20 minutes by car from the Iwaki-Yumoto Interchange. A tourism and shopping facility located in Iwaki Onahama Minato Oasis. Bustling with tourists, the facility hosts a seafood market selling fresh delicacies just brought in from Onahama Port, restaurants, souvenir shops, and more under the catchphrase, “everything good in Iwaki.” The seafood rice bowl and handmade soba noodle set has remained a popular dish for visitors to enjoy here since it opened 20 years ago. The Iwaki Day Cruise, a sightseeing ship which makes short trips around the bay, is also a popular activity for visitors to enjoy.

This massive lake at almost the direct center of Fukushima Prefecture is Japan’s fourth largest in area. It boasts a long history, being used for farm irrigation from the Edo period, and it is spoken of in Kobo Daishi’s Legends of Okinajima. Mt. Bandai stretches to the north, and it is surrounded by beautiful natural scenery including Oshika-zakura cherry and Tatsusawa Virgin Forest, Natural Monuments. There are rental bicycles available at Inawashiro Station and Roadside Station Inawashiro, so you can ride through the beauty of Lake Inawashiro through all four seasons.

This is a sightseeing road in Fukushima City. It’s a 28.7 kilometer line connecting Takayu Onsen to Tsuchiyu Pass. It was once a toll road but is now free to use. Taking the route through to Azuma Mountain Range to an elevation of 1,350 meters offers a beautiful view of Mt. Azuma-kofuji and more. Every season has its attraction, such as the lovely foliage in fall, but the road is closed in winter.

Tsurugajo Castle is Japan’s only red roof tiled castle tower. It is a famous “impregnable” castle that endured a fierce battle lasting about a month during the Boshin war. It is a popular and famous cherry blossom viewing place when in the spring, about 1,000 Yoshino cherry trees are in full bloom. The exhibition room was completely renewed in 2015.

A ramen shop located in Hosoda, Kitakata City. The restaurant’s shina soba with thick crimp noodles in a light pork bone broth and homemade tender, stewed homemade roast pork has been very much enjoyed by patrons of the restaurant for a long time. It is a famous ramen shop considered to be one of the big three local ramen shops in Japan.

Sazaedo is a hexagonal, three-storied hall built in 1796. It is located on Mt. Iimori, Aizuwakamatsu City, famous for Byakkotai (a group of young samurai called the white tiger corps). It is also called “Sazae-do” because it resembles the shape of a turban shell. It has a mysterious corridor and when you ascend the unique double spiral stairwell before you know it, you are descending again. Thirty-three Saigoku Kannon Statues are placed on the slope and the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage to 33 Buddhist temples is said to be completed on reaching the top. It was designated as an Important Cultural Property of the country in 1996.

Hanamiyama Park started off as a flower cultivation project for silkworm farming in 1926, and over the years the flowers increased until it was opened as a park in 1959. From February through May, the park is abloom with colza blossoms, plum and cherry blossoms, as well as tulips and many more. It truly has earned its nickname of Fairyland.

This is a ski resort spreading over the foot of Mt. Bandai about 15 minutes by car from Bandai-Kawahigashi Interchange. Access is good and there is a shuttle bus straight to the slopes from Koriyama Station a stop on the Tohoku Shinkansen line. The vast slopes overlooking Mt Bandai and Lake Inawashiro are in the perfect location. There are 29 diverse courses from beginners to advanced skiers where a large number of people can enjoy the whole day. There are also many shops for ski equipment rental or purchase. There are also restaurants and cafés where you can taste the ski resort cuisine as well as a daycare room for children.

This ice cream shop is directly operated by Katahira Jersey Shizen Bokujo. The shop is located just off the Ryozen-Iitate Interchange of the Tohoku Chuo Expressway and sells ice cream that makes use of the nutrition and flavor of Jersey milk as it is. The most popular soft-serve ice cream is made from Jersey milk, which accounts for less than one percent of the domestic milk supply. The smooth, rich and thick milk flavor is a prized taste that is loved by everyone from children to adults. In addition to basic milk, fresh ingredients are added to the ice cream, and there are always about 20 flavors of ice cream available, including chocolate chip, green tea, rum raisin and blueberry.

Visitors can enjoy skiing and snowboarding at GRANDECO SNOW RESORT during the season as well as being a place to experience three of the one hundred top mountains in Japan regardless of the season. Enjoy a spectacular view of Urabandai Plateau from the panorama gondola reaching an altitude of approximately 1400 meters. There are guided tours of the DECODAIRA Marshlands which located at 1320 meters above sea level is ideal as a trekking spot. It is approximately 30 minutes by car from Inawashiro-Bandaikogen Interchange on the Ban-etsu Expressway.

Shirakawa Komine Castle is a flatland-style Japanese castle that is just north of Shirakawa Station on the Tohoku Main Line. It is among Japan’s Top 100 Castles and one of Top 3 Tohoku Castles thanks to its stone walls which are rare in the Tohoku region. It was built in the Nanboku-cho period by Yuki Chikatomo on Kominegaoka Hill. In the Edo period it was lived in by Shogunate families such as the Honda and Matsudaira families. The modern three-story keep was reconstructed based on images from the Edo period and was designated as a National Historical Site in 2010.

