Fukushima is perfectly safe to visit. The Japanese prefecture rewards its visitors with excellent cuisine, beautiful scenery, relaxing onsen, castles and temples. Here is an itinerary with our favorite places and experiences
Our tour of Fukushima Prefecture begins in the town of Shirakawa, 100 minutes by Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo. Our first tip, Shirakawa’s Samurai castle Shirakawa Komine, suffered from the 2011 quake.
The tenshukaku (keep), rebuilt in wood true to the original, was badly damaged, and the mighty outer walls also collapsed and had to be painstakingly reconstructed. The keep is smaller than the one of the crane castle Tsuru-ga-jo in Aizu-Wakamatsu, but considerably more authentic and full of wonderful wood works.
Fukushima travel tip #2: Ouchi-juku
50 kilometers further into the mountains lies the village of Ouchi-juku. There, up to 300-year-old thatched-roof houses line the main street, at the end of which stands the small, remarkable Takakura shrine. From there, you have a great view of the entire town. The “Misawaya” inn is popular for Negi Soba, which is eaten with a spring onion instead of chopsticks.
Fukushima travel tip #3: Yunokami Onsen Station
At a distance of six kilometers, travelers will encounter Japan’s sole station that features a thatched roof and hot footbath pools: Yunokami Onsen Station on the tracks of the Aizu Railway, which is covered from top to bottom with cat cartoons.
Fukushima travel tip #4: Ashinomaki Onsen
An overnight stay at the „Ookawaso Ryokan“ in Ashinomaki Onsen is a recommended experience. Perched on elevated terrain overlooking the Aga River, this ryokan offers exquisite Kaiseki cuisine. The ryokan features spacious and elegantly appointed Japanese-style rooms, along with private onsen baths available for rental, offering a unique and immersive experience.
Fukushima travel tip #5: Aizu-Wakamatsu
Aizu-Wakamatsu is located 15 kilometers further north. The temple Sazae-do, situated on Mount Iimori, has been in the possession of the Iimori family for 250 years. The temple’s architectural ingenuity is exemplified by its wooden double helix construction, a unique feature that has garnered significant attention: visitors who come to pray never meet anyone who is on their way back.
Fukushima travel tip #6: Wappa Meshi in “Takino”
Yukiko Baba operates her restaurant in a wooden house with a history dating back two centuries in Aizu Wakamatsu. The eatery, „Takino,“ has gained renown for its wappa meshi, which is prepared in wooden bowls crafted from cedar. Which other culinary delights does Yukiko-san propose for visitors to experience? „Horse sashimi and the traditional Aizu kozuyu festive soup,“ she replied.
Fukushima travel tip #7: Kitakata, Japan’s ramen capital
For centuries, Kitakata (20 kilometres north of Aizu-Wakamatsu) was a thriving centre for the production of shoyu, miso and sake. That is why there are hundreds of massive, vault-like Kura warehouses in this city. Kitakata has 95 ramen restaurants, Japan’s only ramen shrine and even a ramen division in the municipal administration with several members of staff.
Kitakata ramen is considered by many to be one of the three most important ramen varieties in Japan, along with Sapporo ramen from Hokkaido Island and Hakata ramen from Fukuoka on Kyushu Island in the south. The flat, wide and wavy noodles are important and typical of Kitakata ramen as well as broth made with pork bone marrow and niboshi, dried baby anchovies.
Fukushima travel tip #8: Zen temple Nakano Fudoson
The next attraction, the Zen temple Nakano Fudoson, is located 80 kilometers northeast of Kitakata on the outskirts of Fukushima City. For nearly 850 years, it has served as a place of worship for the deity Mikazuki Fudo Myoo. The temple’s architectural features, including red wood, a waterfall, and a cave passage through the mountain with numerous Buddhas in small niches and caves, contribute to its distinctive atmosphere.
Fukushima travel tip #9: Iizaka Onsen
The historic wooden bathhouse Sabako-yu (literally meaning mackerel-lake-onsen) is located in the thermal resort of Iizaka Onsen, just seven kilometers from Nakano Fudoson. For an entrance fee of less than three euro, you can relax in the 47-degree hot spring water in this really beautiful, authentic and minimalistic wooden building.
After a relaxing bath, we recommend a visit to the Kyu Horikiri-tei mansion opposite: classic wooden architecture, beautiful tatami rooms, defiant warehouses and treasure houses with thick doors, elaborate gardens and a hot spring hand bath pool create a small work of art.
Fukushima travel tip #10: Futaba
Located approximately 90 kilometers from Fukushima City, the coastal town of Futaba offers a visit to the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum, situated near the reactor ruins of Fukushima Daiichi.
During our conversation, Deputy Director Ichirou Shimizu shared that the museum serves as a memorial, aiming to educate visitors about the past lessons learned and the urgent needs for future improvements.
The first graffito of the Futaba Art District can be seen 250 meters from the museum, including a 40-meter-long mammoth work dedicated to the famous samurai festival Soma Nomaoi, which has been celebrated in Fukushima for over 1,000 years.
A total of 13 murals by the Tokyo street art collective Overalls currently adorn the facades of ruins and new buildings in Futaba. Located between the train station (opened in 2020) and the museum, the murals depict the city’s former daily life. In the latest mural, a giant Daruma lucky charm grins from the facade of the city library.
Is travelling through Fukushima dangerous to health?
No. Anyone spending 24 hours in the small town of Futaba near the reactor will receive a radiation dose of 1.45 to a maximum of 3 microsievert. That is rather harmless: a 13-hour flight from Frankfurt to Tokyo and back exposes you to 100 to 120 microsievert of cosmic radiation.
We took a closer look at this on December 11, 2024: 0.042 microsieverts per hour in front of the “Family Mart” convenience store, which corresponds to 0.367 millisieverts per year. 0.060 microsieverts per hour or 0.526 millisieverts per year measured in front of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum.
At a parking lot near the town hall, the reading is 0.129 microsieverts, which corresponds to 1.13 millisieverts per year. According to the BfS, the corresponding value in Germany is between two and three millisieverts per year of natural radiation. Added to this is the man-made radiation at an average of 1.7 millisieverts per year.
In 2020, the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) cites measured values of 0.23 to 0.38 microsieverts per hour radiation exposure in Okuma’s still-closed reconstruction and regeneration zone SRRB. This corresponds to 2.01 to 3.33 millisieverts per year – compared to 50 millisieverts per year directly after the 3/11 disaster.
Info Fukushima
Getting to Fukushima
Flights to Tokyo nonstop on Lufthansa or ANA start at 1,200 euros; with a stopover in Helsinki, Finnair flies from 1,680 euros in premium economy class. From Tokyo Station, the Tohoku Shinkansen to Shirakawa takes 90 minutes; ticket from 42 euros.
Accommodation in Fukushima
Hot Spring Resort Hotel Ookawaso
Large buidling high above the Ara River with public and private open-air onsen baths (photo). Large, elegant Japanese-style rooms and mouthwatering, excellent kaiseki cuisine. Double room/half board from 110 euros
ookawaso.co.jp
Icoinomura Namie
This hotel in Namie with sauna and onsen remained closed for eight years after the disaster. The style is late 1980s with many dark brown colors. Large rooms, some with a beautiful tatami area. Very good fish dishes from local catches. Double room/half board from 80 euros.
ikoi-namie.com
Web-Infos
👉 A self-experiment: staying in a temple in Japan
👉 22 top tips for Tokyo
👉 Japan on a Budget: 30 top tips
👉 Article on Japan’s Ramen Capital Kitakata
