5 Must-Visit Tourist Spots in Aizuwakamatsu, a City Filled with History, Tradition, and Culture

• Table of Contents
• Aizu Tsuruga Castle
• The grave of Gamo Ujisato
• Hideyo Noguchi Youth Street
• Nanokamachi Street
• Mt. Iimori
• Recommended hotel for sightseeing in Aizuwakamatsu: Aizu Higashiyama Onsen Onyado Toho
• summary

Aizu Tsuruga Castle

▲Tsuruga Castle Image provided by: PIXTA

Tsuruga Castle stands tall and majestically as the symbol of Aizu-Wakamatsu. Its distinctive feature is its red-tiled castle tower, the only one remaining in the country, and it is counted as one of Japan's 100 most famous castles. The castle has also been developed as Tsuruga Castle Ruins Park and is designated as a national historic site.

Tsuruga Castle has a long history, dating back approximately 640 years. It began in the Muromachi period when Ashina Naomori built Higashikurokawa-kan. It is said that at the time there was no castle tower and the castle was located nearby. Later, during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, Gamo Ujisato built a seven-story castle tower, and after a major earthquake in the Edo period, the current five-story castle tower was built. It was also the site of the Boshin War at the end of the Edo period, and is a place associated with the Byakkotai and Shinsengumi. The castle gained a reputation as an "impregnable castle" as it survived the fierce fighting that lasted for a month.

The building, which is currently used as a museum, is scheduled to reopen in 2023. It's a spot where you can experience Aizuwakamatsu's history with all five senses through digital experiences like VR and digital art. Tsuruga Castle Ruins Park is also popular as a famous spot for cherry blossoms and autumn leaves, offering endless seasonal fun, including the Sakura Festival in spring, the Aizu Erosoku Festival Yukihotaru in winter, and seasonal illuminations. Tsuruga Castle Park is also packed with attractions, including the Rinkaku Teahouse, a Fukushima Prefecture designated Important Cultural Property said to have been built by Sen no Rikyu's son, Shoan.

Tsuruga Castle

Address: 1-1 Otemachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture

Access: Approximately 15 minutes by car from Aizu-Wakamatsu IC on the Ban'etsu Expressway, then a 5-minute walk from the Tsurugajo Entrance bus stop on the Machinaka Sightseeing Bus.

The grave of Gamo Ujisato

▲The grave of Gamo Ujisato. Image provided by PIXTA

To the east of Kotokuji Temple's main hall, a five-ringed stupa engraved with the characters for "sky, wind, fire, water, and earth" marks the "Tomb of Gamo Ujisato." Gamo Ujisato, whose remains lie here, was a military commander active from the Sengoku period through the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Known as a favorite vassal and son-in-law of Oda Nobunaga, in 1590 (Tensho 18), Toyotomi Hideyoshi awarded him the Mutsu Aizu domain for his achievements in the Kyushu and Odawara campaigns. Transferred from Ise to Aizu, Ujisato devoted himself to the reconstruction of Kurokawa Castle and the development of the castle town, changing the name of the area from Aizu-Kurokawa to Aizu-Wakamatsu. Ujisato continued to be known as a figure who built the foundations of Aizu-Wakamatsu, implementing commercial policies centered on free markets and promoting lacquerware and sake brewing.

Ujisato worked tirelessly for the development of Aizu-Wakamatsu, but died of illness at the age of 40 in Fushimi, Kyoto in 1595 (the 4th year of Bunroku). After his death, Ujisato's son, Gamo Hideyuki, built Kotoku-ji Temple, where his grave is said to have been made using bones taken from his main grave at Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto. The area around his grave is dotted with spots such as Omachi, a shopping street developed by Gamo Ujisato, and Tsuruga Castle, so it is also fun to explore the places associated with Ujisato.

The grave of Gamo Ujisato

Address: 2-12 Sakaemachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture

Access: 2-minute walk from Shinmei-dori bus stop

Hideyo Noguchi Youth Street

▲ Noguchi Hideyo Youth Street Image provided by: PIXTA

Hideyo Noguchi was a world-renowned bacteriologist who became famous for his research into yellow fever. Aizuwakamatsu is where Hideyo spent his youth and where he decided to pursue a career in medicine. There is a hospital where he underwent surgery on his left hand, which was burned as a child, and there is an anecdote that he lived in the hospital and studied the basics of medicine for around three years. It is said that the surgery inspired him to pursue a career in medicine, and this is an essential place when talking about Hideyo Noguchi.

Noguchi Hideyo Youth Street, deeply connected to Noguchi Hideyo, is located in the center of Aizuwakamatsu City. Shops along the street, housed in Meiji-era buildings, create a nostalgic atmosphere. The eye-catching storehouse-style Western-style building facing the street, the Noguchi Hideyo Youth Hall, is the former Kaiyo Hospital where Hideyo underwent surgery, remaining intact. The first floor is a cafe, and the second floor is used as a museum. The street is a fun place to stroll, with a bronze statue of Noguchi Hideyo at Noguchi Hideyo Youth Square and illustrations of Noguchi adorning the streetlights. Nearby, you'll also find Wakamatsu Sakaemachi Church, where Hideyo was baptized at age 19, a sake brewery connected to Hideyo and his mother, and spots related to Hideyo's first love, Yamauchi Yone. Retrace Noguchi Hideyo's footsteps while reminiscing about the past.

