a day in fukushima city

Okay, before I start this, I’m just going to preface that Fukushima City is two hours away from any radiation and completely safe! So, now to why I actually went there. It wasn’t until I started planning my Japan trip that I learned that I still have a small amount of distant family in Japan. I got my cousin, Hitomi’s, email from my auntie in Hawaii, and when she invited my friends and me to her home in Fukushima City, I knew I had to go. This was absolutely one of the best days in Japan, and truly one of the most memorable experiences of my life. If you want to get out out Tokyo for a day to see rural Japan, do it. It’s less than two hours on the Shinkansen, and it was beyond cool to see Japan sans tourists.

EaT

Menya Ukarayakara

Hitomi picked us up at the train station, sign in hand (with my friends’ and my names) – the absolute cutest. Because she knows what’s up, she drove us directly from the train station to this ramen spot. Not a lick of English was spoken in this restaurant, and I absolutely loved it. Hitomi had to translate the menu to us. Did I mention she used to be an English teacher? Definitely helpful! These ramen noodles were some of the most interesting I’ve ever had – hand-cut and a little curly with the perfect bite and a really light broth. It was addictive.

Angura

After sake tasting (more on that below!), we finished off our day at this super authentic izakaya in the basement of the train station. Hitomi brought along her friend, Fumie, which made the experience that much better. We were given slippers to wear before entering, and each chabudai (traditional low Japanese table) had its very own private dining room. We indulged in sake flights, ate the BEST gyoza I’ve ever had, and if you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that we even tried horse meat. This is a very normal thing in Fukushima City as it’s landlocked, and back in the day, fish would have gone bad by the time it got there. Also, you’d be joking me if you thought I would disrespect Hitomi by not trying it. We tried the horse in two forms: raw and cooked. The raw one was cut like sashimi and literally tasted like a more lean, thicker cut version of carpaccio, and the cooked one was a menchi katsu, so essentially, a fried ground meat cutlet. Not going to lie… the fried one was delicious.

My cousin’s house or literally anywhere authentic

So I know this is unrealistic and really only makes sense if you actually have family there or know someone to do this, but it really made the experience that much cooler. We went here in between lunch and activities. Hitomi lives with her mom and sister (and sister’s husband and two adorable kids). It’s very normal for families to all live together like this. In true Japanese fashion, we were offered everything under the sun, from super juicy peaches (have I mentioned the fruit in Japan is next-level?!) to botan (rice candy) and even shiso juice.

Explore

Daishichi Sake Brewery

Of course we managed to incorporate even more sake into our trip with a tour of Daishichi. Sake is made in the winter, so the factory was actually dormant when we were there, but the tour was very cool, and we had the cutest Japanese man showing us around the different rooms with massive barrels. The best part, obviously, was getting to taste all the sake. They also have bottles for sale, so I got a tiny bottle to bring home. Definitely recommend doing a tour like this if you’re a sake lover like myself! 

Just drive around!

Okay, I know this is another broad request, but being able to see the rice fields up close and driving through farmland is a very cool thing. Hitomi even drove us by the house that my great grandpa’s family lived in, and it even still has the last name (my grandma’s maiden name) inscribed on the front!