Nanokamachi-dori Street

Nanokamachi-dori Street

Nanokamachi-dori Street is a quaint shopping street with an olde-worlde atmosphere, located in central Aizu-Wakamatsu City. There is a mix of western-style buildings, and traditional Japanese architecture, including Japanese-style storehouses and wooden town houses, from the Taisho Period (1912-1926). This street is home to a number of shops selling local products such as Aizu lacquerware and Aizu momen (cotton made in the Aizu area). Nanokamachi-dori Street is a great spot to grab a bite to eat, and is also useful as a base to explore Aizu-Wakamatsu City. Suehiro Sake Brewery and Suzuzen lacquerware shop are just two of the esteemed businesses located close to this shopping street.

Venue Details

Venue Details
Websitehttp://nanuka-machi.jp/en/
Contact

Nanokamachi-dori Townscape Committee

(+81) 242-23-9611

http://nanuka-machi.jp/en/contact/

Best SeasonAll Year
ParkingAvailable
Related infoSee here for a list of shops located along the main Nanokamachi-dori shopping street.
Access Details
AccessNanoka-machi 7-36, Nanokamachi, Aizu-Wakamatsu City, Fukushima Pref. 965-0044
View directions
Getting there

By Train: A few steps from Nanuka-Machi Station on the Tadami Line.

By Bus: Take the 'Haikara-san' sightseeing loop-bus, and get off at Nanuka-Machi Ekimae (七日町駅前)bus stop.

Related trips

  1. Culture

    The Famous Sights of Aizu

    Spend a day traveling to the most famous sights of the Aizu region of Fukushima by train. Begin your trip in Kitakata City, famous for its delicious ramen, sake made from the best quality mountain water, and traditional Japanese crafts. Specializing in the local Kitakata-style, there are more than 100 ramen shops in the area—the most per capita in the world! Kitakata is also famous for horse-drawn carriage tours and the city center where over 4,200 traditional kurazashiki storehouses remain or have been converted into inns, shops, and breweries. You can even visit the local ramen shrine of Kitakata that doubles as a ramen museum. Learn all about this famous and much beloved food. From the Kitakata Ramen Museum travel to Tsurugajo Castle, famed for its beautiful red tiles and the tragic history of the Byakkotai samurai brigade. After a brush with history, move on to the charming shopping street of Nanokamachi-dori Street. There are plenty of wonders and shops for you to explore in the area. Take a few hours to find souvenirs and take photos. You'll be spoiled by the sights and wonder of everything that Aizu has to offer you.

    The Famous Sights of Aizu
    1. Samurai

      Historical Samurai Tour

      Enjoy this one-day trip around Aizu-Wakamatsu City, made possible thanks to the local city sightseeing buses that drive between the major sightseeing spots in the city. No matter what time of the year you decide to visit Fukushima, the Aizu-Wakamatsu area is sure to entrance you with its many sights and attractions. See Mt. Iimoriyama, where the Byakkotai samurai brigade tragically took their lives after the supposed fall of their lord and castle. Visit Sazaedo Temple with its double-helix shaped interior and wonder at the peace and tranquility of the temple grounds and history. Move onto Aizu Bukeyashiki where this expansive samurai household has been well-preserved for visitors to walk through and imagine life as it was. Guests will enjoy this scenic home with its lovely gardens. Compare these gardens with those at Tsurugajo Castle and walk the grounds of this majestic castle. Visit the exhibits inside the castle and learn more about the Byakkotai boys, and the fascinating samurai history of the Aizu region. Finally, Nanokamachi-dori Street will welcome you with its charming rustic buildings and shopping sites; wander the narrow streets to find some truly wonderful hidden gems. Finish your day back at Aizu-Wakamatsu Station.  

      Historical Samurai Tour
      1. Nature

        Onsen & Sightseeing in Aizu by Train

        Jump start your vacation in Fukushima’s Aizu region with this multi-day tour, which can be enjoyed at any time of year. These ideas make for great additions to already existing plans, or as a tour of their own. No matter how you decide to use this itinerary, you won’t be disappointed. Travel by train and local bus, or taxi, to enjoy Aizu to the fullest. Begin your adventure at Aizu-Wakamatsu Station (don’t forget to snap some pics of its bowing red akabeko cow out front) and use the local bus or taxi to make your way for Tsurugajo Castle. Walk through the gardens and grounds of this magnificent castle and marvel at the red-tile roof—the only one of its kind in all of Japan. Inside you can tour the castle keep and see the artifacts of Aizu, let history come to life before your eyes. From the castle, travel to Nanokamachi-dori Street; this quaint area has preserved its early-20th century architecture and is now home to souvenir boutiques and many diners and hidden gems. With that being enough for one day’s excitement, head over to Higashiyama Onsen and soak your travel aches away in the hot springs of Harataki ryokan, which even has its own hot spring source. You’ll love taking a dip in these hot, refreshing, and soothing waters—the outside open-air bath is especially recommended. The next day, why not head over to Ouchi-juku, here you can tour an authentic preserved Aizu village and try local cuisine. The whole area gets really busy in winter and, if you’re brave enough to face the cold, the snow festival is a popular event.  

