You have probably heard of this place.

Most of the world learned of Fukushima

As the site of the nuclear accident

Following the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami

What happened here left an indelible mark.

But if you explore this place today

You might find it very different,

Then you tink.

In this video, we want to introduce you to Fukushima Prefecture,

the third largest prefecture in Japan.

Filled with amazing natural beauty,

A fascinating history

And some of the warmest hospitality in the country.

On this three-day road trip,

We travel across the entire prefecture.

To visit some of Fukushima's best highlights.

And we hope.

Show why this often overlooked destination

Is absolutely worth discovering for yourself.

Here is the plan.

From Tokyo, an 80-minute train ride on the Tohoku Shinkansen will bring us to Southern Fukushima.

On day one we pick up a rental car and drive through the deep mountains of the Aizu region.

Where we will explore a remote mountain village.

A storied Castletown

And stay in one of Japan's most atmospheric ryokan inns.

Day two, we hike.

Taking in the landscape of the spectacular volcanic mountains in the north

And ending the day at a remote hot spring.

On day 3 we explore Fukushimas rural countryside,

Vising everything from one of Japan's oldest cherry trees,

To one of its first theme parks.

As of 2021

The no-entry zone that remains of limits

As a result of the 2011 nuclear accident.

Makes up less than 3 percent of the prefecture's total area.

Outside of this zone, there are no travel restrictions within Fukushima prefecture.

My name is Joe Mignano, designer, developer, and staff writer for japan-guide.com

and I'll be on assignment for the next three days,

sharing with you the best that Fukushima Prefecture has to offer.

Starting at Shin-Shirakawa Station

We drive into the mountainous Aizu region.

Our first stop is the authentically preserved post town of Oujijuku.

From there we head north to Aizu Wakamatsu,

and visit the remarkable Tsurugajo Castle,

and the nearby Iimoriyama,

and visit the unique Sazaedo Pagoda.

And for the night in a nearby valley

we stay in the hot spring resort of Higashiyama Onsen,

at the singular, ryokan Mukaitaki.

Welcome to the Aizu.

We've just arrived in Ouchijuku,

one of the most interesting historical spots, in Fukushima.

During the Edo Period, The shogun required that every feudal lord in Japan,

Personally travel to Edo (now called Tokyo),

and alternate living one entire year in the capital, and in their own domains.

In order to keep them under close control.

So the roads that led to Edo, were really important.

And so it became shukuba, or postal towns that were built along the roads.

These towns served as postal relay stations between big cities,

and served as rest-stops

for lords, as well as common travelers alike.

And Ouchijuku is one of Japan's best-preserved examples.

This is an Ouchijuku specialty

Negi Soba.

No chopsticks needed.

it's really good.

From Ouchijuku, it's a short drive through the beautiful mountains of the Aizu region.

To my next stop.

The castle town of Aizu Wakamatsu.

This is Tsurugajo

The castle of Aizu Wakamatsu City.

For over a 1000 years,

Aizu has had a proud, prosperous history here,

Making itself a force-to-be-reckoned-with in northern Japan.

During the Edo Period, Aizu thrived.

Samurai values became a deep part of the culture here

and they built a formidable military that became so renowned

that it was deployed on missions all over the country.

Tsurugajo Castle has always been a symbol of pride for the people of Aizu.

Today this faithful restoration, down to the unique red roof tiles,

is really one of Japan's most impressive.

Aizu's history is long,

And it has seen its share of prosperity,

and tragedy.

At the edge of town overlooking the city,

there is a hill called Iimoriyama,

with a story, every person in Aizu knows well.

In 1868, the shogun was overthrown by the new Meiji government,

bringing an end to the entire feudal era.

All those loyal to the Shogun were stripped of their power.

Sometimes by force.

As a domain loyal to the shogun, Aizu stood its ground,

Men, women, and children fought back against overwhelming numbers and superior firepower for an entire month,

until finally, their castle fell.

During the siege,

a troop of 20 teenaged boys

retreated during a battle to this hill.

From here, they watched as smoke rose from the city

Thinking that the castle was burning and hope was lost,

they committed seppuku, ritual suicide.

19 were successful.

Sadly, the castle hadn't yet fallen when they chose their fate.

These graves memorialize the boys of the Byakkotai squad

And their spirit of loyalty.

Next to the memorial,

you will find a 200-year-old pagoda

called the Sazaedo.

Its inner staircase is designed in a double helix structure

unlike any other in Japan.

So we've escaped the city to Higashiyama Onsen,

A hot spring resort just outside the city center.

And I'm feeling extremely lucky to be staying at the legendary

Mukaitaki Ryokan tonight.

