# The Return of Fukushima: This Japanese Destination Is Ready to Welcome Travelers Again > A look at Fukushima's return to Japan's tourist map: the Tohoku region, its landscapes, and places fewer than 2% of visitors ever reach. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/povernennya-fukusimy/ - Language: en - Published: 2023-07-24 - Categories: Culture, Historic Sites, Tours, Japan, Relaxation, Plains --- It is a crisp autumn morning, and the Mishima Observation Deck in Fukushima Prefecture is crowded with photographers, most of them from Taiwan, all eager to capture the picturesque Tadami Line railway as it crosses the arched Dai-Ichi Tadamigawa Bridge. Among them is local photographer Kenkou Hoshi, who has photographed this region more than anyone else and became a pioneer of grassroots tourism in the area. After discovering a hilltop viewpoint overlooking the Tadami River, he persuaded local authorities to build a staircase for easier access; now he is lobbying for the idea of an elevator to help older visitors. When the train pulls in at 9:05 a.m., a chorus of camera shutters rings out, as if to honor a celebrity. "It is hard to attract new industry, so tourism is the best way to keep things developing," Hoshi said through an interpreter. Knowing that most visitors to Fukushima are Taiwanese hoping to experience the autumn and winter seasons they do not have at home, Hoshi promoted Mishima by organizing photo contests in Taiwan for shots taken along the Tadami Line from the observation deck. He arranged the Mugenkyo no Watashi tours along the Tadami River, which use flat-bottomed boats like the ones that once ferried him across the river as a child, gliding past the ghostly spot where his village once stood before it was abandoned after a 1964 landslide. Hoshi loves Fukushima with a passion that, if you stay here long enough, seems to be a defining trait of nearly everyone who lives here. Many businesses are handed down from one generation to the next. Still, drawing visitors has not been easy. Fukushima is one of the six prefectures that make up Tohoku, a vast, remote and underdeveloped region on the northeastern edge of Japan's main island of Honshu, which draws fewer than 2% of the country's international visitors. What is more, even though eight years have passed since the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, triggered by the powerful earthquake and tsunami that struck the Tohoku coast, worries about radiation are still the most common response you will get when you mention that you are heading to Fukushima. That may be why only 120,000 foreign guests stayed overnight here in 2018, even though the contaminated evacuation zone now covers just 2.8% of Fukushima Prefecture. ![The Tadami Line railway crossing a bridge amid autumn scenery in Fukushima](/storage/image/prev/Japan-2-Fukushima-1024x708.jpg) For repeat visitors who have already seen places like Kyoto, or for those who want to escape the crowds, Fukushima is an alternative, at least until word gets out. As Japan's third-largest prefecture, with a population of under 2 million, Fukushima is largely rural, a land of winding mountain roads, forests, fast-flowing rivers, waterfalls, marshes and highlands. Among the Japanese, Fukushima is known for its changing autumn leaves, heavy snowfall, historic sites in Aizuwakamatsu that embody the samurai spirit, peach and persimmon orchards, a local cuisine you will not find anywhere else, and more than 130 hot spring resorts. "This is our fifth time coming to Japan, and after following posts on social media and YouTube, we decided to visit Fukushima," says Natalie Mick from the United Kingdom. "We rented a car and spent five days around Aizuwakamatsu because there is so much to see." Japan believes so strongly in Fukushima's comeback that the prefecture was chosen to launch the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay at J-Village, the country's finest football training center. Because J-Village sits just 12.4 miles from the site of the nuclear disaster yet was spared by the tsunami thanks to its higher ground, it became the operational base for the 1,000 people who cleaned up after the catastrophe, and it is now seen as a symbol of revival. From there, the torch will head north through coastal towns that have been steadily rebuilt since 2011, including Soma, the southern endpoint of Japan's newest and longest hiking route, the 620-mile Michinoku Coastal Trail, which runs through four prefectures and was created to promote healing and to attract