It is the third largest prefecture in terms of area after Hokkaido and Iwate, and it takes about five hours to drive from one end to the other on the local roads.

It ranks 40th out of 47 prefectures in terms of population density, making it one of the most rural areas in Japan. However, this is due to the vast area of ​​Fukushima Prefecture, and the urban areas of Fukushima are actually quite prosperous.

I live in Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, which is in an area called "Nakadori" by Fukushima residents. The reason is that it is exactly in the middle if Fukushima is divided vertically into thirds.

And the most prosperous areas in Fukushima Prefecture are Koriyama City, Fukushima City, Aizu City, and Iwaki City. Of these, Koriyama City and Fukushima City are in the "Nakadori", Aizu City is on the left, and Iwaki City is on the right.

If you live in Fukushima City, the area you can travel by car is roughly limited to Fukushima City, Koriyama City, and Aizu City. This is because it takes more than three hours by car to get to Sendai City (Miyagi Prefecture) in the north, and about the same time to get to Iwaki City in the east.

I have only been living in Fukushima City for half a year, but I have been to several sightseeing spots. I would like to introduce them to you this time.

First, I would like to introduce Fukushima City. Fukushima City flourishes mainly around the east exit of the station, and several festivals are held in the summer. This year, I participated in one of them, the "Waraji Festival." The "Waraji Festival" is literally a festival of straw sandals, where straw sandals with a total length of several tens of meters are raised like a portable shrine and rotated 360 degrees with a person on top, so the person carrying them runs around with great force. In August, Fukushima is close to the highest temperature in the country during the day, but it is very cool in the early morning and at night, and you can enjoy the festival while enjoying yakisoba, takoyaki, beer, and other food stalls. I got takeout Fukushima specialty disk dumplings from an izakaya near the station and ate them while watching the festival. I live in Fukushima City, so I'll be going home, but if you're here on vacation, I recommend staying at Iizaka Onsen in Fukushima City, a hot spring in Aizu City, or Ginzan Onsen. However, Ginzan Onsen is always fully booked, so be careful.

Next, I'd like to introduce Aizu City. To be honest, I didn't think Aizu City would be that big, but it was bigger and more fun than I imagined. I liked the character "Akabeko," so I went to a place called "Akabeko Land." There, you can buy "Akabeko" goods and experience coloring. In the coloring experience, you are given a doll in the shape of "Akabeko," which is the original material for "Akabeko," and each person can create their own original design. I drew a "Space Beko," but my companion told me it was "Nasubeko" (eggplant). (Japanese eggplants are purple, which was similar to the color of the universe I painted.) Aizu City is also famous for its gourmet food, and the Kitakata ramen and tarekatsudon are very delicious.

These are the places I've been to in the last six months of this year. I like reading, so I've been going to cafes around Fukushima Station, trying to cover every cafe there, so I haven't traveled much. Because of this, there isn't much information about Fukushima yet, but having actually lived there, I've found the land and people to be nice, and as the saying goes, "home is where you live," so I'd like to learn more about Fukushima.

I'm also planning to go to Iwaki City at the end of this year, so I hope to post any information I get there here.

See you next year. Happy New Year (Yoi Otoshi wo).