Fukushima is a prefecture that deserves to be considered on its own terms, not through the distorting lens of the 2011 nuclear accident, which affected specific coastal areas in the northeast while leaving the majority of the prefecture's 13,780 km² untouched. Aizu in the west — the samurai heartland of Fukushima, centred on Aizuwakamatsu city — is one of the great historical landscapes of Japan: a feudal castle, samurai neighbourhoods, sake breweries, and the memory of the Byakkotai (White Tiger Brigade), teenage samurai who died on a hillside rather than surrender in 1868. Ouchijuku, in the mountains south of Aizu, is a preserved Edo-period post town where thatched-roof inns still serve travellers on a route that has barely changed in two centuries. These are places that reward visitors who look beyond the obvious Tohoku itinerary.
Getting There
The Tohoku Shinkansen reaches Koriyama and Fukushima city from Tokyo in about 80–100 minutes — among the fastest connections in Tohoku. The Banetsu West Line and Tadami Line run west into the mountains toward Aizu; the Shinkansen branch line reaches Aizuwakamatsu. By car, the Tohoku and Ban-Etsu Expressways give good access across the prefecture.
Daily Life
The seasons in Fukushima are pronounced and beautiful. The Hanamiyama park near Fukushima city is one of Japan's most spectacular spring flower viewing sites — private farmland opened to the public through April and early May, with dozens of cherry, plum, forsythia, and weeping cherry varieties blooming simultaneously on a hillside. Summer brings peaches (Fukushima ships more peaches than any other prefecture) and the Nihonmatsu Chrysanthemum Festival in autumn. Aizu in winter, under snow, with sake flowing, is one of the more atmospheric places in Japan.
Festivals & Culture
The Fukushima character is shaped by a duality — a proud agricultural and samurai history alongside a sense of having been misrepresented to the world. The people in Aizu in particular carry a fierce regional identity; the Aizu dialect is distinct and the local pride in craftsmanship (Aizu lacquerware, Aizu cotton, regional sake) is genuine. The areas outside the specific coastal exclusion zones have normal radiation levels confirmed by years of monitoring data.
Buying Property Here
For property buyers, Fukushima has a dual advantage: historical stigma keeps prices below what the landscape and quality of life would otherwise justify. Aizuwakamatsu houses run ¥3M–¥10M. Koriyama and Fukushima city — both substantial towns with good services — range from ¥5M–¥15M. Rural akiya in the mountain villages cost ¥300,000–¥3M. Buyers who do their research and understand which areas are affected and which are not have consistently found extraordinary value here.
Seven Eleven - 3 min walk
