Japan: Fukushima (*)

 

In our time, many people have become familiar with Fukushima, Japan as a result of the Daiichi nuclear disaster following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011. It was the largest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986!  

The Fukushima prefecture located on Honshu Island in Japan covers over 5,300 square miles and has a population of over 2 million residents. Known as Mutsu Province before the Meiji Restoration of 1868, it was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was seized from the indigenous Emishi tribes.

Nestled in the mountains of southwestern Fukushima Prefecture is the small isolated thatch-roofed village of Ouchijuku. The village was a former post town along the Aizu-Nishi Kaido trade route during the Edo Period. Travelers at the time were restricted to journey on foot prompting post towns to develop along various routes providing food and accommodations to the weary voyagers. 

 

 

Today, Ouchijuku has been restored to look as it did in the Edo Period. Its telephone and electric wires have been buried out of sight as not to impede with the period look. The unpaved main street is lined with thatched roof buildings, which house a variety of shops, restaurants and minshuku (small traditional Japanese inns). Restaurants serve up soba (buckwheat) noodles and locally caught Iwana (Char fish) roasted on sticks to the 1.2 million visitors who journey to this village each year.

The former Honjin, the inn reserved for high ranked government officials, is also located along the main street and open to the public as a museum. Inside, visitors can see the elegant interior of a traditional house from the Edo Period as well as a collection of dishes, clothing and other artifacts.

At the end of the main street, you will find the temple situated above a steep set of stairs which offer magnificent views of the street and the thatched roofed houses below. Within a five minute walk off the main street is a shrine with a unique purification fountain worth visiting.

 

Visitors often make a day trip into the village as they are visiting some of the esteemed Aizu onsens (hot springs) nearby. The village can be reached easily via the Yunokami Onsen Station on the Aizu Line. The Yunokami Onsen Station is the only railway station in Japan with a thatched roof. 

Located one hour away from Ouchijuku is the castle town of Aizu-Wakamatsu. The town has a long samurai tradition that it proudly displays for visitors and what better way to observe that tradition than to visit Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle also known as Tsuruga Castle.  

The castle is a concrete replica of the original constructed by Ashina Naomori in 1384, known as Kurokawa Castle. It was the military and administrative center of the Aizu region until 1868.

During the Battle of Aizu in 1868, the newly formed Imperial Army laid siege to the castle causing significant damage to the castle walls with artillery fire. Deemed structurally unstable, the castle was demolished by the new government in 1874. The tenshu, the largest tower of the castle, was reconstructed in 1965 in concrete and currently houses a museum and an observation gallery on top with panoramic views of the city.

Entrance to the castle

Photo Credits: Moritoshi Inaba