Mitsuya District Warehouses & Climbing Kiln

Mitsuya District Warehouses & Climbing Kiln


Be transported back to the elegant Taisho Period at Kitakata’s Mitsuya District. Kitakata is famous as being a town of charming red brick kura (Japanese warehouses). The rich texture and distinctive color of the warehouse bricks are an integral part of Kitakata’s townscape.

In the year Meiji 23 (1890), the connecting kilns of Mitsuya District were opened. As well as roof tiles, bricks made here were also painted a deep red color, giving the area a unique atmosphere and classic scenery. The area was registered as an Industrial Modernization Heritage Site by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The large red brick climbing kiln, located inside the Wakana Family's home, is truly a sight to behold. This district has even been written about on the Michelin Travel website.

Venue Details

Venue Details
Websitehttp://www.kitakata-kanko.jp/contact/(Japanese)
Contact

Kitakata Tourism & Local Products Association (+81) 241-24-5200

(+81) 241-24-5200

http://www.kitakata-kanko.jp/contact/

Best SeasonAll Year
Opening Hours

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Entrance Fee200 yen to enter the Wakana Family warehouse
Access Details
AccessClimbing Kiln of Mitsuya (House of the Wakana Family), Hitsukezawa-3567-2, Iwatsuki-machi, Miyatsu, Kitakata City, Fukushima Pref. 966-0002
View directions
Getting there

By Car:

  • 25 min drive from the Aizuwakamatsu I.C. exit off the Ban-etsu Expressway

By Train:

  • 20 min by taxi from Kitakata Station (JR Ban-etsu West Line)
  • 40 min by rental-cycle from Kitakata Station (JR Ban-etsu West Line)

Nearby

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Mt. Bandai 3D World

Experience a simulation of the 1888 Mt. Bandai Eruption in 3D! Mt. Bandai 3D World is a theater developed by Sony, situated right across the road from the Mt. Bandai Eruption Memorial Museum. The circular walls inside the building are covered with a large, panoramic 3D screen - measuring 4.5 m in height, and 42 m around. The powerful acoustics transport visitors to the Urabandai area of 1888, and allow them to feel as if they were there during the great eruption of the same year. The theater's 3D graphics simulate this event, portraying the fleeing of animals that sense the eruption in advance, and the disarray of huge boulders and intense volcanic mud splashes being flung in the air due to the eruption. There is also a simulation of a "walk in the sky" around Mt. Bandai, where visitors can experience a panoramic bird's-eye view of Mt. Bandai's across the four seasons. Take in alpine plants such as skunk cabbages and Nikko-kisoge flowers as you pass over the Oguninuma Wetlands. Shows usually start twice an hour (the first on the hour, and the second at 30 minutes past.)

The World Glassware Hall
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Enzoji Temple

<p>A symbolic temple of Aizu, Enzoji was built about 1,200 years ago in 807.</p><p>Fukuman Kokuzo Enzoji Temple (Enzoji Temple for short) was built by Tokuichi Daishi, a noted priest from the Aizu region. The main hall of the temple rises high above a huge crag. From here, the Tadami River can be viewed flowing magnificently through the town.</p><p>You can also see the various views of each season, with cherry blossoms in spring, mist over the river in summer, red maples in autumn, and snow in winter.</p><p>The temple has many highlights, such as a treasure house and monuments in memory of poets, inscribed with their poems and haiku.</p><p>The temple is dedicated to Fukuman Kokuzo Bosatsu (the Bodhisattva of wisdom).</p><p>There are many legends associated with the temple. For example, one legend tells of how when Kobo Daishi threw wood shavings from the statue of Kokuzo Bosatsu into the Tadami River, they immediately turned into countless Japanese dace fish.</p><p>Another story is about how a red cow helped with the difficult construction of the temple - a story which led to the widespread acceptance of the &quot;<a href="https://fukushima.travel/destination/akabeko-red-cows/88">akabeko</a>&quot; red cow as an important symbol of Fukushima.</p><p>One more story is that of <a href="https://fukushima.travel/destination/nanukado-hadaka-mairi-festival/214">Nanokado Hadaka Mairi</a> (&quot;Naked Man Festival&quot; at Nanukado Temple). The legends are many and varied.</p>

The World Glassware Hall
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Shibuki-gori (Naturally-forming ice sculptures)

If you head to Tenjinhama beach on Lake Inawashiro in the depths of winter, through the trees at its south towards the mouth of the Nagase river, you will see the "shibuki-gori" natural ice sculptures. Lake water is picked up by strong winds from the west, and meets the trees on the coastline. There it creates a very unusual phenomenon with a beauty that rivals the "juhyo" (ice-covered trees) seen at the tops of mountains. Local peoples and visitors alike never tire of these sights. You can also see other shapes formed by ice here, such as ice drifts and the prominent "Omiwatari" cracked, rising ice on the beach and lake surface. Please note that Shibuki-gori are natural ice sculptures, and therefore their appearance and size change by the day. Please check before visiting.

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