[Autumn/Winter 2026] Aizuwakamatsu Art Guide: Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping, Sazaedo, Oyakuen Garden and the Fukushima Museum

Aizuwakamatsu in Fukushima Prefecture grew up as a castle town around Tsuruga-jo Castle. It is also a town of crafts: Gamo Ujisato, who became lord of the domain in the late 16th century, is said to have laid the foundations of Aizu lacquerware by inviting woodturners and lacquerers from his former domain in Omi. For three nights from Friday, November 20 to Sunday, November 22, 2026, “Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026” will light up the keep and stone walls with imagery inspired by those crafts: Aizu lacquerware, Aizu painted candles and Aizu cotton. This guide, based on official and tourism information from each site (as of November 9), suggests visiting the town’s cultural sites by day and heading to the castle park in the evening.

*Disclosure: “Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026,” featured in this article, is an event produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE (About us).

Tsuruga-jo Castle: the red-tiled keep by day, projection mapping on the nights of November 20–22

According to the official website, the keep of Tsuruga-jo Castle (Wakamatsu Castle) is the only castle keep in Japan roofed in red tiles. Inside is a local history museum, and the observation level at the top looks out over the town. It is open 8:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30) with no closing days. Admission is ¥410 for adults and ¥150 for children. A combined ticket with the Rinkaku tea house, associated with Sen no Rikyu’s son Shoan, costs ¥520, and a three-site ticket that adds Oyakuen Garden costs ¥730.

From 17:30 to 21:00 on November 20–22, “Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026” will project imagery based on Aizu lacquerware, Aizu painted candles, Aizu cotton and other traditions onto the keep and stone walls, with a sea-of-clouds effect added for the first time. The show repeats a roughly eight-minute sequence with a break of about three minutes, and viewing is free with no reservation needed. The keep museum closes at 17:00, so climb the keep while it is still light. Parking and photography rules are covered in our article on Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026, and the keep’s exhibits and history in our Tsuruga-jo Castle guide.

Fukushima Museum: projection mapping on a model of the castle town, on the site of the outer citadel

The Fukushima Museum, opened in 1986, stands on the site of Tsuruga-jo Castle’s outer citadel (Sannomaru). Its permanent exhibition traces Fukushima’s history from prehistory to modern times through archaeology, history, folklore and natural history. In April 2024 it added “Aizu Stadium,” a 1:700 scale model of the Wakamatsu castle town as it was before the Boshin War. Built in detail from sources including a folding-screen map of the castle town painted by the late-Edo town painter Osuka Seiko, the model is used for projection mapping shown at set times that explains how the town of Wakamatsu took shape and how the castle withstood the siege of the Boshin War. It is a good way to grasp the history of the castle and its town before seeing the keep at night.

The museum is open 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30) and closed on Mondays (open if Monday is a national holiday or substitute holiday). Admission to the permanent exhibition is ¥400 for adults and university students and free for high school students and younger. A three-site ticket covering the permanent exhibition, the Tsuruga-jo Castle keep and the Rinkaku tea house is also available (¥730 for adults and university students). Special exhibitions change through the year, so check the official website.

Oyakuen Garden: a retreat of the Aizu lords with a medicinal herb garden

Oyakuen, east of Tsuruga-jo Castle, is the Aizu Matsudaira Clan Garden, designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty. According to official information, it began about 600 years ago when Ashina Morihisa, the 10th head of the Ashina clan, built a villa on this spot where a sacred spring had welled up. It later served as a villa for the lords of Aizu, and from the time of the second Matsudaira lord it became a garden with a medicinal herb garden attached. It is a stroll-style daimyo garden laid out around a pond, and the herb garden can also be seen.

It is open 8:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30) every day. Admission is ¥330 for adults, ¥270 for high school students and ¥160 for elementary and junior high school students. The garden has no lighting, and it gets dark early in winter, so visit early in the day.

