Yanaizu: Onsen Town and Mountain Views

Yanaizu is now the largest onsen town on the Tadami River. Its blend of mountain scenery, forest and local food culture offers something for a range of travel interests. The hiking trail on Iitaniyama opens up views over Yanaizu; from Hakuseki, the view extends to the mountains of Aizu. In the onsen district, you can compare Awamanju from several shops. This gives you concrete options to focus your plans on: scenery, walks and trekking, or discovering local sweets.

An Onsen Town with a History

Many inns were built in Yanaizu to accommodate pilgrims visiting temples; many of them were later converted into ryokan with onsen. This passage of time connects the history of pilgrim lodgings with the town’s onsen character. The story runs from lodgings for temple pilgrims to their later use as ryokan, making the development of accommodation part of the town’s history. If the history of a destination matters when choosing where to travel, this sequence offers a concrete glimpse into Yanaizu’s local character.

Two Mountain Perspectives

At 1,482 metres, Hakuseki is Yanaizu’s highest mountain and also a symbol of the town. A rich beech forest grows on its slopes, and from the summit you can look out over the mountains of Aizu. The hiking trail on Iitaniyama offers a different perspective: from the summit, you can see Mount Bandai and the Iide Mountains, while the view opens out over Yanaizu. This gives you a choice of different vistas: the mountains of Aizu from Hakuseki, or Yanaizu, Bandai and the Iide Mountains from Iitaniyama.

Passes for Walks and Trekking

Ginzan Pass and Hayasaka Pass also offer opportunities for walks and trekking in Yanaizu’s natural surroundings. The route at Hayasaka Pass is more precisely defined: it leads from the Kamiyama district in Aizumisato to Yanaizu. The two passes thus complement the mountain-top views with another way to enjoy the outdoors. When planning your trip, you can treat the mountain viewpoints and the opportunities for walking or trekking at the passes as different options to focus on.

Tsumujikura in Autumn

Tsumujikura Waterfall lies at the foot of Hakuseki. During the autumn foliage season, the trees glow with colour; a rainbow may appear in the afternoon. The waterfall thus combines its mountain setting with a distinctive seasonal landscape. When planning your visit, it is worth distinguishing between the two sights: the autumn foliage is part of the seasonal scene, while a rainbow is a possible afternoon occurrence.

Awamanju in the Onsen District

Several shops selling Awamanju line the onsen district of Yanaizu. Visitors can compare the Awamanju at each shop. This makes choosing a shop part of the culinary experience: rather than simply ticking one name off your travel itinerary, you can include several different shops in your visit. As a counterpart to the views and trails, this local treat adds a different, place-specific discovery to your travel plans.

Getting There and Planning Your Trip

Yanaizu Onsen is a 10-minute drive from the Aizu-Bange interchange on the Ban-Etsu Expressway and a 15-minute walk from Aizu-Yanaizu Station on the JR Tadami Line. Actual travel times may vary. These details offer an initial guide to two different ways of getting there: by car from the interchange or on foot from the station. If you’re looking for a holiday rental in Yanaizu, factor your preferred way of getting there into your plans. The experiences that matter most to you—mountain views, walks and trekking, or Awamanju in the onsen district—can also help you decide what to focus on during your trip.

Discover more destinations: Kōriyama, Aizumisato, Nishishirakawa District, Shirakawa, Tomioka, Iwaki, Yama District, Kitakata.

For the main travel overview: Fukushima Prefecture.