Kitakata sits at the crossroads of Japan. Roads running through the area connect the east and west coasts, opening up onto a wide plain ringed by mountains. The powerful Aizu Domain relied on the favorable location for centuries, remembered and vividly retold by local storytellers and historians.
Senses collide in Kitakata’s natural environment. Visitors experience the rich umami of local ramen, smell the floral-scented air, converse with locals, and sink their contentedly travel-weary bodies in the soothing hot spring waters of nearby onsen. All they while, they take in the lush mountain views.
Visitors’ can easily enjoy the daily activities of those local residents who grow, harvest, and prepare local foods, run the nearby shops, and operate the inns. This small mountain city invites you to savor local specialities while you step away from a world of chainstores and hotels, to streets that remain reminiscent of earlier times.
