Ouchijuku

What to know

Ouchijuku (大内宿, Ōuchijuku) is a former post town along the Aizu-Nishi Kaido trade route, which connected Aizu with Nikko during the Edo Period. Restrictions set by the shogunate required travelers to make their long journeys on foot, and as a result, post towns developed along the routes to provide travelers with food, accommodations, and rest.

Today, Ouchijuku has been restored to look as it did in the Edo Period, with telephone and electricity wires buried. The unpaved main street is lined by thick thatched roof buildings, which house a variety of shops, restaurants, and minshuku (small traditional Japanese inns). Soba noodles and locally caught char fish roasted on sticks are popular specialties.

Ouchijuku's former Honjin, the principal inn for high-ranked government officials, is also located along the main street and open to the public as a museum. It offers visitors an example of elegant, traditional housing interior of the Edo Period and includes a collection of dishes, clothing, and other artifacts.

Also of note are Ouchijuku's shrine and temple. The temple is located at the end of the main street up a steep set of stairs. Visitors are rewarded with a panoramic view of the main street and its surroundings. A five-minute walk off the main road stands a quiet shrine, set back in a patch of cedar trees. It has a pleasant atmosphere and a unique purification fountain.

Ouchijuku is located in Shimogo Town, about 20 kilometers south of Aizu-Wakamatsu. The nearest station is Yunokami Onsen on the Aizu Railroad (35 minutes, 1060 yen one way from Aizu Wakamatsu Station, 860 yen with the Japan Rail Pass), from where Ouchijuku can be reached in a 15-minute taxi ride (around 2000 yen one way). From mid March through November, a bus operates between Yunokami Onsen and Ouchijuku about once per hour (20 minutes, 1100 yen for a 2-day pass).

From Nikko, it is about a 2.5-hour train ride to Yunokami Onsen Station by Tobu Railway, Yagan Railway, and Aizu Railway. The one-way fare is 2750 yen when using local trains and around 4000 yen when using the slightly faster limited express trains. The "Nikko-Ouchijuku Free Pass" provides two consecutive days of unlimited use of the Tobu, Yagan, and Aizu railways between Tobu-Nikko and Yunokami stations (except limited express trains) and one day of unlimited use of the bus between Yunokami Station and Ouchijuku for 4860 yen. The pass can be purchased at the tourist centers of Tobu-Nikko and Kinugawa stations. How to get to and around Aizu