Recommended spots in Inawashiro and Urabandai to enjoy even on rainy days
The Inawashiro and Urabandai area offers magnificent nature. Not only are there plenty of outdoor leisure activities such as mountain climbing, trekking, driving, canoeing and rafting on rivers and lakes, but there are also spots where you can fully enjoy yourself on rainy days. Here are some museums and aquariums you can enjoy without worrying about the weather.
<Recommended sightseeing spots in Inawashiro and Urabandai for a rainy day
1Morohashi Museum of Modern Art
Holds the largest collection of Salvador Dali in Japan.
This museum features works by Western masters of the modern era, such as Renoir, Picasso, and Van Gogh. In particular, the collection includes 346 works by Salvador Dalí—one of the 20th century’s most iconic Spanish artists—including sculptures, watercolors, and prints, making it one of the largest collections of his work in Asia.The exhibitions are updated about twice a year, with works selected from the museum’s collection based on themes centered around Dalí’s art. Each special exhibition features approximately 70 works. Through these pieces, visitors can catch a glimpse of Dalí’s interests, ranging from physics and tarot to religion.
Take a break at the museum café after viewing the collection
The museum is located in Bandai Asahi National Park. The museum was built in the image of a medieval European stable, like a nobleman's mansion. It is in harmony with the magnificent nature that spreads out in the background and has an exotic atmosphere. The exhibition hall, with a ceiling height of 9 meters and a length of approximately 70 meters, is lined with works by Dali and other artists. An audio guide is available for rent free of charge, so it is recommended that visitors listen to the explanations of the works while viewing them.
There is also a museum café at the entrance with an eye-catching "Mae West's Lip Sofa," where visitors can enjoy light meals such as cakes and focaccia.
- Morohashi Museum of Modern Art
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1093-23, Aza-Kengamine, Oaza-Hibara, Kitashiobara-mura, Yama-gun, Fukushima MAP
20 minutes drive from JR Inawashiro Station.
Take a bus from JR Inawashiro Station and get off at Morohashi Museum of Modern Art.
9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (Last admission at 4:30 p.m.)
Currently closed for renovation
Scheduled to reopen in spring 2027
Depends on the exhibition
0241-37-1088
Free of charge
2Aquamarine Inawashiro Kingfisher Aquarium
Exhibits 150 freshwater species living in Fukushima Prefecture
The aquarium houses 1,500 freshwater creatures of 120 species native to Fukushima Prefecture, and the first floor of Building No. 1 features seasonal exhibitions and displays of otters and goldfish. Visitors can see both the "two-spined otter," which once existed in Japan, and the "Eurasian otter," which is genetically close to the two-spined otter.
In Building 2, where the permanent exhibits are lined up, visitors can also see aquatic insects such as gengoro, and amphibians such as frogs and salamanders. Other exhibits include freshwater fish that live in the prefecture, waterfowl such as crows and kaya-mice, and rodents.
Children play enthusiastically in the "Forest Koboko
On the second floor of Building No. 1 is the Morino Kobako, where children can touch and play with trees. There are board games, bouldering, and a picture book corner, where children can be seen playing enthusiastically. The workshop to make campus eco-bags using eraser stamps (for a fee) is also well-reputed.
The store is also popular for its original goods, of which more than 80% are original. These goods and other items used for play and experience at Morino Kobako were designed and produced by the staff. The illustrations on the goods are especially adorable and show the staff's love for the creatures.
- Aquamarine Inawashiro Kingfisher Aquarium
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- 3447-4 Higashinakamaru, Oaza-Nagata, Inawashiro-cho, Yama-gun, Fukushima MAP
- 10 minutes drive from JR Inawashiro Station
- 9:30 - 17:00, November 1 - February 28 - 16:00
- No holidays
- Adults 700 yen, elementary/junior high school students 300 yen, preschool children free
- 0242-72-1135
- Free of charge
3Hajimari Art Museum
A small museum where welfare and art coexist
The Museum of Beginnings opened as a "place where people from all walks of life can gather," with a focus on the "power of expression" and the "richness that comes from connections. It is operated by Azumi Aikuen, a social welfare corporation, and its goal is that this place, where welfare and art coexist, will be a catalyst for the opening of a tolerant and creative society. In addition to holding special exhibitions on a variety of themes, the center holds events, workshops, and projects in collaboration with local residents and artists.
There are no permanent exhibitions, and the content changes approximately every three months. Each exhibition room, where visitors take off their shoes, has different flooring materials that are comfortable to the touch, making it a place where visitors can not only enjoy the artworks, but also stimulate all five senses.
Workshops and other events are held at the museum café
The building, which was once a sake brewery in the early Meiji period, was transformed into a dance hall, a private house, and a warehouse before being reborn as an art museum in 2014. Known affectionately by locals as the "18-ken storehouse," the building was awarded the Fukushima Prefecture Architectural Culture Prize for its retro-modern construction, which retains the 18-ken (33 m) beams that were built over 140 years ago.
