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AIZU-WAKAMATSU |
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The small, relaxed but rather featureless city of AIZU-WAKAMATSU
sits in a wide valley near one of Japan's largest lakes, some two and a
half hours' train ride north of Tokyo. An important castle town on what
was once the main trunk road north from Edo (now Tokyo), the area's
major sights revolve around its warrior past, including a reconstructed
castle keep, an attractive samurai house and the graves of nineteen
young heroes of the Boshin War . The surrounding area, with its mountain
climate and abundant supplies of pure water, is famous for its high-quality
sake . The centre of production is Kitakata , a sprawling town north of
Aizu-Wakamatsu, where a collection of traditional sake storehouses, kura
, attest to its former wealth. In winter, the area is popular for skiing
, especially around Bandai Kogen , a plateau rising to the northeast
which also offers great summer hiking and a dramatic bus ride across to
Fukushima.
The City
Central Aizu-Wakamatsu consists of a rectangular grid of streets with
the main train station on its northwest corner. Byakko-dori heads east
from the station to Iimori-yama, while Chuo-dori, the main shopping
street, runs south 3km to the castle and surrounding sights. The town's
most famous attraction is the Iimori-yama , where a band of young
soldiers committed seppuku (ritual suicide) in a useless but heroic
gesture during one of the last battles of the Meiji Restoration. After a
brief visit to their graves, head for the southern district where you'll
find a beautiful replica of a samurai house, Buké-yashiki , and the
reconstructed castle keep, Tsuruga-jo . Nearby, there's also a herb
garden, an old sake brewery and a moderately interesting museum. Though
it's possible to cover all these sights on foot in a long day, it's
worth taking a few bus rides or renting a bike .
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