Fukushima in 2 days: what should you see in Aizu?
Use separate days for Tsuruga Castle and Oyakuen if you want red tiles, Aizu history exhibits and slower garden walks. Choose the residence and Nanukamachi for samurai homes and old shopping streets. A short trip suits a slower city visit before adding day trips.
Choose a 2 days, 1 night itinerary
Tsuruga Castle and Oyakuen
See the red-tiled castle and learn Aizu history through keep exhibits, then walk a garden with a pond and medicinal plants the next day.
Tsuruga Castle and Oyakuen →2 days, 1 night BSamurai residence and Nanukamachi streets
Use separate days for samurai domestic spaces and Nanukamachi’s old buildings and shops. Move the residence to the following day and shorten street walking if arriving late.
Samurai residence and Nanukamachi streets →Tsuruga Castle and Oyakuen
See the red-tiled castle and learn Aizu history through keep exhibits, then walk a garden with a pond and medicinal plants the next day.
Day 1: visit the castle and return to the station
See the red-tiled castle and Aizu history exhibits in the keep. Check available keep time on arrival day. Last admission is 16:30 and there are stairs inside. For roughly 90 minutes, enter by 15:30 before the 17:00 closing time; entering at the deadline does not allow 90 minutes. Shorten outdoor walks in snow or heavy rain. Keep admission ¥410 plus two ¥250 bus rides gives a partial daily cost of ¥910. Rinkaku tea room is excluded.
- Aizu-Wakamatsu Station → Tsurugajo-iriguchi
Take Haikara-san from outside the station and get off at Tsurugajo-iriguchi. Use the weekday or holiday timetable for your date to arrive before keep admission ends. For a 90-minute visit, allow about 5 minutes to walk from the stop and enter by 15:30.
- Tsurugajo-iriguchi → Tsuruga Castle → return stop
Walk about 5 minutes to the castle, then allow roughly 90 minutes for keep exhibits and surroundings. Check last admission, stairs and snow or rain conditions.
Official Aizu tourism: castle fees, hours, stairs and 5-minute bus-stop walk
- Tsurugajo-iriguchi Akabe stop → Aizu-Wakamatsu Station
Board Akabe towards Aizu-Wakamatsu Station on its reverse-direction loop. Return to the station and have dinner nearby or around your accommodation.
Fukushima Kotsu: Akabe weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markingsAizu Bus: loop directions, current ¥250 fare and ¥700 day pass; check revised PDFs for date-specific times
Return on Akabe, which loops in the opposite direction. If delayed, adjust the visit and next bus together.
Day 2: visit the garden and return before lunch
Walk around the pond and see medicinal plants at Oyakuen. Hours are 08:30–17:00, last entry 16:30. Allow 45–60 minutes; visit in daylight in winter because there is no lighting. Admission ¥330 plus two ¥250 buses gives ¥830 in partial daily costs. Skip the garden for a morning departure. Omit the walk in snow or heavy rain and recalculate using the tickets actually used.
- Aizu-Wakamatsu Station → Oyakuen stop
Take Haikara-san from outside the station and get off at Oyakuen. Other buses may use different stops and entrance walks.
- Oyakuen stop → Oyakuen → same stop
Enter beside the stop and allow 45–60 minutes in the garden. Sightseeing and boarding preparation are additional to bus travel time.
Official Oyakuen: ¥330, hours, year-round opening and stop access
- Oyakuen stop → Aizu-Wakamatsu Station
Take Haikara-san from Oyakuen and continue around the loop in the same direction to Aizu-Wakamatsu Station. Finish sightseeing to suit your departure, including time to collect luggage.
Haikara-san and Akabe have different alighting stops and entrance walks. Check access if choosing a different bus from the example.
Included: Day 1: castle keep ¥410 + loop bus ¥250 × 2. Day 2: Oyakuen ¥330 + loop bus ¥250 × 2. Standard adult city bus fare is ¥250 per ride.
Excluded from the subtotal: Accommodation, meals, shopping, luggage storage, accommodation access, long-distance trains, airport travel, extra exhibits, activities and tourist-train seat charges.
Checked admission and transport give a partial subtotal of ¥1,740 for one adult at standard rates. Accommodation, meals, luggage storage, accommodation access, long-distance trains and airport travel are separate. Recalculate with actual tickets if changing or omitting visits.
Official Aizu tourism: castle fees, hours, stairs and 5-minute bus-stop walkAizu Bus: loop directions, current ¥250 fare and ¥700 day pass; check revised PDFs for date-specific timesOfficial Oyakuen: ¥330, hours, year-round opening and stop access
Samurai residence and Nanukamachi streets
Use separate days for samurai domestic spaces and Nanukamachi’s old buildings and shops. Move the residence to the following day and shorten street walking if arriving late.