Workshops, talk events, screenings, and other events are held regularly at the museum's café. We also recommend drinking the locally made coffee and "Aizu Bandai Cider". Drinks can also be taken out.
- Hajimari Museum of Art
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- Shinmachi 4873, Inawashiro-cho, Yama-gun, Fukushima MAP
- 5 min. drive from JR Inawashiro Station (Ban-Etsu-Nishi Line)
- 10:00-18:00
- Tuesdays (closed the next day if Tuesday is a national holiday) and during the exhibition changeover period *Please check the website.
- Varies depending on the project. Please check the website.
- 0242-62-3454
- Free of charge
4World Glass Museum
Approximately 25,000 glassware items on display
Glassware collected from all over the world—including European countries such as Italy, the Czech Republic, and Hungary—is on display.
The chandelier suspended in the central atrium is the store’s iconic symbol. Handcrafted cluster by cluster in Venice, Italy, it is said to be worth 100 million yen.
Glassware collected from around the world is on display and for sale throughout the building. The selection includes wine glasses from various European countries, traditional Japanese sake vessels such as Edo Kiriko and Satsuma Kiriko, popular mosaic lamps, rare glass flowers, and adorable animal figurines, among many other items.
Create unforgettable travel memories through a variety of experiences
In the workshop at the back of the first floor, you can experience making glass beads or creating a glass in about 30 minutes. The staff provides careful instruction, so even first-timers can feel at ease. You can experience blowing into the glass and shaping it; your finished piece will be processed and delivered to your home at a later date.The glassblowing workshop is open to participants aged 10 and older, while the glass bead-making workshop is open to those aged 8 and older.
In the workshop area on the second floor, you can experience making snow globes, crystal domes, and gel candles, as well as etching original patterns onto glass.
- World Glass Museum
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- 85 Mura-Higashi, Oaza Mitsuwa, Inawashiro-machi, Yama District, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
- 8 minutes drive from JR Inawashiro Station
- Take a bus from JR Inawashiro Station, get off at "Noguchi Memorial Museum" and walk about 2 minutes.
- 9:30-17:00
- No holidays
- Admission is free. Glassblowing experiences (ages 10 and up) start at 5,500 yen; glass bead-making experiences (ages 8 and up) start at 2,500 yen; and glass etching starts at 1,320 yen.
Crystal domes: 2,200 yen and up; snow globes: 2,970 yen and up; gel candles: 1,980 yen and up - 0242-63-0100
- Free of charge
5Bandaisan Eruption Memorial Museum
Learn about the Meiji-era eruption that shaped the rich natural environment of the Bandai Highlands
This museum was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. The phreatomagmatic eruption 130 years ago caused a rock avalanche that is said to occur once every 100 years, killing 11 communities in five villages, creating about 300 swamps and wetlands, including Goshiki-numa, and turning the Bandai Plateau into a scenic and varied place. The history, geology, and topography of the Bandai eruption, as well as the flowers and birds that color the Bandai Plateau, are also on display. The distribution of volcanoes and weather in Japan and the world are also introduced.
Learn about the mechanism of volcanoes and the nature of Bandai through many documents
Upon entering the exhibition room, visitors are shown a video that recreates the scene of the great explosion of Bandai-san. Visitors can simulate the eruption through the powerful sound, images, and body sonics. Inside the museum, there is a bird's-eye view of Mt. Bandai and several diorama models, which allow visitors to learn about the topography and shape of the area around Mt. Some of the models show that Hibara Village was located at the bottom of Lake Hibara, the largest lake in Urabandai, which was created by the eruption. Also nearby is "Bandaisan 3D World" (closed in winter), where visitors can enjoy the world's first 360-degree stereoscopic 3D movie that recreates the 1888 eruption of Bandaisan.
- Bandaisan Eruption Memorial Museum
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- 1093-36 Kengamine, Hibara, Kitashiobara-mura, Yama-gun, Fukushima MAP
- Approx. 25 min. by car from JR Inawashiro Station
- Take a bus from JR Inawashiro Station and get off at Bandaisan Eruption Memorial Hall.
- 8:00-17:00, December-March 9:00-16:00
- No holidays
- Adults 600 yen, junior and senior high school students 500 yen, elementary school students 400 yen, Bandaisan 3D World: adults 800 yen, junior and senior high school students 600 yen, elementary school students 500 yen *Discount set tickets available
- 0241-32-2888
- Free of charge
MAP
- <Recommended sightseeing spots in Inawashiro and Urabandai for a rainy day
- Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
Local Guide who was in charge of this article
- Saori Kuji Active girls full of love for Aizu
Bandaisan Onsen Hotel by Hoshino Resorts
Yama-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
The hotel overlooks Lake Inawashiro below at the foot of Mount Bandai in Aizu. You can enjoy the rich nature and the culture of Aizu to the fullest.
Access by bus Approx. 15 minutes by cab from JR Bandai-cho Station
- Example of Accommodation Rates
- 1 person per night From 12,000 yen