Overnight at Japan’s Secret Inn Town like a Magical Place | Ouchi-juku

Overnight at Japan’s Secret Inn Town like a Magical Place | Ouchi-juku

Today’s video… Just relax and enjoy the video! January 18th, 2025 Now, riding a Shinkansen(high-speed train) to a traditional winter village, Ouchi-juku located in Aizu-wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture Shinkansen ride from Tokyo to Koriyama Station for 1 hour and 20 mins Transfer for a Banetsu-saisen Line at Koriyama Station Local line connecting to Aizu-wakamatsu City through the deep snow countryside I reallly love winter season as the snow creates a mystical atmosphere After about 1 hour ride… We arrive at Aizu-wakamatsu Station Transfer for one more line, Aizu Railway However, train is running about two hours late! Even Japanese trains, famous for their punctuality, cannot defy nature… I woke up early today, but the sky is already sunset The village we are now heading to, Ouchi-juku, was an “inn town” in Edo Period (1603 – 1868) At the time, there were lots of inn towns at bases of roads all over Japan, but most of them have disappeared Ouchi-juku is one of the surviving inn towns today What are we a US president or something Anyway, we arrived at Yunokami Onsen Station (about 20 mins from Aizu-wakamatsu) From the station, we take a taxi There is also a bus but operation today is already closed (until 4PM) However, thanks to the train delay, I was able to have a conversation with a local taxi driver After 15 mins, we arrive at Ouchi-juku, finally Like entering a secret magical town It’s already dark outside, so most tourists are already out of the town Thank you taxi, a true lifesaver It’s like the whole town is empty Then, what will I do from now? I stay overnight here at an inn I stay at Iseya A traditional inn, run by a local family living in this house An old house that has been resided since the 17th century There are only 4 rooms available I booked a room for 1 to 2 persons, which was 11500JPY/80.5USD a night Awesome Simple traditional Japanese room All rooms in this house have no a.c. Instead, we’ve got a oil heater Takes time to turn on I like the smell of oil This pipe leads into the Kotatsu A traditional Japanese heated table where we sit on the floor The blanket traps heat underneath the table We’ve got a welcome tea and snack Let’s drink green tea first Checking the views… Feels very traditional and nice We don’t have a.c. but have air conditioner Lots of hangers for one person with a traditional jacket for Yukata We’ve got towels, toothbrush, and yukata garments Yukata is a traditional Japanese bathrobe But you can go walk in yukata outside Electric kettles and TV Looks like I did the wrong thing Was just putting in ambient water😭 This time, it’s hot water haha So the green tea was gone Instead, “roasted green tea” we’ve got Sesame and Miso Senbei(rice cracker) Local sweets made with miso(fermented soybean paste) from Aizu I just don’t want to get out of the kotatsu… At first, I was very worried about not having an air conditioner in the room, but the kotatsu changed everything Kotatsu is my new comfort zone! Changing into yukata Now I’m invincible This is a daytime Ouchi-juku Like we are back in time Let’s take a bath Many choices of shampoo, conditioner, and body soap Turn on heater also here Ah! I forgot to turn off the heater when leaving the room… It’s not Onsen(hot spring) but just a Japanese style of bath with shower and bathtub Wow it’s very steaming The steam is amazing Hmm, maybe it’s too hot? Let’s give it a try Too hot! ouch Let’s put in cold water Still too hot Too much steam oh my god Like bathing in a misty forest The temperature is just right Can’t even see anything haha That was an unforgettable bath time There is a dryer and hair straightener with some lotions Checking the restrooms… hi miffy hi ghost It’s a Washlet toilet that cleanses your rear You can even check the time and change the strongness of the cleansing water sprey I’m super hungry Looks like our dinner meals are ready Yay Dishes made with carefully selected Aizu ingredients In winter, we can’t miss hot pot meals Appetizer: Squid and carrot, yuzu radish, pickled herring Rainbow trout sashimi Local Sake(rice wine) from Aizu Sake comes with simmered dish Contains like carrots, mushrooms, konjac, tofu, and more… In Ouchi-juku, people eat river fish a lot They usually skewer and grill river fish over an open hearth inside a house Beef and vegetables are ready! Dip them in sweet soy sauce In Japan, there is usually a button on table for ordering So you don’t need to speak up Chawanmushi(steamed brothy custard) containing a shrimp, crab fishcake, mitsuba(Japanese parsley), and more Matcha pudding for a dessert This house also has a hearth Most houses in Ouchi-juku still use a hearth for grilling food You can hang fish, vegetables, and pots to cook rice here The open hearth even warms the room! And then there was only me in the room I enjoyed some a la carte This is Sauce Katsu (cutlets in sweet soy sauce-based sauce) I’ll try go outside for a night walk Temperature is around 0°C(32°F) It’s cold enough for the roads to get slippery Bros in Canada or Russia must be saying, “Hey, 0°C(32°F) is like a summer resort.” Usually, the main street is filled with tourists At this time of day, you can have it all to yourself Even at night, the lights of houses never go out in this town, making it magical Let’s climb up a few stairs and overlook the town Once you get off the main street, it’s completely dark Here is the best viewing point over