Winter in Showa Village wouldn’t be complete without heavy snowfall – every year around 2 meters of snow piles in the village! Showa Village’s local people has adapted their way of working around the harsh conditions of winter over the generations by utilizing the long winter months to create crafts from weaving thread made of ramie (made from nettles). This photo shows an important part of this process – the bleaching of the fabric. Visitors can even experience making coasters made from ramie using traditional methods at Orihime Koryukan Building, located at Michi-no-Eki Karamushi Ori-no-Sato (Roadside Station)!
The date of the 2021 Karamushi Ori-no-Sato Festival will be at the end of February 2021, and is currently being decided.
| Website | http://showavill.info/events/(Japanese) |
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| Access | Michi-no-Eki Karamushiori-no-sato Showa (Roadside Station), 1 Uenohara, Sakuara, Showa Village, Onuma-gun, Fukushima Pref. 968-0215 View directions |
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| Getting there | By Car: 35 min by taxi or rental car from Aizu-Tajima Station (Aizu Railway) By Bus: 35 min by bus from JR Aizu Kawaguchi Station (JR Tadami Line) |
Be swept off your feet by the amazing scenery at the Oguninuma Wetlands. These wetlands are located in Urabandai area, and are just one part of the stunning Oze National Park. Lots of people hike here every year at the start of summer to enjoy views of the seasonal yellow flowers, called Nikko Kisuge.
Tsukimigaoka Chomin Center (a town hall-turned-hotel which is only a 20-minute walk from Aizu Yanaizu Station) is known for their famous sauce katsudon lunch. This dish contains fried pork cutlet and a simple egg omelet on rice which is covered with a savory sauce that simply melts in your mouth. There are other places in Yanaizu that serve the katsudon dish as well, but according to local opinion, the katsudon at Yanaizu Chomin Center is hard to beat. Why not stop by and fill your stomach before taking in the other local sights? There are even some great shared hot spring baths, which can be enjoyed as day visit onsen. There are plenty of nearby attractions. Enjoy your time hiking or fishing or at the nearby Kiyoshi Saito Museum of Art or the beautiful and serene Enzoji Temple. Kiyoshi Saito Museum of Art houses works by esteemed woodblock artist Kiyoshi Saito and the beautiful works he created throughout his lifetime. At the Enzoji Temple experience tranquility and nature, also learn about the origin legend of the akabeko, the nodding red cow famous in the area. And only a 15-minute drive away you can look at the No. 1 Tadami River Bridge View Spot; this bridge offers a spectacular sight of the Tadami River and the surrounding nature.
The Oza-Toro-Tembo Train is a limited-service sightseeing train which is operated during selected days of the peak tourist seasons. The train has three carriages - the oza carriage (which has a tatami-floor), the torokko (tram) carriage, and the tembo (observation deck) carriage. Stretch out and relax in the tatami carriage with its sunken kotatsu (heated table) in autumn, take in Aizu's nature and air from the tram carriage, and revel in the fantastic scenery that await you through the expansive windows of the observation deck carriage. The train runs along the Aizu Railway tracks, meaning you can hop off at various points to visit places such as Ouchi-juku (a 15 minute taxi ride from Yunokami Onsen Station), and To-no-Hetsuri Crags, among others. For information about when this train runs this year, please check out this link (Japanese).
The Tradition of Aizu lacquerware in Fukushima Prefecture has continued for 400 years. Try out creating a design on Aizu Lacquerware with a technique called Chinkin ("Sunken-gold") at Tsunoda Lacquer Art Studio. Sketch your design on tracing paper, and then mark it onto the lacqerware with a needle. Tsunoda san will help you fill the grooves created by your needle with gold and silver powder to create your design. Alternatively, try painting your own design on Aizu lacquerware at the studio. Either experience will create a great souvenir of your trip in Japan. These experiences take about an hour.
Held in the town of Aizu-Bange to the northwest of Aizu-Wakamatsu City, Otawara Hiki is a fierce display of community spirit and competitive energy that traces its roots back to the Edo period. It's the main attraction of the so-called 'Strange Festival', which takes place on 14 January every year.There is a children's event, featuring local students, before the main bout is fought over a large bale between teams representing the west (the white team) and the east (the red team). Despite the cold, the male participants take part largely in loincloths, while female participants wear a traditional festival light coat. It's said that if the east team wins, business will prosper in the coming year, while if the west team wins, it means there will be a bountiful harvest.The festival was first founded over 400 years ago in the Warring States Period, but was abolished by the Imperial government after the Aizu Domain's loss under the shogun in the Boshin War (civil war) of 1868. The tradition was restarted roughly a century later in 1956, and has continued to this day.Before the tug-of-war, there are taiko drum performances, and afterwards visitors can enjoy a dramatic display of the pounding of mochi by local experts, cheered on by the crowd, and receive a miniature bale said to bring good luck.Members of the public can also join the tug-of-war if they apply in advance. Please contact us for more details.A similar Strange Festival takes place in nearby Aizu-Misato on 11 January, also featuring a tug-of-war over a large bale, albeit wearing more layers than their counterparts in Aizu-Bange.Otawara Hiki– Event Schedule (2026)12:50 Tawara-daiko Performance Taiko drum performance by the Aizubange Town taiko group13:20 East vs. West Kotawara Hiki (Small Bale Pulling) Children compete by pulling a small straw bale (approx. 1.5 m high × 2.2 m long, weighing 1 ton)14:00 Otawara Hiki (Giant Bale Pulling) Teams pull a giant straw bale (approx. 2.5 m high × 4 m long, weighing 5 tons)14:45 Mochi Rice Cake Serving15:00 Fukumame Bale Tossing A total of 365 lucky small bales are thrown to the crowdFood stalls open from 11:00
2026: The festival will be held on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th February, 2026.Snow sculptures big and small take center stage at this exciting, local snow festival. Try out local cuisine and browse traditional locally-made crafts at the Tadami Furusato Snow Festival. As night closes in, the snow sculptures are dramatically lit up. They look even more fantastic when surrounded with the light of the fireworks display that is held on Saturday and Sunday evening.
Every year on January 7, the Naked Man Festival (Nanokado Hadaka Mairi) is held at Enzoji Temple, Yanaizu Town. During this traditional event - which draws many tourists every year - local men clad in loincloths make the challenging climb of 113 steps to Enzoji Temple, where they climb to the top of the temple via a long rope. Members of the public can participate, although registration in advance is required.The festival traces its roots back to an ancient legend, telling of a princess who received a wish-granting jewel from a river dragon to tide against crop failures and illness, and a community who banded together on the night of the 7th to prevent the dragon spirit from taking it back. To this day the festival is a rowdy display of hope and community.
In this class, you’ll learn some of the sword techniques patented by Tetsuro Shimaguchi, the founder of the ‘Kengido’ blend of combat and performance. He’s also known for his work as a choreographer in the action sequences of Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL, VOL.1.This workshop takes place in the historic dojo of the Ookawaso onsen hotel, nestled in the crook of the Okawa river south of Aizu-Wakamatsu City. The hotel is also well-known for its resemblance to Infinity Castle from the Demon Slayer anime series.The typical class schedule is as follows:Class 1: 10:15 - 11:00Class 2: 11:15 - 12:00Those looking to apply, please send an email to kengido@k2c.jp with the following information: Your name (and the names of any extra participants) Your contact information Your intended time and date to book How many peopleAs currently planned, dates for classes at Ookawaso are as follows:September 21October 12November 23Please direct any enquiries to kengido@k2c.jp. (English or Japanese)