foreign travelers. Turning inland, the relay will pass through cities such as Fukushima, the prefectural capital, famous for its onsen (hot spring baths). Just 92 minutes from Tokyo on the fastest Shinkansen bullet train lies the Iizaka Onsen district, where you can soak in nine public bathhouses and visit ryokan (Japanese inns) such as Nakamuraya, where seventh-generation owner Hiroshi points out antiques and architectural details, from the open hearth in the lobby to rooms once used by samurai. ![A traditional ryokan interior in the Iizaka Onsen district of Fukushima](/storage/image/prev/Japan-3-Fukushima-1024x683.jpg) Prices, as they are throughout Fukushima, are 20% lower than in more touristy cities such as Kyoto. South of the city of Fukushima is the castle town of Nihonmatsu, where the Daishichi Sake Brewery stands out for devoting more time to sake production than anywhere else in Japan. Founded in 1752 and now run by 10th-generation owner Hideharu Ohta, Daishichi uses only the labor-intensive traditional kimoto method of brewing sake, developed around 1700 but now largely abandoned in favor of faster modern techniques. The company has also developed an innovative super-flat rice polishing technique that delivers a refined flavor. As a result, the sake becomes resistant to oxidation and matures and improves over time, making it comparable to wine. Tours with tastings are available. "Minowamon, named after the gate of Nihonmatsu Castle, is our best-selling variety thanks to its wonderful aroma and rich umami flavor," says Ohta. "It pairs well with oily and creamy dishes." The most famous castle town in Fukushima Prefecture is Aizuwakamatsu, which calls itself the city of samurai and sits in Aizu, the westernmost region of the prefecture. After the Tokugawa shogunate, which had ruled Japan for more than 250 years, was overthrown and the emperor was restored to power, the Boshin War broke out between samurai loyal to the shogun and the imperial forces. It was here, at Tsuruga Castle, that the powerful Aizu clan fought and lost the last samurai battle. Thousands died, including female samurai and the "Byakkotai" (White Tiger Corps), a unit of teenage samurai who saw what they believed to be flames engulfing Tsuruga Castle and took their own lives. Today, Tsuruga Castle houses a history museum, and its grounds hold a traditional garden, a tea house and 1,000 cherry trees. Nearby stands the Aizu Bukeyashiki residence, where the chief retainer of the Aizu clan, Saigo Tanomo, lived with his family, servants and soldiers. The restored 38-room mansion illustrates the luxurious way of life that ended tragically in the final hours of the Boshin War, when Saigo's wife killed their three youngest children and then took her own life along with her teenage daughters, sisters and other family members. Saigo, who was thought to have died in battle, lived to the age of 70. Aizuwakamatsu is also known for its sake breweries, onsen and local cuisine, such as kozuyu, a soup made for weddings and other special occasions from root vegetables, dried scallops, mushrooms and other ingredients. Wappameshi is a common dish of rice and other ingredients steamed in a round cedar container, while sauce katsudon is a breaded pork cutlet topped with a thick sauce and served over rice and cabbage. Ramen has long been popular, and in nearby Kitakata, where a single town has 120 ramen shops, it is even a favorite for breakfast. South of Aizuwakamatsu is Ouchijuku, a site in Fukushima Prefecture. It is an old post town that once served as a main stop along the Aizu Nishi Kaido road connecting Aizu and Nikko. Roads like this were used to transport rice and to move the feudal lords who, by law, had to spend every other year in Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Remarkably, 48 original thatched buildings from the Edo period (1603 to 1867) survive here, built on both sides of the old road and now home to soba noodle restaurants, souvenir shops and a few minshuku (the Japanese equivalent of a guesthouse). West of Aizuwakamatsu lies Yanaizu, a lovely onsen village on the Tadami River. Home to 3,400 people and seven ryokan, it is famous for the Fukumankokuzo Enzo-ji temple, built on a cliff towering over the town, where one of Japan's several naked festivals is held each year. Men in loincloths climb the stone steps into the temple's main hall and compete for the single rope that leads to the temple gong. It is said that those who successfully ring the gong will enjoy good fortune for the rest of the year.