When to travel?
The climate has a different feature depends on the area. It could be cold during winter, however, in some regions the summer temperature could be hot, too.
Best season: Apr-Nov
Winter activity: Jan-Mar
Cherry blossoms: Apr
Foliage: mid Oct-mid Nov
Festivals / Events
Feb: Ouchijuku snow festival (大内宿雪祭), Ouchijuku 大内宿
Jul: Soma no Maoi (相馬野馬追), Minami Soma 南相馬
Aug: Koriyama Uneme festival (郡山采女祭), Koriyama 郡山
Nov: Sukagawa Taimatsu Akashi (須賀川松明明かし), Sukagawa 須賀川
Touristic spots
Capital: Fukushima (福島)
The capital city Fukushima is located at the right-top of the prefecture, and its population is only 300,000. The city is rather compact, however, access to the other touristic spots in Yamagata or Miyagi is not that difficult thanks to the Shinkansen bullet train.
Aizu Wakamatsu (会津若松)
Aizu Wakamatsu had been playing a main role in the history of Fukushima. The city has flourished by the Matsudaira family. The city had been supporting the Edo Shogunate until the end, against Imperial faction, which had been ended as a loss in the war.
The city still remains ambiance of these times, which enables all the tourists to enjoy a historical walk in the city. Walk along Nanoka Machi road (七日町通) to find local, crafts and indulge in the nostalgic ambiance.
Ouchijuku (大内宿)
Ouchijuku was on the way between Tokyo and Tohoku, and it has flourished to treat tourists. The site still attracts so many tourists, as we can see thatched-steep traditional houses lining the street.
The town’s specialty is Takato soba (高遠そば), a soba noodle eaten with a leek as chopsticks.
Miharu (三春)
This is a very small town, but what makes this city so famous is that the city is full of cherry blossom trees. There are more than 70 cherry blossom trees aged over 70 years, and some of them are nominated as Natural Monument.
The most famous waterfall cherry blossom (滝桜) is said to be over 1000 years old, which is also known as one of the top 3 cherry blossom trees in Japan.
Inawashiro Lake (猪苗代湖)
Inawashiro Lake is the fourth biggest lake in Japan. Many water activities such as swan boat and wake boat are available. Access to the Mt. Bandai is easy, too.
Abukuma limestone cave (あぶくま洞)
When first found in 1969, this limestone cave was considered relatively small. However, as the investigation proceeded, the cave was much bigger than it was first considered. Now the cave is around 600 meters with various types of stalactites, a type of stone.
