Which Aizu attractions interest you?
Choose Tsurugajo for red tiles and Aizu history exhibitions, or Oyakuen for pond walks and medicinal plants. Explore the reconstructed Aizu samurai residence for historic living spaces. Give Ouchi-juku village walks or Kitakata ramen a separate day with return travel.
Attraction prices, hours and directions
Tsurugajo
Tsurugajo Castle鶴ヶ城
See Tsurugajo’s red-tiled exterior up close and explore Aizu history in the keep’s exhibitions. Look at the exterior first, then choose whether to enter the paid keep. Movement inside is by stairs. Keep-only tickets and combined tickets including Rinkaku Tea House cover different areas.
- AdmissionKeep admission costs JPY 410 for adults and JPY 150 for primary and junior high-school students. An adult combined ticket for the keep and Rinkaku Tea House costs JPY 520.
- HoursThe keep opens daily from 08:30 to 17:00, with last admission at 16:30. There are stairs inside.
- DirectionsTake Haikara-san or Akabe from Aizuwakamatsu Station to Tsurugajo-iriguchi and walk about five minutes. The buses circle in opposite directions; check the return stop’s direction.
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 PDF
Oyakuen
御薬園
Walk slowly around Oyakuen’s pond and look at medicinal plants. The pond, pavilion and medicinal-plant garden offer outdoor scenery after castle exhibitions. Shorten the garden walk if rain or snow makes walking difficult.
- AdmissionAdmission costs JPY 330 for adults, JPY 270 for senior high-school students and JPY 160 for primary and junior high-school students.
- HoursOyakuen opens daily from 08:30 to 17:00, with last admission at 16:30.
- DirectionsHaikara-san takes about 30 minutes from Aizuwakamatsu Station to Oyakuen, directly by the entrance. Akabe uses a different stop, Aizuwakamatsu Shoko Kaigisho-mae, followed by an approximately five-minute walk.
Official Oyakuen: JPY 330, hours, daily opening and stop access
Aizu samurai residence
Aizu Bukeyashiki会津武家屋敷
Visit the Aizu samurai residence to see how Aizu samurai lived. Explore a reconstructed senior domain official’s home and the history museum for historic living spaces. The facility suggests about an hour. There are outdoor walks and changes in level between exhibits, so check the stairs and walking routes.
- AdmissionAdmission costs JPY 1,000 for adults, JPY 600 for junior and senior high-school students and JPY 500 for primary students.
- HoursThe residence opens from 08:30 to 17:00 in April–November, with final exit at 17:30, and from 09:00 to 16:30 in December–March, with final exit at 17:00. Check last admission separately.
- DirectionsTake Akabe from Aizuwakamatsu Station to Aizu Bukeyashiki-mae, then head to the main entrance and ticket office. Return on Akabe from the stop towards Aizuwakamatsu Station. The stop name appears twice on the route map, so distinguish directions. Leave extra time for walking to the entrance and ticket queues. Check weekday and holiday timetables and seasonal operating conditions in the operator’s timetable. Adult bus fares are JPY 250 per ride.
Official Aizu samurai residence: prices, seasonal hours and suggested one-hour visitFukushima 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
Ouchi-juku
大内宿
Walk through Ouchi-juku’s old village of thatched houses. Choose somewhere to eat and check its opening days in the official shop calendar. The tourism association says many shops open around 09:00–16:00; these are not village-wide opening and closing hours. Individual exhibitions and meals cost extra.
- AdmissionA village-wide admission ticket price has not been confirmed. Check individual exhibition, meal and parking prices before visiting.
- HoursThe tourism association says many shops open around 09:00–16:00. Exact hours vary by shop; check your chosen shop’s official monthly calendar.
- DirectionsFrom Aizuwakamatsu Station, take a train towards the Aizu Railway via Nishi-Wakamatsu to Yunokami-Onsen. Change to Saruyu-go outside the station for approximately 20 minutes to Ouchi-juku entrance. Passengers booked by the previous day have priority; train and bus waits are extra.
Ouchi-juku tourism association: shop opening, monthly calendars and visiting guidance around 09:00–16:00Aizu Railway: timetable revised 14 March 2026, distinguishing ordinary-train departures and arrivalsAizu Railway 2026 brochure: Saruyu-go times, reservation priority and combined-ticket conditions
Yunokami-Onsen Station
Yunokami Onsen Station湯野上温泉駅
Look at Yunokami-Onsen’s thatched station building on the way to Ouchi-juku. Change here to Saruyu-go for Ouchi-juku; explore the station surroundings only if time remains before your bus. The combined discount ticket includes rail between Nishi-Wakamatsu and Yunokami-Onsen plus Saruyu-go. Starting from Aizuwakamatsu adds a separate adult JPY 200 fare each way to Nishi-Wakamatsu.