        Onsen & Sightseeing in Aizu by Train
        1. Adventure

          Diamond Route (4 Days, 3 Nights)

          Have you ever wanted to take a cross-prefecture tour of Japan, from Tokyo to the impeccable countryside of Fukushima? Well, now is your chance to travel from the international hub of Tokyo and see what else Japan and—especially—Fukushima have to offer. Enjoy this cross-country tour of Japan over the span of a few days, so that you can enjoy things at your pace. Start your trip from Tokyo Station and ride a short distance to Asakusa. See one of the busiest shrine-and-temple locations in Tokyo. You’ll love the bustling atmosphere and the street stalls with their many trinkets and souvenirs. Once you’ve finished in Asakusa, head out of the city and make your way for Tochigi Prefecture’s Nikko. Nikko is perhaps most famous for the three monkey statues that people equate with “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil”. You’ll see these wonderful statues and more while you stop over in Nikko. From there, travel north to Higashiyama Onsen and enjoy the sights form the train along the way. Higashiyama Onsen is Fukushima’s home to some truly great hot springs and Japanese-style inns. Soak up the hot waters and relax your tired muscles. At Tsuruga-jo Castle, you can walk the pristine gardens and enjoy the castle grounds. Be sure to make note of the red-roof tiles of the castle as well, this is the only castle in Japan that boasts having these deep-red tiles. Inside the castle keep, discover the history of the Aizu samurai through the many exhibits and displayed artifacts. Make your way to Nanokamachi-dori Street and admire the local architecture, which is quite different than that from the rest of the area. Search out local hidden gems along the narrow streets and find the perfect souvenir to take home. Enjoy your time in Tokyo, Tochigi, and Fukushima like never before with this route.  

          Diamond Route (4 Days, 3 Nights)

Nearby

The World Glassware Hall
Nature & Scenery

Kannon-numa Forest Park

Kannon-numa Forest Park (観音沼森林公園) is a picturesque natural area in the Minamiaizu District of Southern Fukushima Prefecture.A wide variety of vegetation, flowers, and birds can be found at Kannon-numa Forest Park. There are nine walking trails, each offering unique sights. The main trail covers about 1.2 km and goes around the Kannon-numa swamp, which is one of the main highlights of the park. The park becomes transformed in each season, with cherry blossoms in spring and hydrangeas in the summer, and it is particularly popular with visitors during the autumn. The colorful trees reflected on the swamp’s waters make for a lovely sight, making it one of the main autumn attractions in the area. The best time to visit to see the autumn foliage is typically from late October to early November. There is also a shrine, Dake Kannondo, believed to have been built over 1,000 years ago.Located about 35 minutes from Ouchi-juku by car, this park is the perfect place to bask in the natural wonders of Shimogo Town. 

The World Glassware Hall
Nature & Scenery

Byobuiwa Crags

The Byobuiwa Crags (屏風岩) are a rock formation in Minamiaizu, in the Southern area of Fukushima Prefecture. The rocks have eroded through many years to their current shape. The crags are light in color, offering an interesting contrast with the blue of the gushing Ina river, and the vibrant colors of the surrounding foliage, creating a scenery that becomes particularly poignant during the autumn. Visitors can stroll the walking course around the crags, which takes approximately 20 minutes to be completed and includes several interesting picture spots.

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Sazaedo Temple
History & Culture

Sazaedo Temple

Sazaedo is a Buddhist temple built in 1796. Its architecture is similar in shape to the shell of a horned turban (‘sazae’ in Japanese), hence its name "Sazaedo". The inside of the temple consists of a double-helix slope, meaning that visitors who come to pray will not meet anybody coming from the opposite direction. This one-way system makes Sazaedo extremely unique.In 1995, it was appointed as a National Important Cultural Property, and in 2018 it was showcased in Michelin Green Guide (1 star, interesting place to visit).

Mt. Bandai 3D World
History & Culture

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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.)

Kitakata Kura-no-Sato
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Established in 1993, Kitakata Kura no Sato is a base for passing down the cultural tradition of building kura (traditional warehouses) and magariya (L-shaped houses), which are valuable parts of the lifestyle heritage of the Kitakata area.Ten traditional-style buildings stand within this 4,500 square-meter area. These include a mise-gura (a kura used as a shop), a miso-gura (kura for preserving miso paste), a kokumotsu-gura (a kura for storing grain), and a kura-zashiki (a kura used as a residence), as well as the residences of local officials (Go-gashira and Kimoiri) constructed around a courtyard.The landscape with its old warehouses and residences induces a sense of nostalgia in the minds of Japanese people. Each of the warehouses also serves as an exhibition space for various resources on different themes: stencils for Aizu dyeing; a photo gallery exhibiting the works of Minoru Kaneda, who introduced Kitakata to outsiders as the town of kura; Iwako Uryu, a social worker during the Meiji Period; Monzo Hasunuma, the leader of a youth movement group called Shuyodan; and the Kitakata Incident, which took place in the midst of the democratic movement during the Meiji Period. Visitors can also acquire background knowledge here before going on a tour to see the many kura that are dotted around the city of Kitakata.

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Built in 1055, the Nagatoko is Shingu Kumano Shrine's worship hall and translates to “long floor”. It is designated as a Nationally Important Cultural Asset. Its thatched roof main structure was built between the Heian period and the Kamakura period and is supported by 44 massive pillars, each one 45 cm in diameter. It is a large, open stage with no walls, said to have been used for ascetic training by priests, as well as kagura dance festivals. Housed inside a nearby large wooden frame is the shrine bell, which visitors to the shrine are welcome to hit with a wooden rod. There is also a famous copper pot in which, allegedly, rice was rinsed before being offered to the gods; the pot was designated as an Important Cultural Property in 1959. This treasure is housed at the shrine along with many others and is on display for visitors along with national and prefectural designated cultural assets. Also not to be missed is the lion statue in the center of the treasure hall. It is known as a guardian of wisdom: a local legend says that if you can pass under the belly of the lion, your wisdom will blossom. It is a popular place for students to visit before the exam season and even politicians before election season. Come autumn, the magnificent 800-year-old ginkgo tree at the site is bathed in yellow, contrasting beautifully with the Nagatoko. This ancient tree has also been designated as a Natural Monument of Kitakata City. In November each year, you can even see a special illumination of the ginkgo tree for a limited time.

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