Course 1 Aizu Area
- TSURUGA CASTLE
- OYAKUEN
- BUKEYASHIKI /AIZU SAMURAI RESIDENCE
- TSURUGA CASTLE
- About 630 years ago this magnificent castle, first known as East Kurokawa Castle, was built by Naomori Ashina as a military center for the region. It endured many scars from a month-long battle during the Boshin War.
Time needed: About two hours.
15 minutes by car
- OYAKUEN
- Many different flowers bloom during the four seasons. A successive history of owners loved this garden and had deep feelings about it. Only at Oyakuen can you taste a secret tea made with medicinal plants.
Time needed: One hour
15 minutes by car
- BUKEYASHIKI /AIZU SAMURAI RESIDENCE
- The samurai residence was the living center in Aizu for the retainers of an Edo Era clan and main retainer Saigo Tanomo, and is preserved as an important prefectural cultural asset. This interesting old camp was built in in Edo style with a tea-ceremony house, old Nakahata Jinya and more buildings, and the group of houses is now an outdoor history museum.
Time needed: 1hr. 30 min
Course 2 Aizu Area
- Mt. IIMORI
- Byakkotai Memorial Hall
- Souvenir Shops
- Mt. IIMORI
- The vivid colors of autumn foliage deepen around Mt. Iimori, coloring this place of requiem from the end of October until the beginning of November.
Time needed: 2 hours
2 minutes on foot
- Byakkotai Memorial Hall
- Besides the Byakkotai, there is a variety of other material about the Boshin War on display here (photos, relics, and posthumous writings etc.), and dioramas. These are the annals about the activities of the Aizu Clan during the Boshin War. Aizu Clan leader, Matsudaira Katamori, and Kayano Gombe, Saigo Tanomo, Akizuki Teijiro, Nakano Takeko, etc. and The Women's Army, Nijima (Yamamoto), Yaeko, etc. There is information connected with Aizu Clan; Shinsengumi's Kondo Isami and Shimada Kai; West Army's Commander Iwakura Tomosada, Itagaki Taisuke, and other famous samurai etc., making this a must-see for history buffs.
Time needed: About one hour
2 minutes on foot
- Souvenir Shops
- At the foot of Mt. Iimori there are several souvenir shops selling folk craft where we can feel the culture and traditions of Aizu.
Time needed: About one hour
Course 3 Aizu Area
- Ouchijuku
- To No Hetsuri
- Ashinomaki Hot Springs
- Ouchijuku
- To this thatched village a member of a famous Aizu family, Hoshina Masayuki, brought the unique custom of eating grated spicy daikon with “Takato Soba”, using scallions for chopsticks.
Time needed: 1 hr. 30 min
20 minutes by car
- To No Hetsuri
- Surely this natural monument in Okawa Hatori Prefectural Park can vie for number one pick of picturesque scenery. Millions of years of weathering and erosion have fashioned this exquisite landscape of white cliffs and formations which autumn colors paint against like a picture scroll.
Time needed: 1 hr. 30 min
30 minutes by car
- Ashinomaki Hot Springs
- After sightseeing and the bustle of Aizu, we can drive just 25 minutes south and shake off our travel fatigue. Upon entering the town, we are welcomed by a fountain (Deiai no Yutaki) and can relax immediately with Kodakara-no-yu, a special bath said to help women wanting to bear children, a footbath “Ashi Poppo”, and a small walking path through the yew trees.
Course 4 Aizu Area
- Hideo Noguchi Memorial Hall
- WORLD GLASSWARE HALL
- LAKE INAWASHIRO
- Hideo Noguchi Memorial Hall
- The exhibition hall at Noguchi’s birthplace contains a wealth of fascinating personal items, letters and other material provided by his family and friends after Noguchi’s passing. The house of his childhood is unbelievably well preserved, and it is possible to see in place the actual hearth where he was severely burned as an infant.
Time needed: 1-2 hours
One minute on foot
- WORLD GLASSWARE HALL
- Over 25,000 items of handmade glassware gathered from all over the world and also made on-site are on display together here. At one site near Mt. Bandai and Lake Inawashiro, the museum features its collection as well as a relaxing microbrewery restaurant where you can enjoy a Gold Prize winner of the International Beer Awards; and a shop selling local confections.
Time needed: 1-2 hours
30 minutes by car
- LAKE INAWASHIRO
- Although there is no ocean in the Aizu Plain, at Lake Inawashiro we can enjoy nature with Mt. Bandai standing tall right before our eyes.
Time needed: About 1 hour
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