Ouchi-juku

Minamiaizu

Thatched roof houses in a row make for nostalgic scenery

Thatched roofs are roofs made from dried straw. Although this type of roof is seen on houses all over Japan, these are often used in places called “post towns” in the Tohoku region where many inns are concentrated. Ouchi-juku is such a post town established in the Edo period (1640). Post towns dotted the long road to Edo where rural samurai went to procure rice and food supplies. They would walk for several days on the road, and then stay the night in one of these post towns along the way. Ouchi-juku is a rare town where the original village scenery of that period is preserved down to this day. Even now, it is almost as if you were about to see samurai marching down the thoroughfare

Stay the night in an Important Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings

The over 30 remaining thatched roof houses in Ouchi-juku that were once farms are now stores and souvenir shops. You can enjoy a variety of light snacks that have been loved since the Edo period, including scallion buckwheat noodles, char fish grilled in a sunken hearth, and the fragrant and sticky sweet potato rice cakes. There are also inns in Ouchi-juku where you can stay. Enjoy hand-made local cuisine cooked on a sunken hearth while surrounded by Ouchi-juku villagers and be transported back in time to the days of the Edo period.

For those who want to know more about Ouchi-juku, visit the pavilion

For even better enjoyment of Ouchi-juku, come visit the Ouchi-juku Town Pavilion in the center of the main street. This building is renovated from a private home that used to host Samurai lodgers and was called “Honjin (inn for officials)”. The building itself was built using traditional techniques of the period, as is the case with the sunken hearth and cypress wood baths. For a view of the entire town, head to the Koyasu Kannon deep in the interior. This is where villagers come to pray for a safe childbirth. The view from the heights is something special to behold.

For reference

Address

Ouchi Yamamoto, Shimogo-machi, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima-ken
Telephone

0241−68−3611 (Ouchi-juku Tourist Association)
Access

Fukushima Airport is a one hour flight from Itami Airport.
Fukushima Airport is a one hour 20 minute flight from New Chitose Airport.
From Fukushima Airport, take the limousine bus to Aizuwakamatsu Station (2 hr and 20 min). From Aizuwakamatsu Station to Yunokamionsen Station takes 40 minutes. Take a taxi from the Aizu Railway Yunokamionsen Station (15 min).
The Saruyugo tourist bus runs from April to November.
Recommended season

Spring to autumn; winter snow scenery is also beautiful.

Honke Tamaya

Address

3 Ouchi Yamamoto, Shimogo-machi, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima-ken
Telephone

0241-68-2946
Hours

Open 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Closed Irregular days
Price

From 1,000 and up
Access

Fukushima Airport is a one hour flight from Itami Airport.
Fukushima Airport is a one hour 20 minute flight from New Chitose Airport.
From Fukushima Airport, take the limousine bus to Aizuwakamatsu Station (2 hr and 20 min). From Aizuwakamatsu Station to Yunokamionsen Station takes 40 minutes. Take a taxi from the Aizu Railway Yunokamionsen Station (15 min).
The Saruyugo tourist bus runs from April to November.