Nihonmatsu Castle was built in 1643 by Mitsushige Niwa, the first feudal lord of the Nihonmatsu Domain. This domain had command over a territory producing 100,000 koku of rice (one koku being the amount of rice needed to feed one man for a year) and Nihonmatsu Castle was one of the strategic points used by the Tokugawa Shogunate forces. The castle fell in Boshin War after a fierce battle, precipitating the tragedy of the Nihonmatsu Youth Corps.
Today, the castle ruins have been turned into a prefectural natural park, with the stone walls being the only structures remaining from the old days. The seasonal beauty of the landscape with the restored castle and the surrounding natural environment is a soothing experience for visitors, particularly in the spring when the 1,700 cherry trees in the park are in full bloom, making it seem as if the castle is surrounded by haze of blossoms. This is why Nihonmatsu Castle is also referred to as "Kasumigajo" (meaning "castle in the mist").
In autumn, the park is crowded with visitors to Japan's largest chrysanthemum doll festival.
| Website | https://www.city.nihonmatsu.lg.jp/page/page002702.html |
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| Contact | Nihonmatsu Tourism Federation (+81) 243-55-5122 |
| Best Season | All Year |
| Opening Hours | Open all year round. |
| Parking | Available (Space for 500 vehicles) |
| Accommodation details | Pets: Allowed |
| Related info | Best time to see cherry blossoms: Mid April It is free to enter the Castle Park for most of the year, but <strong>there is an entrance fee during the Chrysanthemum Doll Festival every autumn.</strong> |
| Access | 232 3-Choume, Kakunai, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Pref. 964-0904 View directions |
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| Getting there | By Car: 5 min from Nihonmatsu I.C. exit off the Tohoku Expressway By Train: 20 min walk from Nihonmatsu Station on the JR Tohoku Main Line Related information |
Spend a day in Nihonmatsu City in Northern Fukushima, an area known for rich cultural traditions and specialities in sake and lacquerware. We recommend that you explore the city through our itinerary on foot or by taking short taxi rides. Access JR Nihonmatsu Station via the Tohoku Main Line.
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: - 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 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.
Newly opened on July 8th, 2021, this is a place where visitors can learn about Daruma, the symbol of Shirakawa city! Much of the structure of the main building is the structure of a restored old Japanese home, so the structure is beautiful and minimalistic. Inside, an elegantly restored tatami room showcases a work shop where you can watch artists expertly hand paint daruma dolls. There is also a display that explains the process of making a daruma doll, and a showcase room where you can take a look at a collection of unique daruma that are designed by various artists. There is also a daruma shrine and a warehouse where you can purchase daruma, paint your own, or try out the huge daruma gacha gacha machine for a surprise daruma!
Tucked away in a cedar grove in Tanagura Town, the moss-covered rocks and statues of Isshikikanei Shrine make you feel like you’ve stepped into a Ghibli movie.The shrine is well-known in the area for its two koma-inu (lion statue) carvings. These were carved in 1934 by Kobayashi Wahei, a famous stonemason from the region responsible for dozens of statues on shrine grounds, especially in his birthplace of nearby Ishikawa Town. One of them is known as one of Kobayashi’s ‘Great Three Lion Statues’.
Between two farms in Hiraishi in the south of Fukushima City, next to a vegetable stall selling cucumbers for 100 yen, you can find the Tired Gundam. Occasionally translated as the ‘Weakling’ or ‘Loser’ or ‘Incompetent’ Gundam, he might not look like much, and he can’t walk, or fight, but he's very popular with the locals.The product of a local ironsmith over ten years ago, the Tired Gundam first stumbled to fame after the ‘Beam Rifle Theft Incident’, in which someone stole his famous weapon, and fans nationwide made replacements. Now he has an entire arsenal, a weapon rack, and security cameras to ward off thieves. When he gets rusty, he often gets a fresh coat of paint from his fans.The Tired Gundam is located in the middle of a farmland region in southern Fukushima City, making for a lovely afternoon drive up and down the winding roads surrounded by rice fields. There is parking available nearby for roughly 10-15 cars.
Kyu Horikiri-tei is a property steeped in history. Built in 1775, the building has been preserved since the Edo Period thanks to wealthy farmers and merchants. The property contains a large kura (storehouse), called Jukken Kura, as well as a traditional Japanese manor house.There is a public footbath located onsite. Use of the footbath - which gets its water from the nearby onsen hot spring source - is accessible for wheelchair users. Japanese-speaking volunteer guides, knowledgeable about the history of Kyu Horikiri-tei and the rest of Iizaka Onsen, are available upon request.
Designated a historic site by Fukushima City, Yorinji Temple is famous not only as a cherry blossom spot but for its abundance of flowers. It’s said there are over 20,000 anabells and 5,000 hydrangeas, making it a popular place to visit during its blooming season (typically mid-June to early July).The purification well here is full of beautiful flowers from the area and watched over by small o-jizo-san - stone statues of a Buddhist deity said to protect children. Larger statues also dot the grounds of the temple, wearing traditional red caps and bibs; these are usually gifts offered by locals as a way of showing respect.There is a cafe on the grounds which sells gluten-free pizza made on site.A trip to the south of Fukushima City pairs well with seeing the Tired Gundam, a short five minute drive away.
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).
