Local Guide
Fruit Picking & Craft Experience in Aizu Wakamatsu Area

Rich in nature and with a thriving culture of craftsmanship, Aizu Wakamatsu offers a wide variety of Experiences for both active and indoor visitors.
Within Fukushima Prefecture, which boasts the nation's top harvest of peaches and apples, fruit growing is thriving in the area around the Kita-Aizu district of Aizu Wakamatsu City. Fruit picking is a popular year-round Experience. We will also introduce spots where you can experience traditional Aizu Wakamatsu crafts such as akabeko (red cow paste) and painted candles.

Enjoy seasonal fruit picking in a vast farm

All-you-can-eat fruit picking for 30 minutes. Fruits and prices change depending on the season.
All-you-can-eat fruit picking for 30 minutes. Fruits and prices change depending on the season.

Fruit gardens are open year-round for fruit picking. There are five fruit gardens near Aizu Hongo Station, where seven types of fruits are available depending on the season: strawberries in winter and late spring, cherries in early summer, melons and peaches in summer and early fall, prunes and grapes in fall, and apples from fall to early winter. Popular fruits are available in every season, and you can enjoy as many high-end varieties of melons and other fruits as you like within a certain time frame for a great price. The best part about the many varieties of grapes and apples is that you can eat all the ripe varieties at that time of year and compare them with each other.

Fruit picking + lots of other fun!

Fruit platter for 800 yen. You can taste the fruits of the season.
Fruit platter for 800 yen. You can taste the fruits of the season.

In the garden, seasonal fruits are available for sale, and you can also enjoy a "fruit heaping" under the fruit trees. From late August to late October, a special course (from 5 persons) that combines fruit picking and a sweet potato stew party is also available. Families and groups enjoy the taste of taro stew and mushroom rice cooked in a huge pot with a lot of gusto. There is also a "Confectionery Workshop Gaburi" at the entrance to Higashiyama Hot Spring, where visitors can experience making fruit pies, daifuku (rice cake), and other sweets. After the Experience, it is recommended to go sightseeing in Higashiyama Hot Spring, which is called the "back seat of Aizu," or take a day trip to the hot spring for a relaxing soak.

Gaburi Garden
  • Address 1251 Kami-Yonezuka, Kitaaizu-cho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
  • Direction About 7 minutes walk from JR Aizu Hongo Station
  • Direction From JR Aizuwakamatsu Station, take a bus. 4 min. walk from Kamiomesuzuka bus stop.
  • Business hours 9:00-16:00
  • Regular holidays Open all year round (in season)
  • Admission Fee Fruit picking: Adults from 550 yen, elementary school students from 330 yen, infants from 220 yen *depends on the fruit
  • TEL 0242-56-3188, "Strawberry picking" 0242-58-2313 (Bannai Strawberry Orchard)
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Age limit Infants and older
  • Memo Please apply for fruit picking at least 7 days prior to your visit. The garden location varies depending on the season.

Try your hand at painting Aizuwakamatsu's traditional painted candles!

Experience of painting candles is available by reservation until the day before the event.
Experience of painting candles is available by reservation until the day before the event.

Aizu Picture Candles" is a long-established business that has been around since the Edo period. Located on "Hideyo Noguchi Seishun Street" in the downtown area of Aizu Wakamatsu City, the atmospheric building built in the Meiji era is eye-catching. Aizu Picture Candles" were a favorite of upper class society in the Edo period, and over the years have become widely popular as a representative craft of the Aizu region. Traditional painted candles are flower-patterned, but in the "Painting Experience," you can freely choose the design and color of your own candle. First, a rough sketch is made and colors are created on a palette, and then painted on the candle. It takes 40 to 60 minutes to create a one-of-a-kind picture candle.

Souvenirs of Aizu's gorgeous painted candles

A wide variety of colorful picture candles and incense are available.
A wide variety of colorful picture candles and incense are available.

