Which Aizu attractions would you choose?
Choose Tsuruga for red tiles and Aizu history, or Oyakuen for pond walks and medicinal plants. Explore reconstructed Bukeyashiki for samurai homes. Give Ouchi-juku’s village or Kitakata ramen a separate day, allowing time for return travel.
Attraction fees, hours and access
Tsuruga Castle
Tsurugajo Castle鶴ヶ城
See Tsuruga’s red tiles up close and learn Aizu history in the keep’s exhibitions. After viewing the exterior, choose whether to enter the paid keep. Interior movement uses stairs. A keep-only ticket covers a different visit from a combined ticket for the keep and Rinkaku Tea House.
- AdmissionKeep admission costs JPY 410 for adults and JPY 150 for primary and junior high school pupils. An adult combined ticket for the keep and Rinkaku costs JPY 520.
- HoursThe keep opens from 08:30 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30. It is open year-round. There are stairs inside.
- Getting thereTake Haikara-san or Akabe from Aizu-Wakamatsu to Tsurugajo-Iriguchi and walk about five minutes. They loop in opposite directions; check return-stop travel direction.
Official Aizu tourism: castle fees, hours, stairs and five-minute bus-stop walkAizu Bus: loop directions, current JPY 250 rides/JPY 700 day pass; revised PDFs for dated times
Oyakuen Garden
Oyakuen御薬園
Walk at leisure around Oyakuen’s pond and explore medicinal plants. Its pond, pavilion and medicinal-plant garden offer outdoor scenery after castle exhibitions. Shorten garden walks when rain/snow makes walking difficult.
- AdmissionAdmission costs JPY 330 for adults, JPY 270 for high school pupils and JPY 160 for primary and junior high school pupils.
- HoursThe garden opens from 08:30 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30. It is open year-round.
- Getting thereHaikara-san reaches Oyakuen in about 30 minutes from Aizu-Wakamatsu, directly by the entrance. Akabe uses Aizu-Wakamatsu Shoko Kaigisho-mae with a five-minute walk, so the stops differ.
Official Oyakuen: JPY 330, hours, year-round opening and stop access
Aizu Bukeyashiki
会津武家屋敷
Visit Aizu Bukeyashiki to explore samurai living spaces in a reconstructed senior domain official’s residence and history museum. Facility guidance allows about an hour. There are outdoor paths and level changes between exhibitions; check stairs and walking requirements before visiting.
- AdmissionAdmission costs JPY 1,000 for adults, JPY 600 for junior high and high school pupils and JPY 500 for primary school pupils.
- HoursThe residence opens from 08:30 to 17:00 in April–November, with final exit at 17:30. In December–March, it opens from 09:00 to 16:30, with final exit at 17:00. Check last admission separately.
- Getting thereTake Akabe from Aizu-Wakamatsu to Aizu Bukeyashiki-mae, then go to the main entrance/ticket office. Return from the Aizu-Wakamatsu-bound Akabe stop. The name appears twice on route listings; distinguish directions. Allow stop-to-entrance walking and admission queues separately. Check operator weekday/holiday and seasonal conditions. Adult bus fare is JPY 250 per ride.
Official Aizu Bukeyashiki: fees, seasonal hours and one-hour visitFukushima Kotsu: 1 October 2026 Akabe weekday/holiday times and winter suspensionsAizu Bus: loop directions, current JPY 250 rides/JPY 700 day pass; revised PDFs for dated times
Ouchi-juku
大内宿
Walk the old village’s thatched-house street. Choose a restaurant and check the official shop calendar. Tourism guidance says many shops open around 09:00–16:00; this is not a village-wide opening/closing time. Individual exhibitions and meals are extra.
- AdmissionNo village-wide admission-ticket price has been confirmed. Check individual exhibition, meal and parking charges separately before visiting.
- HoursTourism guidance says many shops open around 09:00–16:00. Exact hours differ by shop; check your chosen shop’s official monthly calendar.
- Getting thereTake an Aizu Railway-bound train via Nishi-Wakamatsu from Aizu-Wakamatsu to Yunokami Onsen. Change to station-front Saruyu-go for about 20 minutes to Ouchi-juku’s entrance. Passengers booked by the previous day have priority; train/bus waits are extra.
Ouchi-juku Tourism Association: shop calendars and approximate 09:00–16:00 visiting periodAizu Railway: revised 14 March 2026 ordinary-train arrival/departure timetableAizu Railway 2026 brochure: Saruyu-go times, booking priority and combined-ticket conditions
Yunokami Onsen Station
湯野上温泉駅
Look at Yunokami Onsen’s thatched station building en route to Ouchi-juku. Change here to Saruyu-go; explore nearby only if there is time before departure. The combined discount ticket covers Nishi-Wakamatsu–Yunokami Onsen rail and Saruyu-go. Starting at Aizu-Wakamatsu requires a separate adult JPY 200 one-way fare to Nishi-Wakamatsu.
