Fukushima (prefecture)



Fukushima Prefecture (福島県 Fukushima-ken) is in the northeastern Tohoku region of the main Japanese island Honshu.

Understand
Fukushima is the third largest prefecture in Japan (14,000 km²), and one of its least densely populated. Two mountain ranges divide the prefecture into three main regions: Aizu in the west, Naka dōri ("center lane") in the centre and Hama dōri ("coast lane") in the east. Aizu is mountainous with snowy winters, while the climate in Hama dōri is moderated by the Pacific Ocean.

Tourist Information
FUKUSHIMA TRAVEL is the prefecture's official multilingual tourist information site.

Cities

 * &mdash; The prefectural capital
 * &mdash; City located in southern part of the Hamadōri coastal region
 * &mdash; a castle city located near the middle of the prefecture
 * &mdash; the largest city in the prefecture
 * &mdash; the southernmost city in Fukushima
 * — City located in northern part of the Hamadōri coastal region
 * &mdash; famous for its Taimatsu Akashi (fire festival) and peony garden
 * &mdash; a city close to Aizu-Wakamatsu which is famous for ramen and old warehouses
 * &mdash; known for Abukuma Caves.
 * &mdash; the founding place of the Date Clan and site of Mount Ryōzen
 * - township. Don't confuse with Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture which has a UNESCO World Heritage silk mill.

Other destinations

 * — Home to the Bandai-Asahi National Park and numerous snow and hot springs resorts
 * — stratovolcano with a ski resort on its slopes. From the top of the ski lift, a well maintained hiking trail leads to the summit in approx. 60 minutes.
 * — Japan's fourth largest lake: beach resorts, swimming, camping, boating
 * — ground zero of the 2011 nuclear accident, one of the only two incidents rated with the highest severity on the INES scale (the other being Chernobyl). The power plant itself cannot be visited, but some people find it interesting to walk through the exclusion zone with a radiation counter and discover local radiation hot spots.

By plane
Fukushima is served by Fukushima Airport, located near Sukagawa to the south of Koriyama. The airport is served by JAL and ANA, with domestic services to Osaka, Sapporo and Naha. There are also international services to Shanghai and Seoul. The surrounding prefectures have airports (Niigata Airport, Sendai Airport, and Ibaraki Airport) that may offer more convenient access to parts of Fukushima than connecting with Tokyo, should Fukushima Airport not meet your needs.

By train
High speed rail access is provided by the Tohoku Shinkansen, which serves Shirakawa, Koriyama and Fukushima stations. The Tohoku Shinkansen links Fukushima with Tokyo in the south and the rest of Tohoku to the north. The Yamagata Shinkansen runs from Fukushima to various cities in Yamagata prefecture. Local train services include the Tohoku Main Line, which generally follows the route of the Tohoku Shinkansen; and the West Ban'etsu Line, linking Koriyama with Niigata via the ski resorts of Inawashiro and Aizuwakamatsu. The local (slow, but with great scenery) Suigun line connects Koriyama station with Mito. The Jōban Line runs along the East Coast in Fukushima and was cleared for all length in 2020 after nine years of decontamination and reconstruction efforts.

By car
Several expressways serve Fukushima prefecture and provide fast connection by car:
 * Tōhoku Expressway &mdash; south-north connection, parallel to national route 4 as well as Tōhoku Shinkansen. Connects Shirakawa, Koriyama and Fukushima.
 * Ban-etsu Expressway &mdash; connects Iwaki at the Pacific coast with Koriyama and Aizu-Wakamatsu and continues north-west towards Niigata at the Japan Sea coast. The route parallels the national route 49.
 * Jōban Expressway &mdash; runs along the Pacific coast from Tokyo metropolitan area to Iwaki. In 2015 the northmost part reaching Sendai and crossing also the Fukushima exclusion zone was completed. The route is parallel to the national route 6.

By train
For those who arrive by Shinkansen, Koriyama Station has the most connections and provides transfer access to the widest range of sites in the prefecture. You can transfer at Koriyama Station to access the Ban-etsu East Line to access Iwaki and the Joban Line that runs along the coast and the Ban-est West Line, which gives access to Lake Inawashiro, Mount Bandai, Aizu-Wakamatsu and Kitakata. From Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, you can access the Tadami Line and the private Aizu Tetsudo line to visit sites including the famous Ouchi-juku.

Fukushima Station has less transfer lines and its location next to prefectural borders make it generally less useful for those looking to travel within the prefecture. The Ou Main Line only has a few stations in Fukushima before it enters Yonezawa in Yamagata, and the private Iizaka Line is entirely contained within Fukushima City. The Abukuma Express Line only gives access to Date before entering Miyagi. Every Shinkansen Station provides access to the Tohoku Main Line.