Day 1: visit the samurai residence by Akabe
Explore domestic spaces in the reconstructed samurai residence. Facility guidance suggests about one hour, with outdoor movement between exhibits. April–November hours are 08:30–17:00, final exit 17:30; December–March hours are 09:00–16:30, final exit 17:00. Admission ¥1,000 plus two ¥250 buses gives ¥1,500 in partial daily costs. For late arrival, reconnect a later bus with visiting time or move the visit to another sightseeing day.
- Aizu-Wakamatsu Station → Aizu-Bukeyashiki-mae
Take Akabe from outside the station and get off at Aizu-Bukeyashiki-mae. Choose a departure in your date’s timetable that allows you to finish within facility hours.
Fukushima Kotsu: Akabe weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markings
- Aizu-Bukeyashiki-mae → Aizu Bukeyashiki samurai residence
Go to the entrance and allow about one hour, as the facility suggests. Add outdoor movement between exhibits and the return walk to the stop separately.
Official residence: fees, seasonal hours and roughly one-hour visit
- Aizu-Bukeyashiki-mae return-direction stop → Aizu-Wakamatsu Station
Take Akabe towards Aizu-Wakamatsu Station. The same stop name appears twice on the route map; use the on-site map to distinguish arrival and return boarding directions.
Fukushima Kotsu: Akabe weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markings
Even with the same stop name, use the on-site route map to distinguish outward and return buses.
Day 2: walk Nanukamachi and return to the station
Explore old buildings and open shops in Nanukamachi. This example allows 60–90 minutes. Shop hours differ, so early visits may be limited to exterior walks. The ¥500 for two buses excludes meals, shopping, paid exhibits and activities.
- Aizu-Wakamatsu Station → Outside Nanukamachi Station
Take Haikara-san from outside Aizu-Wakamatsu Station and get off outside Nanukamachi Station. Choose a morning or afternoon departure to match your preferred shops’ opening times.
- Outside Nanukamachi Station → Nanukamachi streets
Walk from the stop to the streets, allowing separate time to reach your walking section. Plan 60–90 minutes for exteriors and open shops; only exterior walking is possible before shops open.
Official Aizu tourism: Nanukamachi walks and individual shop operation
- Akabe stop outside Nanukamachi Station → Aizu-Wakamatsu Station
Take reverse-loop Akabe towards Aizu-Wakamatsu Station and return there. Check the return stop’s direction on the on-site route map. Finish sightseeing around your departure, allowing time to collect luggage.
Fukushima Kotsu: Akabe weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markingsAizu Bus: loop directions, current ¥250 fare and ¥700 day pass; check revised PDFs for date-specific times
Check individual shop opening days. Shorten the walk in bad weather and return to the station or accommodation.
Included: Day 1: samurai residence ¥1,000 + loop bus ¥250 × 2. Day 2: Nanukamachi walking and loop bus ¥250 × 2, excluding shop spending. Standard adult city bus fare is ¥250 per ride.
Excluded from the subtotal: Accommodation, meals, shopping, luggage storage, accommodation access, long-distance trains, airport travel, extra exhibits, activities and tourist-train seat charges.
Checked admission and transport give a partial subtotal of ¥2,000 for one adult at standard rates. Accommodation, meals, luggage storage, accommodation access, long-distance trains and airport travel are separate. Recalculate with actual tickets if changing or omitting visits.
Official residence: fees, seasonal hours and roughly one-hour visitAizu Bus: loop directions, current ¥250 fare and ¥700 day pass; check revised PDFs for date-specific times
Frequently asked questions
Can I sightsee on day 2 if leaving Aizu in the morning?
Choose your departure before day 2 sightseeing for a morning exit. Add a visit only if you can return to the station and board afterwards. Collecting stored luggage from accommodation adds time; prioritize your favourite day 1 attraction if time is short.
Fukushima Kotsu: Haikara-san weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markingsFukushima Kotsu: Akabe weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markingsOfficial JR: Aizu-Wakamatsu lockers and station facilities; empty lockers not guaranteed
Does one day pass cover two days of city buses?
The pass covers Haikara-san and Akabe for one day and cannot be split across two. Both routes use adult ¥250 ordinary tickets for two rides per day. For three same-day rides, compare ¥750 individual fares with a ¥700 pass.
Official sources and check dates
- Official Aizu tourism: castle fees, hours, stairs and 5-minute bus-stop walk ·
- Aizu Bus: loop directions, current ¥250 fare and ¥700 day pass; check revised PDFs for date-specific times ·
- Official JR: Aizu-Wakamatsu lockers and station facilities; empty lockers not guaranteed ·
- Official Oyakuen: ¥330, hours, year-round opening and stop access ·
- Official residence: fees, seasonal hours and roughly one-hour visit ·
- Fukushima Kotsu: Akabe weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markings ·
- Fukushima Kotsu: Haikara-san weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markings ·
- Official Aizu tourism: Nanukamachi walks and individual shop operation ·