Aizuwakamatsu (Fukushima)
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.

＜Fruit Picking & Craft Experience in Aizu Wakamatsu

＜Highland Resort Hotel overlooking Mt.

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.

A fruit garden where you can pick seasonal fruit. With five farms in the area around Aizu-Hongō Station, five different types of fruit are available depending on the season: cherries in early summer, peaches from summer through early fall, plums and grapes in the fall, and apples from fall through early winter.Popular fruits are available in every season, and for grapes and apples—which come in a wide variety—you can enjoy all the varieties that are ripe during that season as an all-you-can-eat buffet, making it a real treat to compare and contrast the different flavors.

Fruit picking + lots of other fun!

The “Fruit Platter” lets you savor seasonal fruits
The “Fruit Platter” lets you savor seasonal fruits

At the garden, you can purchase seasonal fruits or enjoy a “fruit platter” under the fruit trees. At the entrance to Higashiyama Hot Spring, you’ll also find “Kashi Kobo Gaburi,” where you can Experience hands-on workshops to make sweets such as fruit pies, daifuku, and manju.After your hands-on experience, we recommend exploring Higashiyama Onsen—known as the “inner sanctum” of Aizu—or relaxing in the hot springs as a day-trip visitor.

Gaburi Garden
  • Address The orchard location varies by season. Please check the website for details
  • 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 Prices vary depending on the type of fruit. Please check the website for details.
  • Phone 0242-29-4177 (Gaburi Garden General Reception)
  • Parking Free
  • Age limit Infants and older
  • Notes Please register for fruit picking by the day before your visit. The orchard 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
  • Phone 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 Days Open daily
  • Admission Fee Experience fee: 900 yen for painting akabeko
  • Phone 0242-27-4358
  • Parking Free
  • 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
  • Phone 0242-23-1465
  • Parking Free

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 FeePottery Wheel Experience: 1,800 yen; Hand-Building Experience: 1,300 yen; Pottery Painting Experience: 990 yen
  • Phone 0242-56-5707
  • Parking Free
  • 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

MAP

＜Highland Resort Hotel overlooking Mt.
Nearby Hoshino Resorts Properties
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*The information provided is current as of the article’s update date. Please check in advance before visiting, as details are subject to change.