Do

 * Skiing and snowboarding: The western part of Fukushima prefecture (Aizu) offers excellent conditions for winter sports from late November to early May. It has some 24 ski resorts, for example at Mount Bandai or Mount Adatara.
 * Hot springs: Fukushima prefecture has a fine selection of hot springs and onsen accommodation. Their styles range from modern hot spring leisure facilities like Spa Resort Hawaiians in Iwaki to traditional onsen villages with public bath-houses, foot-baths and ryokans. There are Iizaka Hot Springs and Tsuchiyu Hot Springs just outside Fukushima city or Higashiyama Hot Springs and Ashinomaki Hot Springs near Aizu-Wakamatsu.
 * Cherry tree blossom time is best enjoyed in Fukushima Hanamiyama Park. East of Koriyama, a famous over 1000 years old weeping cherry tree, Miharu Takizakura, is a magnificent specimen. It can be admired also after sunset with artificial illumination. Another cherry blossoms appreciation locations include Komine Castle in Shirakawa, Tanagura Castle ruins in Tanagura, Tsuruga Castle in Aizu-Wakamatsu or banks of Natsui river in Natsui.
 * Scenic views are guaranteed when taking the mountain toll road Bandai Azuma Skyline. The panoramas are especially colourful in the autumn. The route passes directly next to the crater of Mt. Azuma. Visitors can park their cars at the visitor center and take the short walk up to the crater's rim. The road is closed in winter.
 * Fukushima Drift Ebisu Circuit is a drifting car park with several race courses. It is located in Nihonmatsu City next to the Safari Park. They occasionally have events to see, otherwise you can go in and watch practices and take pictures with cool cars in the parking lot if you are lucky. There is a drift school for those that are interested, though be aware it is a multi-day course taught in Japanese. The race tracks are sometimes used for motorcycle events as well.

Eat
With its three distinct regions, Fukushima offers a wide variety of marine and agricultural products. It is also known as a "Fruit Kingdom" because of its many seasonal fruits.


 * Anpo-gaki, dried persimmons, are produced from kaki fruits (persimmons) farmed in Date City and several other places in Fukushima Prefecture.
 * Fukushima-gyū is the regional beef brand. Fukushima cattle are carefully raised in rich nature by skillful ranchers to produce beef with an amazing marbled texture. The Japanese Black type cattle used to make Fukushima-gyū are fed, raised, and processed within the prefecture.
 * Ika-ninjin is shredded carrot and dried squid seasoned with soy sauce, cooking sake, mirin, etc. It is a local cuisine from the northern parts of Fukushima Prefecture. It is primarily made from the late autumn to winter in the household. It is popular as an appetizer or side dish.
 * Kitakata ramen is a specialty of Kitakata. It is considered one of Japan's top 3 ramen dishes, along with Sapporo and Hakata. It has a soy sauce soup base, filled with flat noodles, sliced pork, simmered bamboo shoots (menma), and spring onions. Kitakata has around 120 ramen establishments. The ramen can occasionally be found in other restaurants around the prefecture, or sold in packets as souvenirs.
 * Mamador (ままどおる Mamadōru) is the prefecture's signature sweet. The baked good has a milky red bean flavor center wrapped in a buttery dough. The name means "People who drink mothers' milk" in Spanish. It is popular as a souvenir.
 * Nishin no sanshōzuke is a pickled cuisine made of dried herring with pepper leaves, soy sauce, and cooking sake. It is popular in the Aizu region. Since Aizu is far away from the sea, it is difficult to obtain fresh fish. Therefore, leaves from peppers are used to aid preservation. it is also popular as a side dish with Japanese sake.
 * Soba buckwheat noodles are popular throughout Japan. Fukushima Prefecture has been actively cultivating native species of buckwheat since ancient times. Fukushima remains a leading producer of buckwheat thanks to its large cultivation area and high production volume.
 * Usukawa-manjū is one of the most famous sweet buns in Japan. The rich bean paste is made with adzuki red beans entirely produced in Hokkaido, then wrapped with a moist thin dough using brown sugar. Usukawa-manjū has been produced for over 150 years, and its taste is simple yet somehow familiar.
 * Wakamomo no kanroni are young candied peaches. Fukushima is the second largest peach producing prefecture by volume in Japan. Fruit thinning techniques were used to produce large delicious peaches, but it turned out the small leftover peaches were just as tasty. This is how the wakamomo no kanroni came about. They are very delicious, including the seed.

Drink

 * Japanese sake – Fukushima's climate, high quality above and underground water sources, and delicious rice make it famous for sake. The Fukushima Prefecture Sake Brewers Cooperative is made up of over 60 sake breweries. Additionally, the Annual Japan Sake Awards has awarded the prefecture the most gold prizes for four years running as of 2016.

Go next
If you are unable to visit Fukushima but still want a taste while in Japan, it is highly recommended to visit MIDETTE (03-6262-3977, midette@tif.ne.jp) in Tokyo. While the capital city has nearly 60 satellite stores ("antenna shops" in Japanese), this one in Nihonbashi is one of the largest. In addition to its huge variety of fresh and processed foods, it boasts an extensive sake selection and decent sized traditional crafts corner. There is also some tourist information, though mostly in Japanese. It is recommended to try the sake sampler set at the bar, or the famous Kitakata ramen at the ramen dining area in the back of the store.

Access via a 15 minute walk from JR Tokyo Station, or a 2 minute walk from JR Shin-nihonbashi Station exit 2. Address: 4-3-16 Yanagiya Taiyo Bldg. 1F, Nihonbashi-Muromachi, Chuou-ku, Tokyo (in Japanese: 東京都中央区日本橋室町4-3-16柳屋太洋ビル1F).
 * Miyagi Prefecture
 * Yamagata Prefecture
 * Niigata Prefecture
 * Gunma Prefecture
 * Tochigi Prefecture
 * Ibaraki Prefecture