Aquamarine Fukushima

Abukuma Cave is one of the largest limestone caverns in eastern Japan, formed over 80 million years and stretching more than 3 kilometres beneath the hills of central Fukushima. Approximately 600 metres are open to the public along a well-lit standard course, where stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone formations of extraordinary delicacy fill illuminated chambers. An additional adventure course — requiring a helmet and crawling through narrow passages — takes visitors into sections rarely seen in Japanese show caves. The cave maintains a year-round temperature of around 15°C, making it refreshingly cool in summer and pleasantly mild in winter.

A unique double-helix wooden temple built in 1796 whose ascending and descending ramps spiral around a central axis without ever crossing — 33 Kannon statues line the route, allowing a complete pilgrimage without retracing steps.

The Bandai-Azuma Skyline is a 29-kilometre mountain road crossing the Azuma volcanic range at over 1,600 metres, connecting Fukushima city with the Bandai plateau. The drive passes through landscapes that shift dramatically with the seasons: in early spring, walls of snow several metres high line the freshly opened road; in summer, volcanic vents at Jododaira emit sulphurous steam beside hiking trails; and in autumn, the entire mountainside erupts in one of Tohoku's finest displays of red and gold foliage. The road is closed in winter, making the spring opening — typically in late April — one of the most anticipated events of the Fukushima outdoor calendar.