Hideyo Noguchi Youth Street

Access: Approximately 30 minutes by car from Aizu-Wakamatsu IC on the Ban'etsu Expressway, and a short walk from the Machinaka Sightseeing Bus stop "Noguchi Hideyo Seishun Hiroba Mae"

Nanokamachi Street

▲Nunokamachi Street Image provided by: PIXTA

Nanokamachi Street is a roughly 700m street that stretches from JR Nanokamachi Station to Noguchi Hideyo Youth Street. Along the street, a series of retro buildings, including Western-style buildings built from the Edo to Showa periods, remain, retaining traces of its prosperity as the western gateway to the castle town and the main street of Aizu-Wakamatsu. The street is also dotted with attractions such as Amidaji Temple, which enshrines Aizu samurai, and the former Koriyama Commercial Bank Wakamatsu branch, which is now used as a coffee shop.

There are plenty of gourmet spots to visit, including a station cafe famous for its cold-brewed coffee made with underground water from Mt. Bandai, a restaurant where you can enjoy miso dengaku, a local Aizu dish, and a teppanyaki restaurant popular for its grilled A5-grade Fukushima beef yukhoe. There's also a wide variety of souvenirs unique to this area, including a long-established Aizu lacquerware shop that has been in business for about 300 years and can be personalized with your name, dumplings made with Aizu Koshihikari rice that have been in business for 120 years, and adorable Aizu lacquerware. You can also enjoy a rare candle-making experience at a long-established shop that was a purveyor to the Aizu clan, or a tour of the sake brewery where sake brewing began in Fukushima Prefecture during the Meiji era. It's a popular tourist spot that offers the perfect combination of food, shopping, and experiences.

Nanokamachi Street

Access: A short walk from Nanukamachi Station on the JR East Tadami Line. A short walk from the Nanukamachi Station stop on the Machinaka Loop Bus.

Mt. Iimori

▲Aizuwakamatsu city as seen from Mt. Iimori. Image provided by: PIXTA

Located about 2km from the center of Aizuwakamatsu, Mt. Iimori is a small mountain with an elevation of about 314m. You can easily climb to the summit on a slope conveyor known as the "moving slope," but it is also popular as a day hike, and the observation deck offers a panoramic view of Aizuwakamatsu city.

It is also famous for being the headquarters of the Aizu clan during the Boshin War, and the mountains are dotted with historical sites and spots that convey the history of the Boshin War and the Byakkotai, including the Byakkotai Tradition and History Museum and the Byakkotai Memorial Museum, which display items related to Aizu samurai and the Shinsengumi, the site where the Byakkotai committed suicide, the graves of the 19 Byakkotai soldiers, and Byakkoshimizu Kannon Temple.

▲Sazaedo Image provided by: PIXTA

Entsu Sanso-do, affectionately known as "Sazaedo," is a hexagonal, three-story Kannon hall built on Mt. Iimori in 1796 (Kansei 8) during the Edo period. The name comes from the building's shape, which resembles a turban shell. The interior is also a must-see, allowing visitors going up and down the mountain to tour without passing each other. The wooden architecture, which employs a unique double helix structure, has been recognized for its value and has been designated an Important Cultural Property by the national government. Statues of the 33 Kannon Bodhisattvas of the Western Provinces were once enshrined inside, but these have since been removed and are now decorated with paintings from "The Twenty-Four Filial Piety of the Imperial Court," which were used as a moral textbook for the Aizu domain.

Iimoriyama Sazaedo

Address: 155 Yawata Takizawa, Ichinoki-cho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture

Access: Approximately 15 minutes by car from the Aizu-Wakamatsu IC on the Ban'etsu Expressway, then approximately 5 minutes on foot from the Iimoriyamashita stop on the Machinaka Sightseeing Bus

Recommended hotel for sightseeing in Aizuwakamatsu: Aizu Higashiyama Onsen Onyado Toho

Aizu Higashiyama Onsen Onyado Toho

Address: 706 Innai, Ishiyama, Higashiyama-cho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture

Access: Approximately 20 minutes by car from Aizu-Wakamatsu IC on the Ban'etsu Expressway, approximately 15 minutes by free shuttle bus from Aizu-Wakamatsu Station

summary

In this article, we have introduced five recommended tourist spots that you cannot miss when visiting Aizuwakamatsu. These are the perfect tourist spots for those who want to travel and experience Japanese history. We hope that after reading this article, you will find a spot that you would like to visit. We hope that you will use this as reference for your trip to Fukushima and Aizuwakamatsu and enjoy your trip.