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.
| Website | https://tadamisnowfes.com/ |
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| Contact | Tadami Furusato Snow Festival Executive Committee (+81) 241-82-5240 |
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| Access | In front of Tadami Station, Tadami Town, Minamiaizu District, Fukushima Pref. 968-0421 View directions |
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| Getting there | By Car: 2 hour drive from the Aizubange I.C. exit off the Ban-etsu Expressway By Train: Just outside Tadami Station (Tadami Line) |
A ski area located on Mt. Adatara, Ski & Snowboard Park Numajiri offers superb enjoyment for everybody from beginners to advanced skiers, with fourteen courses and an extremely rich variety of terrain. The Kids' Area is great fun for children and is sure to put a big smile on their faces.
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).
When visiting Tsurugajo Castle, remember to check out the Rinkaku Tea Ceremony Room, which is situated inside the castle grounds. The beautiful Japanese garden surrounding the tea room is well worth a visit. What's more, you can enjoy traditional Japanese matcha tea together with a seasonal treat, all while looking out at the fantastic foliage of the garden.
Thought to have had its sloped 'designed for Fukushima locals', Inawashiro Snow Paradise offers 17 courses across 2 expansive areas, each tailored around a different skiing style. Its convenient access is also a major draw for tourists.
The Aizu Festival is one of the largest fall events in the Aizu Area. The main feature of the festival is the Aizu Hanko Gyoretsu, a procession of Aizu Domain Lords. Headed by flag-bearers holding the flags of the successive feudal lords of the Aizu Domain, the procession is attended by participants representing well-known feudal lords such as Lord Uesugi, Lord Hoshina, and Lord Matsudaira, and by groups of festival participants wearing garments and carrying tools associated with each of these lords. Each year, some 500 people parade through downtown Aizu-Wakamatsu in an event that magnificently recreates the world of samurai. Before the procession starts off, there is a kick-off ceremony at Tsurugajo Castle. Visitors can enjoy watching the sword dancing of the Byakkotai worriors and sword fight performances given by professional actors, with the castle keep of Tsurugajo in the background.
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.
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 to the top of Enzoji Temple, in the hopes of ensuring happiness and protection from disease in the year to come. If you apply in advance, you might even get a chance to participate too!
Mishima no Sainokami, which takes place annually on January 15, is held in order to bring prosperity to local people, and to give locals the opportunity to pray for a good harvest and the safety of their family. This festival has been designated as a nationally-recognised Important Cultural Property.