The owner of Ozawa Candle Shop, the oldest craftsman of painted candles in Aizu Wakamatsu, is in charge of painting. Originally created as a substitute for Buddhist flowers, kiku (Japanese apricot) and hitotsu (button) have been preserved as traditional patterns, and now colorful flowers are painted according to the season. The wicks of picture candles are made of Japanese paper, and the wax is made of goby nuts, making them environmentally and healthily friendly. They are also popular as interior decorations, as just looking at them on display is a relaxing experience. Picture candles come in nine different sizes, and the smallest, 3 monme (about 15 cm), is recommended as a souvenir.

Ozawa Candle Shop
  • Address 6-27 Nishiei-cho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
  • Direction 15 min. walk from JR Nanokaicho Station.
  • Direction Approx. 2 min. walk from "Shinmei-dori" bus stop after taking a bus from JR Aizuwakamatsu Stn.
  • Business Hours 9:00-19:00, Candle Painting Experience 10:00-16:00
  • Closed January 1
  • Admission Fee Picture candle painting experience (2-pack): 1980 yen and up
  • TEL 0242-27-0652
  • Parking Free (1 car)
  • Age limit Elementary school students and older

Cute papier-mâché folk crafts representative of Aizu

Beko
Beko" is a word for cow in the Tohoku dialect.

Akabeko" can be seen here and there in the Aizu region. Akabeko is a folk craft with an adorable swinging neck, and is well established not only as a toy but also as a good-luck charm. Akabeko is a papier-mâché doll made by papering a handmade wooden form with Japanese paper and removing the wooden form. There are only two shops in the city that make akabeko using the papier-mâché method. Bansho" is one of them, and visitors can observe the work being done in the store's workshop. Akabeko are hand-painted, so no two are alike.

Draw your own face and patterns on the bright red "beko".

Don't hesitate to move your brush as fast as you can.
Don't hesitate to move your brush as fast as you can.

During the painting experience, participants paint expressions and patterns on the red-painted beko using black and white paint, brushes, and cloths provided. The key is to wet the brush with water and wipe off excess water with a cloth. Paint the area to be painted white first, then move on to black to keep the brush clean and beautifully finished. The paint dries in about 10 minutes, so it is possible to paint in layers. The time required varies from person to person, but 40 to 50 minutes is the standard. Samples are available, but you can also imagine your favorite design and try your hand at creating your own.

Folk Art Shop Bansho
  • Address 1-6-3 Wada, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station
  • Direction From JR Aizuwakamatsu Station, take the "Akabee" city tour bus. 1 minute walk from the "Wada" stop.
  • Business Hours 9:00-17:00 (enter by 16:00 for Experience), 9:30-16:00 on Sundays and national holidays in winter (enter by 15:00 for Experience)
  • Closed No holidays
  • Admission Fee Experience fee: 900 yen for painting akabeko
  • TEL 0242-27-4358
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Age limit 3 years old and up (preschool children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian)

The oldest folk craft in Aizu, well-known as a good-luck charm

Small ones, about 2 cm high, are available from 120 yen and make great souvenirs!
Small ones, about 2 cm high, are available from 120 yen and make great souvenirs!

Aizu kigari koboshi is the oldest folk craft in Aizu. It is known as a lucky charm for perseverance and health because it gets up no matter how many times it falls down. It was first made about 400 years ago by Ujisato Gamo, the feudal lord of the time, who had his samurai make them and sell them during the New Year's holiday. In the Aizu region, locals still have a tradition of buying one more than the number of family members and displaying it on the kamidana (altar) every New Year's Day with the hope that their family and wealth will increase. They are then burned at the end of the year, like a good-luck charm.

Experience painting at a long-established pottery manufacturer that has been in business for over 100 years.

You can also use a pen for the eyes, mouth, and other parts that are difficult to draw even with a fine brush.
You can also use a pen for the eyes, mouth, and other parts that are difficult to draw even with a fine brush.

