Ouchi-juku Cherry Blossoms on the Shimotsuke Road

Clear waterways, grandmothers selling senbei, the beauty of cherry blossoms in full bloom, the flavor of green onion soba noodles, once a prosperous post town, Ouchi-juku on the Shimotsuke Road is one of the twenty-one stations of the Aizu Railway, the only station with a thatched roof in Eastern Japan. It is a rare sight to see an irori, a traditional Japanese sunken hearth, inside a train station, filling the space with the scent of wood smoke, also providing warmth for travelers during the cold winter months.