Full-day tour from Sendai: Fukushima Aizuwakamatsu Tsuruga Castle & JR Tadami Line
Last updated: August 26, 2026
Red-tiled Tsuruga Castle and the JR Tadami Line's famous river bridge in one full day from Sendai, deep in the Aizu valleys. The castle has stood some 630 years through war and rebuilding, and today its keep — the only one in Japan roofed in red tiles — recreates the late Edo period the Shinsengumi samurai knew, with the crafts and cuisine of Tsuruga Castle Hall next door. The road then follows the Tadami River into the mountains to the viewpoint over the First Tadami River Bridge, the secret railway's most dreamlike scene, with a stop at the Oze Highway Mishima Inn roadside station for hand-cut soba and Mishima's paulownia woodcraft.
Itinerary
Departure
- Start point: Sendai Station East Exit Sightseeing Bus Stop
- Stop at: Tsuruga Castle
- Stop at: Aizuwakamatsu Castle Hall
- Stop at: Tadami River Bridge Viewpoint
- Stop at: Ozekaido Mishima Juku Roadside Station
- End point: Sendai Station East Exit Sightseeing Bus Stop
Frequently Asked Questions
Roughly 630 years of history and the only castle keep in Japan roofed with red tiles. Rebuilt to its late-Edo appearance, it was the stage of the Boshin War's most storied siege — the world of the Shinsengumi and the young Byakkotai samurai — and its top floor looks out over the whole Aizu basin.
The signature scene of the JR Tadami Line: a graceful arch carrying the little local train over a mirror-still stretch of the Tadami River, framed by mountains. The viewpoint above the Mishima roadside station is the classic photo spot — mist, snow and autumn color each remake the picture, and whether a train crosses during your visit depends on the line's sparse timetable.
Tsuruga Castle Hall, beside the castle, is ranked among Japan's hundred best local-product halls — Aizu lacquerware and folk crafts on one side, local dishes on the other. The Oze Highway Mishima Inn adds hand-made soba and the paulownia work Mishima is known for.
By coach from Sendai Station's east exit and back — the Aizu region and the Tadami valley are genuinely hard to string together on public transport, which is what makes the round trip in a single day possible.