- AdmissionRail/bus tickets are separate. The JPY 2,200 adult combined discount ticket starts at Nishi-Wakamatsu.
- HoursThe operator’s FAQ lists Yunokami-Onsen’s staffed counter hours as 08:30–17:00. These differ from train times; check temporary changes before travelling.
- DirectionsAlight from the train and head to Saruyu-go’s boarding point outside the station. Check your preferred outward and return Ouchi-juku services first and enquire about reservations. Bus waits are additional to rail journey time.
Aizu Railway: JPY 2,200 Ouchi-juku combined ticket starts at Nishi-Wakamatsu, with separate JPY 200 fareOfficial Aizu Railway FAQ: Yunokami-Onsen staffed counter 08:30–17:00Aizu Railway 2026 brochure: Saruyu-go times, reservation priority and combined-ticket conditions
Kitakata
喜多方
Take the JR Ban-etsu West Line from Aizuwakamatsu to Kitakata for a ramen outing. Raimu’s main restaurant in this course is number 19 on the tourism association’s ramen map. Check the walk and queues and choose your train back to Aizuwakamatsu first.
- AdmissionOrdinary adult paper rail tickets between Aizuwakamatsu and Kitakata cost JPY 350 each way, or JPY 700 for two one-way tickets. This amount follows JR East’s official operating distance and fare rules checked on 9 October 2026. Meals and sightseeing-train seat charges are extra. Check services and purchase conditions for your actual date before departure.
- HoursRaimu’s Kitakata main restaurant officially lists 11:00–21:00, last orders 20:45, and daily opening. Recheck temporary closures and the menu for your date.
- DirectionsTake an ordinary JR Ban-etsu West Line train from Aizuwakamatsu towards Kitakata and Niitsu and alight at Kitakata. Walk to Raimu’s main restaurant at 7 Inarimiya, number 19 on the tourism association’s ramen map. Leave time for restaurant queues and the walk back. Return on JR towards Aizuwakamatsu. Check your date’s services and platforms in the official station timetable and on the day.
JR East adult ordinary-fare calculation rules, Article 77-3JR East Ban-etsu West Line: Aizuwakamatsu–Kitakata operating distance 16.6 kmJR East main-line fare distance bands, Article 77Official Raimu: Kitakata main-restaurant address, 11:00–21:00 and last orders 20:45JR Aizuwakamatsu Station: Ban-etsu West Line towards Kitakata and Niitsu, weekday and holiday timetableJR Kitakata Station: weekday and holiday timetable towards AizuwakamatsuKitakata tourism association: ramen map and restaurant information
Frequently asked questions
Are castle and samurai-residence visits entirely indoors in rain?
You can focus on castle and residence exhibitions, but the keep has stairs and there are outdoor walks between residence exhibits. Garden and castle-area walks are not connected entirely indoors. Shorten outdoor visits in snow or heavy rain and prioritise return services.
Official Aizu tourism: Tsurugajo prices, hours, stairs and five-minute walk from bus stopOfficial Aizu samurai residence: prices, seasonal hours and suggested one-hour visitOfficial Oyakuen: JPY 330, hours, daily opening and stop access
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 Oyakuen: JPY 330, hours, daily opening and stop access ·
- Official Aizu samurai residence: prices, seasonal hours and suggested one-hour visit ·
- Aizu Railway 2026 brochure: Saruyu-go times, reservation priority and combined-ticket conditions ·
- Aizu Railway: timetable revised 14 March 2026, distinguishing ordinary-train departures and arrivals ·
- Aizu Railway: JPY 2,200 Ouchi-juku combined ticket starts at Nishi-Wakamatsu, with separate JPY 200 fare ·
- Ouchi-juku tourism association: shop opening, monthly calendars and visiting guidance around 09:00–16:00 ·
- Official Raimu: Kitakata main-restaurant address, 11:00–21:00 and last orders 20:45 ·
- Kitakata tourism association: ramen map and restaurant information ·
- Official Aizu Railway FAQ: Yunokami-Onsen staffed counter 08:30–17:00 ·
- Fukushima Transportation: Akabe weekday and holiday timetable dated 1 October 2026 and winter suspension marks ·
- JR Aizuwakamatsu Station: Ban-etsu West Line towards Kitakata and Niitsu, weekday and holiday timetable ·
- JR Kitakata Station: weekday and holiday timetable towards Aizuwakamatsu ·
- JR East adult ordinary-fare calculation rules, Article 77-3 ·
- JR East Ban-etsu West Line: Aizuwakamatsu–Kitakata operating distance 16.6 km ·
- JR East main-line fare distance bands, Article 77 ·