What should I see in Aizu in two days?
Give Tsurugajo and Oyakuen a day each for a red-tiled castle, Aizu history exhibitions and a relaxed garden walk. Choose the samurai residence and Nanukamachi for historic homes and an old shopping street. For a short trip, take time in Aizu city rather than adding a regional outing.
Choose an itinerary for 2 days / 1 night
Tsurugajo and Oyakuen
See the red-tiled castle up close and learn about Aizu history inside the keep. The next day, walk through a garden with a pond and medicinal plants.
Tsurugajo and Oyakuen →2 days / 1 night BSamurai residence and Nanukamachi Street
Give the samurai residence and Nanukamachi a day each for historic living spaces, old buildings and shops. If arriving late, move the residence visit to the next day and shorten the street walk.
Samurai residence and Nanukamachi Street →Tsurugajo and Oyakuen
See the red-tiled castle up close and learn about Aizu history inside the keep. The next day, walk through a garden with a pond and medicinal plants.
Day 1 — Visit the castle, then return to the station
See the red-tiled castle up close and explore Aizu history in the keep’s exhibitions. On arrival day, check how much visiting time remains. Last admission is 16:30, and there are stairs inside. For about 90 minutes before the 17:00 closing time, aim to enter by 15:30; entering at last admission does not leave 90 minutes. Shorten outdoor walks in snow or heavy rain. Admission to the keep costs JPY 410. With two JPY 250 bus rides, the partial subtotal is JPY 910. Rinkaku Tea House is excluded.
- Aizuwakamatsu Station → Tsurugajo-iriguchi
Take Haikara-san from outside the station to Tsurugajo-iriguchi. Use your date’s weekday or holiday timetable to arrive before the keep’s admission cut-off. For about 90 minutes inside, choose a bus that leaves time for the approximately five-minute walk from the stop and entry by 15:30.
- Tsurugajo-iriguchi → Tsurugajo → return bus stop
Walk about five minutes to the castle and allow approximately 90 minutes for the keep’s exhibitions and surroundings. Check last admission, stairs and snow and rain conditions.
Official Aizu tourism: Tsurugajo prices, hours, stairs and five-minute walk from bus stop
- Tsurugajo-iriguchi Akabe stop → Aizuwakamatsu Station
Board Akabe towards Aizuwakamatsu Station; it circles in the opposite direction. Back at the station, have dinner nearby or near your accommodation.
Fukushima Transportation: Akabe weekday and holiday timetable dated 1 October 2026 and winter suspension marksAizu Bus: loop directions and JPY 250 single/JPY 700 day fares; dated times in revised PDF
Return on Akabe, which circles in the opposite direction. If delayed, adjust your visiting time and next bus together.
Day 2 — Visit the garden and return before lunch
Walk around the pond and look at medicinal plants. Oyakuen opens 08:30–17:00, with last admission at 16:30. This plan leaves 45–60 minutes for the garden. Visit in daylight in winter, as there is no lighting. Admission of JPY 330 and two JPY 250 bus rides give a partial subtotal of JPY 830. Skip the garden for a morning departure. In snow or heavy rain, skip the walk and recalculate costs for the tickets actually used.
- Aizuwakamatsu Station → Oyakuen stop
Take Haikara-san from outside the station to Oyakuen. Choosing another bus changes the stop and walk to the entrance.
- Oyakuen stop → Oyakuen → same bus stop
Enter directly from the stop and allow 45–60 minutes for the garden. Visiting time and boarding preparations are additional to the bus journey.
Official Oyakuen: JPY 330, hours, daily opening and stop access
- Oyakuen stop → Aizuwakamatsu Station
Board Haikara-san at Oyakuen and continue around the loop in the same direction to Aizuwakamatsu Station. Finish sightseeing in time for departure, allowing time to collect your luggage.
Haikara-san and Akabe use different alighting stops and walks to the entrance. Check access if choosing a different bus from this example.
Included: Day 1: Keep admission at Tsurugajo costs JPY 410, and two loop-bus rides cost JPY 250 each. Day 2: Oyakuen admission costs JPY 330, and two loop-bus rides cost JPY 250 each. Ordinary adult city-bus fares are JPY 250 per ride.
Excluded from subtotal: Extra costs include accommodation, meals, shopping, luggage storage, accommodation access, long-distance rail, airport travel, additional exhibitions and experiences, and sightseeing-train seat charges.
The confirmed admission and transport partial subtotal for one ordinary adult is JPY 1,740. Accommodation, meals, luggage storage, accommodation access, long-distance rail and airport travel are extra. Recalculate for the tickets actually used if changing or skipping visits.
Official Aizu tourism: Tsurugajo prices, hours, stairs and five-minute walk from bus stopAizu Bus: loop directions and JPY 250 single/JPY 700 day fares; dated times in revised PDFOfficial Oyakuen: JPY 330, hours, daily opening and stop access
Samurai residence and Nanukamachi Street
Give the samurai residence and Nanukamachi a day each for historic living spaces, old buildings and shops. If arriving late, move the residence visit to the next day and shorten the street walk.
