Introducing Fukushima Prefecture

Travel Alert: The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommends against all travel to the Fukushima Dai-Chi nuclear facility exclusion zone, please check with your relevant national government.

Fukushima-ken, Japan’s third-largest prefecture, is closest to Tokyo, though it boasts fewer sites of tourist value than its northern neighbours. At the same time, it shouldn’t be overlooked. Onsen lovers will be happy to know that the prefecture boasts over 200 hot springs, and sake sippers can delight in numerous local varieties. The Hamadori area, on the coast, was once an important mining area and is now known for its seaside resorts (the tourist board also promotes the output of Hamadori’s nuclear power plants – perhaps not the best move, given Japan’s dubious safety record). Nakadori, the inland region, is the administrative hub, containing the capital, Fukushima City, and most of the population. Aizu, to the prefecture’s west, was at the centre of the feudal war.