A hot spring district counted as one of Japan's great Three Ancient Springs alongside Dogo Onsen in Ehime Prefecture and Arima Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture. The area's natural sulfur springs, whose waters are drawn from some 50 meters below the surface, generate an astounding five tons of piping hot water every minute. The hypotonic, mildly alkaline high temperature sulfur springs here are a variety found almost nowhere else in the country and have been used for over 1,000 years. Their colorless, slightly saline waters, freely distributed throughout the town, are said to enhance beauty, detoxify the body, alleviate hardening of the arteries, and ease high blood pressure. The town also cultivates balneotherapists, hot spring health technicians able to provide medical hydrology- and preventative medicine-based advice on hot spring therapy, and here visitors can consult with these qualified persons on how to healthily and best make use of hot spring baths.

This ramen shop established in 1967 exclusively serves handmade noodles. Its menu includes handmade ramen noodles, ramen with roast pork slices, wonton noodle soup, wonton noodle soup with roast pork slices, and both hot and cold handmade dipping noodles, salt-flavored ramen, and a summer exclusive featuring chilled ramen noodles. The popular restaurant closes as soon as it runs out of ingredients.

A hot spring district sprawling at the foot of 1,700 meter tall Mt. Adatara in Bandai-Asahi National Park. The area's acidic springs, a type found almost nowhere else in the country, are said to have been discovered by the shogun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro during his eastern expedition. The tasteless, odorless waters of the area's springs have a pH of 2.48 and are said to ease nerve pain, help heal motor paralysis, aid recovery from fatigue, and promote health. Long ago, during a time when there were no antibiotics, this ancient hot spring district provided an invaluable method of treatment for many diseases. In a Japan Hot Spring Association survey, this hot spring destination was selected as having the best natural beauty in the country and was also awarded the Fourth Superior Sight Seeing Area Cultivation Award by the Japan Travel and Tourism Association. The area also conducts fun health programs which combine hot spring bathing, cuisine, and exercise.

The Goshikinuma (five-colors) lake group consists of dozens of large and small lakes, such as the Bishamon-numa, the Akanuma, and the Rurinuma. The water color of each lake varies according to the size of the particles in the water. The emerald green or cobalt blue shining water surface is mysteriously beautiful. It takes an hour and a half to stroll along the walking path.

This is a large leisure land located in the outskirts of Koriyama City. It is approximately five minutes by car from Koriyama South Interchange. The park houses an amusement park (Dream Land), as well as pools and a cultural center. In Dream Land there are about 12 attractions for families such as a Ferris wheel and roller-coaster and admission is free. The pool area not only has leisure pools such as an infant pool for small children, a whirlpool and a water slide, but also has a pool for competitions.

This is a well-established ski resort in the Inawashiro Town part of Fukushima Prefecture’s Yama-gun with a wider area than surrounding resorts. The resort is separated into the “Ina Chu EASY Area” open to everyone with courses aimed for kids beginners and seasoned professionals and the “Minero CRAZY Area” with courses aimed at intermediate level and above where one can feel the exhilaration of jumping towards Lake Inawashiro. There are also kids ski/snowboard classes for beginners and first-timers.

"This lighthouse, also called ""Toyoma Lighthouse,"" is one of only 16 ""climbable lighthouses"" in Japan, and has been shining its light 40 km offshore since its first lighting in 1899. A monument to the song ""Midaregami"" was erected in the plaza at the entrance to the lighthouse."

A museum dedicated to presenting materials relating to as well as items which belonged to Hideyo Noguchi, a prominent bacteriologist from the Tohoku region. Standing along National Route 49 near Lake Inawashiro, the museum was remodeled and reopened in 2015. Noguchi’s childhood home is preserved inside the museum complex, including the sunken hearth where he was burned when a baby. There’s also a robotic figure of Noguchi in an exhibition space modeled after his research room which greets visitors.

Kaiseizan Park is an urban park centered round Lake Isuzu that was established in the early years of the Meiji period. Covering a large area of around 30 hectares, the Park has approximately 1,300 cherry trees, which are an impressive sight. There is also a rose garden, with around 810 roses belonging to 440 different varieties blooming in spring and autumn.

This shrine is said to be the origin of the “Aizu” location name. It began when people worshipped Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto at Mt. Mikaguratake. Now it elicits adoration from worshippers inside and outside the prefecture looking for better fortune, longevity, better relationships, and safe commutes. The precincts feature the “Usuzumi Zakura”: a holy tree that is mostly white with some light charcoal color, which gradually turns reddish and releases a unique aroma. The Ayame Festival held in the outer Ayame Garden begins in mid-June and exhibits 100,000 irises, attracting many visitors.

This is a ski resort on Takatsue Hara in the Aizu highlands. It boasts a spectacular panoramic view from the top and fine powder snow. There are various courses tailored to a range of levels from beginner to advanced including a family course which can be enjoyed safely with small children as well as a top hill course with a maximum inclination of 36 degrees. In addition there are facilities to enjoy after skiing such as a resort hotel overlooking the ski resort and a day hot spring “Shirakaba no yu.”