Mt. Iimori and Sazaedo: a double-spiral hall where visitors never pass each other

East of JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, on the slope of Mt. Iimori, where the graves of the young Byakkotai samurai who took their own lives in the Boshin War are located, stands Aizu Sazaedo (officially Entsu Sansodo). Built in 1796, the hexagonal, three-story Buddhist hall is 16.5 meters tall, and its interior passage is a double-spiral ramp, so visitors going up never meet those coming down. It is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan.

It is open from 8:15 until sunset (9:00–16:00 from December to March) every day. Admission is ¥400 for adults, ¥300 for university and high school students and ¥200 for elementary and junior high school students. It is about a five-minute walk from the Iimoriyama-shita stop of the town loop bus.

Aizu crafts: the lacquer, candles and cotton behind the projection

Aizu lacquerware is said to have begun when Gamo Ujisato invited woodturners and lacquerers from Hino in Omi Province and promoted the craft as an industry, and it was designated a Traditional Craft of Japan in 1975. Aizu painted candles, decorated with flowers such as chrysanthemums and peonies, are made by hand one at a time by craftspeople. Aizu cotton, known for its stripes, has also been handed down through everyday life in Aizu.

In winter, these painted candles take center stage at the Aizu Painted Candle Festival, usually held in February, when about 10,000 candles are lit across the city, centered on Tsuruga-jo Castle and Oyakuen (the 2026 festival was held on February 13 and 14).

Getting around: the loop bus stops running after 18:00

From JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, take the town loop bus “Haikara-san” to the Tsurugajo Iriguchi stop, then walk about five minutes to the castle. The Fukushima Museum is right by the Tsurugajo Sannomaru-guchi stop. By car, the castle is about 15 minutes from the Aizu-Wakamatsu Interchange on the Ban-etsu Expressway.

One possible route is Mt. Iimori and Sazaedo in the morning, Oyakuen around midday, the Tsuruga-jo Castle keep and the Fukushima Museum in the afternoon, and the projection mapping from 17:30. However, the loop bus stops running in the early evening: the last departures are 18:05 from Aizu-Wakamatsu Station and 18:14 from Tsurugajo Iriguchi. Arrange a taxi or car for the trip back after the show. Some parking lots around the castle cannot be used during the event, so drivers should also check the parking information.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see Aizuwakamatsu’s main sights in one day?

Tsuruga-jo Castle, the Fukushima Museum, Oyakuen Garden and Sazaedo on Mt. Iimori are all in the urban area, and by combining the loop bus and taxis you can visit them in a single day. Oyakuen has no lighting and the keep museum closes at 17:00, so see the garden and the keep while it is still light.

Do I need a reservation for the Tsuruga-jo Castle projection mapping, and is there a fee?

No reservation is needed, and viewing is free. In 2026 it takes place for three nights, from Friday, November 20 to Sunday, November 22, from 17:30 to 21:00.

Are there combined tickets?

There is a three-site ticket for the Tsuruga-jo Castle keep, the Rinkaku tea house and Oyakuen Garden (¥730), and another three-site ticket for the Fukushima Museum’s permanent exhibition, the Tsuruga-jo Castle keep and the Rinkaku tea house (¥730 for adults and university students).

What events are held in Aizuwakamatsu in winter?

Besides “Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026” on November 20–22, the Aizu Painted Candle Festival, which lights Aizu painted candles at Tsuruga-jo Castle, Oyakuen and elsewhere, is usually held in February. Check the official announcement for the 2027 dates.

A note from the publisher

*Disclosure: “Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026,” featured in this article, is an event produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE (About us).

For the latest information on events by HITOHATA, INC., see HITOHATA, INC.’s event page. Related events this winter in Osaka, Hiroshima and Gifu are covered in our roundup of winter 2026–2027 events.

*Top image: Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026 (from a HITOHATA, INC. press release)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on official information from Tsuruga-jo Castle, the Fukushima Museum and Oyakuen Garden, tourism information on Aizu Sazaedo and the Aizu Painted Candle Festival (as of November 9, 2026), and official announcements of “Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026.”