that runs from Fukushima City's Takayu Onsen to the Tsuchiyu Pass, commanding panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. The spectacular views that stretch out at an average altitude of 1,350 meters attract visitors time and time again, and Bandai-Azuma Skyline has been selected as one of the 100 Best Roads in Japan. In spring, tourists can enjoy flower viewing while at the same time taking in the otherworldly winter scenery of the "Snow Corridor". In summer, the Nemoto Shakunage (Rhododendron brachycarpum), a species of alpine rose, and other alpine plants display their colorful flowers and fresh, brilliant green leaves. During autumn, the drive warms as roads become enclosed by fiery seasonal leaves. There are also many hot springs in the vicinity of the Skyline where visitors can enjoy a bath and relax stiff muscles while out on a daytrip. The roadway passes next to the crater of Mt. Azuma-Kofuji. Visitors can easily park their car at the nearby guest center and enjoy a short hike up to the crater’s rim. The Bandai-Azuma Skyline Roadway has been selected as one of the top 100 roads in Japan, and unlike many others, this one is free to use. There are rest stops along the way for the hungry traveler; the most popular is Jododaira, as it’s home to a rest house and an observatory. Be sure to plan ahead though, from mid-November to early April the roadway is closed due to heavy winter snowfall.
Korinji Temple, known as Hydrangea Temple, is home to around 20 kinds of hydrangeas. Many tourists visit every year to see the beautiful blue, purple and pink flowers that bloom from late-June to mid-July.
These windy highlands are located at the plateau summit of Mt. Aizu-Nunobiki. It’s location to the south of Lake Inawashiro provides ample breeze to power the 33 windmills that stand majestically atop the highland plateau. Nunobiki Kogen Wind Farm is one of Japan's largest wind farms. It's location at an altitude of about 1,000 meters, makes for a truly fantastic view of the surrounding scenery. From early August to early September, visitors can enjoy amazing vistas of the beautiful himawari batake (sunflower fields). The sunflowers here are planted at 3 different intervals, meaning that visitors can enjoy seeing them throughout the summer months. Sunflowers aren’t all that Koriyama Nunobiki Kaze-no-Kogen has to offer flower lovers: May brings rapeseed blossoms into full bloom, and later - from August to September - you can see cosmos blooming. Of course, visitors are always greeted with superb views of Lake Inawashiro and Mt. Bandai. There are walking courses along the plateau, so visitors can explore the area and snap some great photos. One really amazing photo spot can be found at the observatory. Depending on the timing of your visit, you might be able to purchase some local vegetables at temporary stalls. We recommend trying the region’s famous Nunobiki Plateau daikon radish.
This beautiful cherry blossom tree stands alone in the centre of a field. The small temple next to the tree is dedicated to the Buddhist deity of child safety & childbirth. This scenery is so beautiful - it has even been used in Japanese movie posters. Ozawa Sakura usually reaches full bloom at the end of April.
These two weeping cherry trees are said to be the grandchildren of the great Miharu Takizakura weeping cherry tree in nearby Miharu Town. They bloom with fantastic pink flowers. When they are in full bloom, the trees are if a waterfall of blossoms is cascading from their branches. These trees are estimated to be around 170 years old. We recommend taking photographs from the bottom of the slope, so you can capture the pink of the blossoms, together with the blue of the sky, and yellow of the canola flowers.
On an early November evening, visiting Autumn Sports Park is like stepping onto a movie set – you’re surrounded by towering, golden Ginkgo trees, lit up with bright, colorful lights. It is quite a sight to behold.