- AdmissionRail and bus fares are separate. The adult JPY 2,200 combined discount ticket applies from Nishi-Wakamatsu.
- HoursThe operator FAQ lists the staffed Yunokami Onsen counter as 08:30–17:00. Distinguish this from train times; check temporary changes before travelling.
- Getting thereLeave the train for the station-front Saruyu-go stop. Check desired Ouchi-juku return services and enquire about reservations first. Bus waits are separate from train ride time.
Aizu Railway: Ouchi-juku JPY 2,200 ticket from Nishi-Wakamatsu and separate JPY 200 fareOfficial Aizu Railway FAQ: staffed Yunokami counter 08:30–17:00Aizu Railway 2026 brochure: Saruyu-go times, booking priority and combined-ticket conditions
Kitakata
喜多方
Take the JR Ban-etsu West Line from Aizu-Wakamatsu for a Kitakata ramen outing. Raimu’s main branch is number 19 on the tourism ramen map. Check the restaurant walk and allow for queues, then choose your Aizu-Wakamatsu return train before leaving.
- AdmissionOrdinary adult Aizu-Wakamatsu–Kitakata paper tickets cost JPY 350 one-way, JPY 700 for two. This uses official JR East operating distance/fare rules checked on 9 October 2026. Meals and sightseeing-train seat fees are extra; check actual-date operation/purchase conditions before leaving.
- HoursOfficial Raimu Kitakata main-branch guidance lists 11:00–21:00, last orders 20:45, open year-round. Recheck temporary closures and menu on your date.
- Getting thereTake an ordinary Kitakata/Niitsu-bound JR Ban-etsu West Line train from Aizu-Wakamatsu to Kitakata. Walk to Raimu’s main branch, number 19 on the tourism ramen map at 7 Inarimiya. Allow queues and station-return walking; return on Aizu-Wakamatsu-bound JR. Check operation/platforms in official station timetables and that day’s guidance.
JR East adult ordinary-fare calculation rule Article 77-3JR East Ban-etsu West Line Aizu-Wakamatsu–Kitakata operating distance 16.6kmJR East main-line distance fare bands, Article 77Official Raimu: main-branch address, 11:00–21:00 and 20:45 last ordersJR Aizu-Wakamatsu: weekday/holiday Ban-etsu West Line towards Kitakata/NiitsuJR Kitakata: weekday/holiday Aizu-Wakamatsu-bound timetableKitakata Tourism Association: ramen map and restaurants
Frequently asked questions
Are castle or residence visits entirely indoors in rain?
Choose the exhibitions, while allowing for stairs inside the keep and outdoor walks between residence displays. Garden/castle walks are not all indoors. In snow/heavy rain, shorten outdoor visits and prioritise returns.
Official Aizu tourism: castle fees, hours, stairs and five-minute bus-stop walkOfficial Aizu Bukeyashiki: fees, seasonal hours and one-hour visitOfficial Oyakuen: JPY 330, hours, year-round opening and stop access
Official sources and dates checked
- Official Aizu tourism: castle fees, hours, stairs and five-minute bus-stop walk ·
- Aizu Bus: loop directions, current JPY 250 rides/JPY 700 day pass; revised PDFs for dated times ·
- Official Oyakuen: JPY 330, hours, year-round opening and stop access ·
- Official Aizu Bukeyashiki: fees, seasonal hours and one-hour visit ·
- Aizu Railway 2026 brochure: Saruyu-go times, booking priority and combined-ticket conditions ·
- Aizu Railway: revised 14 March 2026 ordinary-train arrival/departure timetable ·
- Aizu Railway: Ouchi-juku JPY 2,200 ticket from Nishi-Wakamatsu and separate JPY 200 fare ·
- Ouchi-juku Tourism Association: shop calendars and approximate 09:00–16:00 visiting period ·
- Official Raimu: main-branch address, 11:00–21:00 and 20:45 last orders ·
- Kitakata Tourism Association: ramen map and restaurants ·
- Official Aizu Railway FAQ: staffed Yunokami counter 08:30–17:00 ·
- Fukushima Kotsu: 1 October 2026 Akabe weekday/holiday times and winter suspensions ·
- JR Aizu-Wakamatsu: weekday/holiday Ban-etsu West Line towards Kitakata/Niitsu ·
- JR Kitakata: weekday/holiday Aizu-Wakamatsu-bound timetable ·
- JR East adult ordinary-fare calculation rule Article 77-3 ·
- JR East Ban-etsu West Line Aizu-Wakamatsu–Kitakata operating distance 16.6km ·
- JR East main-line distance fare bands, Article 77 ·