Aizu momen (Aizu cotton) products are still greatly valued for their high quality and their traditional manufacturing techniques. The Yamada Momen Orimoto Company dates back to the start of the Edo Period (1603-1868). Aizu momen (cotton) has been produced here for over 400 years.
Everything produced at Yamada Momen is made using the same techniques that have been practiced here for over 100 years, and the machinery is also old. Visitors are free to take a look around the cotton mill floor. The establishment also includes a small shop in the main office building.
| Website | http://aizu.com/org/aizu/yamada/index.html |
|---|---|
| Contact | Yamada Momen Orimoto (+81) 242-22-1632 |
| Best Season | All Year |
| Opening Hours | 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Closed on Sat. and Sun. between December and March |
| Parking | Available (Space for 3 cars) |
| Entrance Fee | Free to visit |
| Related info | There are no English signs inside the cotton mill. |
| Access | Nanokamachi 11-5, Aizu-Wakamatsu City, Fukushima Pref. 965-0044 View directions |
|---|---|
| Getting there | By Car: 10 min from the Aizu-Wakamatsu I.C. exit off the Ban-etsu Expressway By Train: 15 min walk from Aizu-Wakamatsu Sta. |
Over the course of the year, Kaneyama Fureai Hiroba Viewpoint greets visitors with views of atmospheric fog rising above the Tadami River, mountains frosted with snow or painted with autumn leaves, all surrounding the Oshi Shuraku district of traditional houses.
A lovely restaurant where you can savor the flavors of handmade soba and coffee. This restaurant is commited to serving delicious, seasonal food. In summer, the noodles are made thinner. In winter, they’re made a bit thicker. You’ll be able to relish the stone-ground, handmade noodles. Their most popular topping for soba is their large umeboshi (sour pickled plums) from the Kishu Domain, which can be enjoyed as part of Ishiharaya's Grated Plum Soba dish.
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.
Yunokami Onsen is famous for having one of the only thatched roof station buildings in Japan. The hot spring area is fed from 8 source springs. Each ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in the town draws its hot water directly from the source. The clear, transparent water is beloved for being soft and gentle on the skin. Many lodges offer just day-use of their baths, making it a great place to enjoy on a whim. There is also a public foot bath located at Yunokami Onsen Station. During the cherry blossom season, visitors can enjoy a warm foot bath while watching the light pink petals fluttering in the wind.
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.
Enichi-ji Temple was built at the beginning of the Heian period, Enichi-ji Temple is known as the oldest temple in Tohoku with original foundation stones still on display. There are countless fascinating temples and shrines scattered around the Enichi-ji Temple complex, so make sure to reserve time for exploring the surrounding area. Also, light-up events are held several times a year in which the temple is bathed in light during the evenings.
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.
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.