the town Ouchi-juku has a resident charter with three principles: “Don’t sell, Don’t rent, and Don’t destroy.” Thanks to this, the townscape from the Edo period remains intact All the houses in the town have thatched roofs made from bundles of reeds and grass, called “Kayabuki-yane” Couldn’t capture it well, but the starry sky was really beautiful here You definitely should see it in person It’s a magical town for sure My hands almost died You can order drinks from your room They have sake, beer, wine, and whiskey with other hot and soft drinks Time to get ready for sleep In this inn, you need to make a bed on your own Not “make a bed” but “make futon” actually Sleeping on floor is a traditional style of Japanese Thanks to futon, rooms can stay small When it comes to Aizu-wakamatsu, I have stayed in the area’s most famous Ryokan hotel, Ookawasou before The hotel where a woman in Kimono plays Shamisen(traditional instrument) on the landing of the stairs If you’re interested, please check out my video about the hotel (URL is at top right of the video or in the description!) We’ve got two blankets and it’s warm enough Have a good night💤 Good morning I had a good night Breakfast Very traditional Grilled salmon, pickles, natto, nori seaweed… yogurt, orange, salted plums skewer Grilled egg, cabbage, broccoli, and ham All on rice The best For Japanese breakfast, we can’t miss miso soup This is a must It’s a meal that warms both body and soul Everyone gets a complimentary hot coffee at morning Good morning Ouchi-juku (8:00AM) Most tourists today have not yet arrived The morning tranquil atmosphere is so nice There are currently about 140 people living in this town And most residents here make a living from farming and selling to tourists or running inns Ouchi-juku is a living inn town Residents seem to be busy preparing for today’s sale Since most shops do not open until 10AM, let’s go visit the town’s main shrine Takakura-jinja Shrine Passing through the large Torii gate, we walk along the snow-covered rice fields There we see the forest and next torii gate BTW, torii gates serve to mark the boundary between the “sacred precincts” and the “secular world” Being surrounded by tons of cedar trees make a mystical atmosphere One of the trees in the shrine is over 800 years old The shrine is the guardian deity of the seven surrounding villages, including Ouchi-juku I found a hearth being used The smoke from the charcoal circulates inside the house, keeping it warm The attic where silkworms were likely kept The combination of snow and thatched roofs is very beautiful The days when it was common for families to gather around the hearth and eat meals together When a feudal lord in Aizu was heading to Edo(Tokyo today), he had lunch at this main camp accompanied by about 600 people “600 people” in this house Crazy Now tourists have arrived at the town Approximately 1 million people visit Ouchi-juku every year, but only a few stay overnight Now let’s drink a cup of Amazake(sweet fermented rice drink) from a 90 year old lady Amazake is drunk in many towns in Japan during the cold season One cup, 180JPY/1.26USD It tastes like rice wine but much less alcohol(children can drink) So good The 90-year-old lady married into this town in her twenties and has lived here ever since When she came to this town, she walked to central Aizu as there is no road around the town or even cars, of course Everyone here is friendly and they start talking with you many times Get early lunch meals at Tamaya House A must-eat in Ouchi-juku is definitely “Negi(green onion) Soba” Instead of chopsticks, you get one big green onion So you use this green onion to slurp the soba(buckwheat) noodles No I can’t haha Can’t even slurp one noodle When you have trouble slurping the noodles, you are advised to bite the green onion Then, the onion becomes like a fork It’ll be a little easier It’s actually no problem to use chopsticks but you may find it fun only using the green onion Green onions here are not too pungent so you can eat them up The owner of Tamaya House allowed me to freely stroll in the house The upper floors are somewhat warm thanks to the hearth Most of the thatched roof houses in Ouchi-juku are registered as a preservation asset Therefore, the thatching is regularly replaced using government subsidies It’s a good day for a stroll in Ouchi-juku (after heavy snow 2 days ago) Many shops and restaurants serve skewers of river fish and Dango(mochi dumpling) The special sweet in Ouchi-juku is “Tochi Mochi” Cooked in a hearth using a skewer Sadly, my footage filming me eating Tochi Mochi was gone It’s a mochi made by combining horse chestnut and glutinous rice Tochi Mochi is also a must-eat in this town It’s about time leaving the town for me Came back to Yunokami Onsen Station Here is a foot bath Then you will have no trouble waiting for the next train Aizu Railway is famous for “cats,” and some stations even recruit cats as stationmasters! Try search Google for “cat stationmasters” of Aizu Railway Thank you Ouchi-juku for the magical stay It’s one of the best destinations that I would like to come back to The window views on the way back to central Aizu-wakamatsu were superb Where should I go next? Look forward to upcoming winter travels in Japan☺️ Thank you for watching the video, as always Let’s do Rock, Scissors, Paper 1 2 3 Scissors I won! See you in the next travel!

Today, we are visiting Ouchi-juku inn town(post town) in Fukushima Prefecture. Just relax and enjoy the video!

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