Day 1 — Take Akabe to the samurai residence
Explore living spaces in the reconstructed samurai residence. The facility suggests about an hour, with outdoor walking between exhibitions. April–November hours are 08:30–17:00, with final exit at 17:30; December–March hours are 09:00–16:30, with final exit at 17:00. Admission of JPY 1,000 and two JPY 250 bus rides give a partial subtotal of JPY 1,500. If arriving late, adjust your bus and visiting times or move the visit to another sightseeing day.
- Aizuwakamatsu Station → Aizu Bukeyashiki-mae
Take Akabe from outside the station to Aizu Bukeyashiki-mae. Choose a service from your date’s timetable that leaves enough time to finish within operating hours.
- Aizu Bukeyashiki-mae → Aizu samurai residence
Head to the entrance and allow the facility’s suggested hour for the visit. Leave extra time for outdoor walks between exhibits and returning to the stop.
Official Aizu samurai residence: prices, seasonal hours and suggested one-hour visit
- Aizu Bukeyashiki-mae return stop → Aizuwakamatsu Station
Board Akabe towards Aizuwakamatsu Station. The stop name appears twice on the route map; use the map on site to distinguish your alighting stop from the stop for your return direction.
Check the route map on site for outward and return directions, even where stops share a name.
Day 2 — Walk Nanukamachi, then return to the station
Explore Nanukamachi’s old buildings and open shops. This example leaves 60–90 minutes for walking. Opening hours vary, so an early visit may mean looking at building exteriors only. Two bus rides cost JPY 500, excluding meals, shopping, paid exhibitions and experiences.
- Aizuwakamatsu Station → Outside Nanukamachi Station
Take Haikara-san from outside the station to Nanukamachi Station. Choose a morning or afternoon departure according to when the shops you want to visit open.
- Outside Nanukamachi Station → Nanukamachi Street
Walk from the stop towards the street, allowing extra time to reach the walking area. Plan 60–90 minutes for building exteriors and open shops; before shops open, only an exterior walk is possible.
Official Aizu tourism: Nanukamachi Street walks and individual shop operations
- Nanukamachi Station Akabe stop → Aizuwakamatsu Station
Take Akabe towards Aizuwakamatsu Station, circling in the opposite direction. Check the return stop’s direction on the route map on site. Finish sightseeing in time for departure, allowing time to collect your luggage.
Fukushima Transportation: Akabe weekday and holiday timetable dated 1 October 2026 and winter suspension marksAizu Bus: loop directions and JPY 250 single/JPY 700 day fares; dated times in revised PDF
Check individual shops’ opening days. Shorten the walk in bad weather and return to the station or accommodation.
Included: Day 1: Samurai-residence admission costs JPY 1,000, and two loop-bus rides cost JPY 250 each. Day 2: Two loop-bus rides for a Nanukamachi Street walk cost JPY 250 each, excluding shop spending. Ordinary adult city-bus fares are JPY 250 per ride.
Excluded from subtotal: Extra costs include accommodation, meals, shopping, luggage storage, accommodation access, long-distance rail, airport travel, additional exhibitions and experiences, and sightseeing-train seat charges.
The confirmed admission and transport partial subtotal for one ordinary adult is JPY 2,000. Accommodation, meals, luggage storage, accommodation access, long-distance rail and airport travel are extra. Recalculate for the tickets actually used if changing or skipping visits.
Official Aizu samurai residence: prices, seasonal hours and suggested one-hour visitAizu Bus: loop directions and JPY 250 single/JPY 700 day fares; dated times in revised PDF
Frequently asked questions
Can I include day-two sightseeing before a morning departure from Aizu?
Choose your departure first for a morning journey. Sightseeing needs time afterwards to return to the station and board your train. Retrieving luggage from accommodation takes extra time; if time is short, prioritise what you want to see on day one.
Fukushima Transportation: Haikara-san weekday and holiday timetable dated 1 October 2026 and winter suspension marksFukushima Transportation: Akabe weekday and holiday timetable dated 1 October 2026 and winter suspension marksOfficial JR: Aizuwakamatsu Station lockers and facilities, without guaranteed availability
Can one day pass cover city buses across two days?
The day pass covers Haikara-san and Akabe for one day and cannot be split across two days. Both courses use two ordinary adult JPY 250 fares per day. For three rides on the same day, compare JPY 750 separate fares with the JPY 700 pass.
Aizu Bus: loop directions and JPY 250 single/JPY 700 day fares; dated times in revised PDF
Official sources and check dates
- Official Aizu tourism: Tsurugajo prices, hours, stairs and five-minute walk from bus stop ·
- Aizu Bus: loop directions and JPY 250 single/JPY 700 day fares; dated times in revised PDF ·
- Official JR: Aizuwakamatsu Station lockers and facilities, without guaranteed availability ·
- Official Oyakuen: JPY 330, hours, daily opening and stop access ·
- Official Aizu samurai residence: prices, seasonal hours and suggested one-hour visit ·
- Fukushima Transportation: Akabe weekday and holiday timetable dated 1 October 2026 and winter suspension marks ·
- Fukushima Transportation: Haikara-san weekday and holiday timetable dated 1 October 2026 and winter suspension marks ·
- Official Aizu tourism: Nanukamachi Street walks and individual shop operations ·