Aizuno Youth Hostel

Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)


Blissfully (or painfully) quiet, this renovated rural property is a good budget option, though it’s a little like a school camp in layout. There is an on-site bar if birdsong is not your thing, or you need to celebrate a day’s hiking. It’s about 20 minutes by foot from Aizu-Takada Station along the Tadami line from Aizu-Wakamatsu (¥240, 20 minutes).

Pick-up from the station is possible if you call ahead.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Northern Honshū (Tōhoku) attractions

1. Tsuruga-jō

5.07 MILES

The towering 1965 reconstruction of Tsuruga-jō sits in sprawling grounds framed by the original moat and some ruins of the old castle walls. Inside is a…

2. Aizu Bukeyashiki

6.77 MILES

This is a superb reconstruction of the yashiki (villa) of Saigō Tanomo, the Aizu clan’s chief retainer. Wander through the 38 rooms, which include a…

3. Iimori-yama

7.06 MILES

On the eastern edge of Aizu is Iimori-yama, the mountain where the White Tigers (Byakkotai) samurai killed themselves during the civil war of 1868. You…

4. White Tigers Memorial Hall

7.21 MILES

At the foot of Iimori-yama, this museum tells the story of the dramatic suicides of the teenage samurai who died during the Bōshin civil war of 1868, and…

5. Sazae-dō

7.45 MILES

Halfway up Iimori-yama, Sazae-dō is a weird and wonderful hidden gem in a Buddhist temple complex. Built in 1796 the 16.5m-high hexagonal wooden structure…

6. Kitakata Kura-no-Sato

12.83 MILES

This collection of 10 kura (mud-walled storehouses) has been arranged as a small local museum, as well as the obligatory gift shop or two.

7. Yamatogawa Sake Brewing Museum

12.92 MILES

Step into the Yamatogawa Sake Brewing Museum to peek inside a kura (mud-walled storehouse) that dates from 1790 and, until 20 years ago, functioned as a…