This used to be an exclusive retreat of the Aizu lords themselves,

Since then,

It carried on as a ryokan for over 140 year

One of the best parts of a ryokan stay is dinner.

My multi-course meal included local seasonal vegetables.

Tempura

and some house specialties

freshwater trout sushi

and Koi sashimi.

Fukushima is well respected in Japan for its tradition of sake brewing.

Breweries in Aizu have even won some of Japan's highest awards.

Of course, I had to try some.

After dinner, there is no better way to end the night.

Then with a dip in one of the ryokans hot spring baths.

From Aizu Wakamatsu it's a short drive north into the spectacular landscapes,

surrounding, Mount Bandai.

Here we take a walk around the lovely Goshikinuma colored ponds.

And then head higher into the mountains, to mount Azuma-Kofuji

were will hike around the mountain volcanic cone.

Afterwords will head to Takayu Onsen,

a great nearby hot spring, where will stay the night.

From Aizu Wakamatsu, a short drive north

will lead you up into the mountains.

surrounding Mount Bandai.

It's another beautiful day in Fukushima.

We've traveled all the way from Aizu, up into the mountains in the north,

and around the volcanic peak behind me,

Mt. Bandai.

This area, appropriately, is called Urabandai,

literally, behind Bandai.

In 1888, Mt. Bandai actually had a devastating eruption that completely changed the shape of the mountain

and formed the region I'm standing in now.

This area is called “Goshikinuma,” or “The Five Colored Ponds.”

these ponds were formed after the eruption and took on unusual tints of blue and green thanks to the volcanic minerals in the water.

One of the local specialties here in this area is Sauce Katsudon

Or pork cutlets, covered in a sweet sauce.

That hits the spot!

From the Goshikunuma area

the road that climbs into the Azuma mountains

is one of Fukushima's most scenic drives.

So if you know me, you know ill love mountains.

which is one reason I love this prefecture.

Fukushima has some amazing peaks,

some real hidden gem skiresorts,

and of course, hiking

and it would be a shame to be surrounded by all these amazing mountains

and not climb one.

This is Azuma-Kofuji

literally, Azuma mountains little Mount Fuji.

But in real life, it is not so little.

Not far from the Kofuji creator,

a handful of hotspring towns and ryokan inns dot the mountainside

One of which is my stop for the night.

In Japan, lots of volcanoes usually mean lots of onsens.

We're here in the 400-year-old hot spring town of Takayu Onsen,

staying at Tamagoyu Ryokan. This ryokan is famous for its sulfuric milky blue water.

For Day 3, we head down from the mountains to eastern Fukushima

stopping to admire the centuries-old Miharu Takizakura cherry tree.

and then do a little spelunking in Abukumado Cavern.

Finally, we reach Iwaki city, our final destination,

where we'll visit the national treasure Shiramizu Amidado Temple

and end our journey at Spa Resort Hawaiians water park.

We have just come down from the mountains and are now in the small town of Miharu.

Home of the Miharu Takizakura

This weeping cherry tree is estimated to be over one thousand years old.

Today its looking kind of green and leafy,

But in mid-April, it's covered in cascades of cherry blossoms.

It's is ranked as one of the three great cherry trees of Japan,

and some people consider it to be the single most beautiful cherry tree in the country.

Just 30 minutes by car from Miharu,

my next stop is the hills of the Abukuma highlands

and what lies beneath them.

We are at Abukumdo Cave in eastern Fukushima

This is a cave network that was formed millions of years ago but was only discovered in 1969!

Its thought that this cave extends over 2.5 kilometers into the ground

Let's go check it out.

Over millions of years

Abukumado was carved out of limestone,

By flowing underground water

Forming unique rock features.

And cathedral-like halls.

We've just arrived in eastern Fukushima. And I am now in the city of Iwaki.

So when you think of ancient temples and shrines.

Famous places like Kyoto and Nara may come to mind

but northern Japan actually has some wonderful hidden gems of its own.

This is Shiramizu Amidado.

This temple said to have been built in 1160,

and it is one of the very few partially surviving examples of a Pure Land garden left in Japan.

The landscapes and serene islands are meant to evoke the Buddhist concept of the Pure Land.

Its been a long hot summer day

So I am ready for this.

We are at Spa Resort Hawaiians.

The very first theme park ever built in Japan.

I'm ready for a dip, let's go.

Thank you so much for watching.

We hope this video helped you see a side of Fukushima Prefecture that is vibrant,

and very much worth visiting,

We hope you'll consider exploring Fukushima for yourself in your future travels in Japan.

For more information about Fukushima Prefecture or to watch another video,

Click the links on the screen now or head over to japan-guide.com:

your comprehensive, up-to-date travel guide, first-hand from Japan.

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Happy travels.