After painting with one color, you can paint over it by drying it with a hair dryer. The obi part can be painted straight by turning the koboshi instead of painting with a brush. Originally, only a red belt was used to ward off bad luck, but now there is also a blue belt, and the number of types has increased, including a "water god" whose entire belt is blue and a "fire god" whose entire belt is red. An orthodox koboshi is available as a sample, but you are free to create your own design in your own image.

Yamada Mingei Kobo
Yamada Mingei Kobo
Yamada Mingei Kobo
  • Address 12-35 Nanokaicho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
  • Direction 5 min. drive from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station
  • Direction From JR Aizuwakamatsu Station, take a bus to "Machikata Densetsu Kan Ame" and walk about 3 minutes.
  • Business Hours 8:00-17:30
  • Closed Closed on weekends and holidays
  • TEL 0242-23-1465
  • Parking Free of charge

Experience pottery making at Aizu Hongo Pottery

Experience using a potter's wheel to make teacups, mugs, and rice bowls
Experience using a potter's wheel to make teacups, mugs, and rice bowls

Aizu Hongo Pottery is located in the Aizu Misato Town area next to Aizu Wakamatsu City. The couple, both potters, offer dishes that make everyday meals more enjoyable. Visitors can experience pottery making at the studio, where they can create Aizu Hongo Pottery vessels using porcelain clay. For bowls and cups, we recommend using a potter's wheel, and for those who want to make plates and other unique-shaped vessels, we recommend hand-binne. Even beginners can participate in this class as they will be taught in an easy-to-understand and detailed manner. Children can also experience painting on unglazed vessels, making it easy for them to create their own original vessels.

Simple, handmade pottery that you will never get tired of.

An example of a vessel made during the Ceramic Art Experience. You can choose from a variety of colors.
An example of a vessel made during the Ceramic Art Experience. You can choose from a variety of colors.

After molding the clay, choose your favorite color from the samples to complete the Experience. After that, the pieces are fired in a kiln, and about a month later, you will receive your finished piece (shipping is charged). The couple's works are also sold at the studio. The warm and gentle textures of their works, such as a series of bowls with "Akabeko," a local toy from the Aizu region, and turquoise blue cups and rice bowls, are available for purchase. All are handmade and each piece is slightly different, so it is a fun time to check the texture and find a bowl that you can use for a long time with love.

Irori Ceramic Studio
  • Address 1868-1 Kawaramachi-ko, Aizu Misato-cho, Onuma-gun, Fukushima MAP
  • Direction 16 minutes walk from JR Aizu Hongo Station
  • Direction Take a bus from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station, get off at Shinmachi (Aizu Misato-cho) stop, and walk about 7 minutes.
  • Business hours 9:00-18:00
  • Closed Closed on weekends and holidays
  • Admission Fee Rokuro (potter's wheel) experience: 1,600 yen, hand-building experience: 1,100 yen, painting experience: 900 yen and up
  • TEL 0242-56-5707
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Age limit 3, 4 years old and up

After enjoying sightseeing, how about relaxing at a resort hotel located at the foot of Mt. You can feel the history and culture of Aizu during your stay at the hotel.

An inn where you can fully enjoy Aizu culture and stay active all year round

Guest rooms based on the concept of
Guest rooms based on the concept of "Aizu Modern

Bandaisan Onsen Hotel by Hoshino Resorts is located in a place where "Bandaisan," one of the 100 most famous mountains in Japan, towers in front of you and Lake Inawashiro shines like a mirror below. With a heated swimming pool, spa, and hot springs, guests can enjoy a stay that brings them into contact with the unknown culture of Aizu. You can stay active from the season of fresh green to the season of blazing autumn leaves and deep snow. Enjoy a highland resort stay amidst magnificent nature and the changing seasons.

Bandaisan Onsen Hotel by Hoshino Resorts
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.