Fukushima in 3 days: where should you go on day 2?

Day 1: visit Tsuruga Castle and stay in Aizu-Wakamatsu

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.

1. 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.

   Fukushima Kotsu: Haikara-san weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markings2026-10-08

2. 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 walk2026-10-08

3. 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 markings2026-10-08Aizu Bus: loop directions, current ¥250 fare and ¥700 day pass; check revised PDFs for date-specific times2026-10-08

Day 2: return Ouchi-juku trip with a bus transfer at Yunokami Onsen

Walk Ouchi-juku’s street of thatched houses. Get off the train at Yunokami Onsen and transfer to Saruyu-go outside the station. Passengers who reserve by the previous day have priority; ask about your preferred return services in advance. Choose trains and buses together for your date.

The ¥2,200 combined discount ticket includes one return railway trip between Nishi-Wakamatsu and Yunokami Onsen, plus two days of unlimited Saruyu-go travel. Starting at Aizu-Wakamatsu adds two ¥200 one-way fares outside coverage, totalling ¥2,600. This assumes local trains; special tourist-train seat tickets cost extra. Buy the combined ticket in advance at the travel desk inside Aizu-Wakamatsu Station or at Yunokami Onsen’s counter. The staffed counter operates 08:30–17:00. Allow time for purchase and platform access, checking temporary counter changes before departure.

1. Aizu-Wakamatsu Station → Yunokami Onsen Station

   Take a local train running onto the Aizu Railway line and get off at Yunokami Onsen. Exit the gates for the Saruyu-go boarding point outside. Distinguish arrivals and departures in your date’s rail timetable and allow transfer time.

   Aizu Railway local-train arrival/departure timetable revised 14 March 20262026-10-08

2. Outside Yunokami Onsen Station → Ouchi-juku entrance

   Take Ouchi-juku-bound Saruyu-go from outside the station and get off at the village entrance. Ask in advance about preferred return services, as passengers reserving by the previous day have priority.

   Aizu Railway 2026 pamphlet: Saruyu-go times, reservation priority and combined-ticket conditions2026-10-08

3. Ouchi-juku entrance → Thatched street and lunch → Ouchi-juku entrance stop

   Explore the village, have lunch at an open shop and return to the stop. Check chosen shops’ opening days and add meal or individual exhibition costs separately.

   Ouchi-juku association: shop calendars and guidance for visits around 09:00–16:002026-10-08

4. Ouchi-juku entrance → Yunokami Onsen Station

   Take Yunokami Onsen-bound Saruyu-go from the same village entrance stop. If buses are full or roads delayed, check the next bus and return train connection first.

   Aizu Railway 2026 pamphlet: Saruyu-go times, reservation priority and combined-ticket conditions2026-10-08

5. Yunokami Onsen Station → Aizu-Wakamatsu Station

   Transfer to an Aizu-Wakamatsu-bound local train. Choose a departure with time to reach the gates and platform after bus arrival. The ¥2,200 combined ticket plus two ¥200 fares outside coverage gives ¥2,600 in transport costs.

   Aizu Railway local-train arrival/departure timetable revised 14 March 20262026-10-08Aizu Railway: ¥2,200 Ouchi-juku ticket from Nishi-Wakamatsu, separate ¥200 fare2026-10-08

Day 3: Oyakuen → Aizu-Wakamatsu Station → depart

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.

1. 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.

   Fukushima Kotsu: Haikara-san weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markings2026-10-08

2. 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 access2026-10-08

3. 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.

   Fukushima Kotsu: Haikara-san weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markings2026-10-08

Day 1: Tsuruga Castle → Aizu-Wakamatsu accommodation

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.

1. 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.

   Fukushima Kotsu: Haikara-san weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markings2026-10-08

2. 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 walk2026-10-08

3. 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 markings2026-10-08Aizu Bus: loop directions, current ¥250 fare and ¥700 day pass; check revised PDFs for date-specific times2026-10-08

Day 2: return JR Kitakata trip → lunch at Raimu’s main shop

Eat a bowl of ramen in Kitakata and return to the same Aizu accommodation. Look up JR services both ways for your date and choose your return train before eating. The ¥700 return local-train fare is included in the route subtotal; meals are separate.

Raimu’s main shop is listed at 11:00–21:00, last order 20:45. Check the day’s menu, prices and temporary closures. If the queue would prevent your return connection, eat after returning to Aizu.

1. Aizu-Wakamatsu Station → Kitakata Station

   Take a JR Banetsu West Line local train from Aizu-Wakamatsu towards Kitakata or Niitsu and get off at Kitakata. Check operation and platforms in the official station timetable for your date.

   JR Aizu-Wakamatsu: weekday/holiday Banetsu West Line timetable towards Kitakata and Niitsu2026-10-09

2. Kitakata Station → Raimu Kitakata main shop

   Find Raimu’s main shop as number 19 on the tourism association’s ramen map. It is at 7 Inarimiya, northeast of the station and west of the Nigorigawa River. Check the station-to-shop walk before leaving, allowing for queues and the walk back. The main shop opens at 11:00; check waiting time and menu prices that day.

   Kitakata tourism association ramen map and restaurant information2026-10-08Official Raimu: main-shop address, 11:00–21:00 and last order 20:452026-10-08

3. Raimu main shop → Kitakata Station

   Retrace your walk to Kitakata Station and reach the gates and platform. Decide when to finish eating so you can catch your return train.

   Kitakata tourism association ramen map and restaurant information2026-10-08Official Raimu: main-shop address, 11:00–21:00 and last order 20:452026-10-08JR Kitakata: weekday/holiday timetable towards Aizu-Wakamatsu2026-10-09

4. Kitakata Station → Aizu-Wakamatsu Station

   Take an Aizu-Wakamatsu-bound JR local train from Kitakata. Check weekday or holiday schedules and operation for your date, following on-the-day train and platform guidance.

   JR Kitakata: weekday/holiday timetable towards Aizu-Wakamatsu2026-10-09

Day 3: samurai residence → Aizu-Wakamatsu Station → depart

Explore domestic spaces in the reconstructed 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. Getting off the return bus does not mean you can immediately board a long-distance train.

1. 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 markings2026-10-08

2. 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 visit2026-10-09

3. Aizu-Bukeyashiki-mae return-direction stop → Aizu-Wakamatsu Station

   Take Akabe towards Aizu-Wakamatsu Station. The stop name appears twice on the route map; distinguish arrival and return directions on site. Finish sightseeing around your departure, including luggage collection time.

   Fukushima Kotsu: Akabe weekday/holiday tables from 1 October 2026 and winter suspension markings2026-10-08