Aizu Samurai Week 2026 dates
Aizu Samurai Week 2026 runs Saturday 7 November through Sunday 15 November in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima. Nine days. The city tourism feature lists nine facilities, up from the June Fukushima DC special edition. The main ground is Tsuruga Castle park.
The feature calls Aizuwakamatsu a "Samurai City". Sunday 15 November is the castle stage and the free market, 10:00-15:00.
If you can keep one date, keep the 15th. The city page does not call that Sunday a national public holiday, and it does not name a Samurai Day. 15 November is also Shichi-Go-San, when families take children to a shrine. Keep that visit separate from the castle schedule.
Getting to Aizuwakamatsu
Aizuwakamatsu is in western Fukushima. LIVE JAPAN's guide says the city is just under three hours north of Tokyo. The same guide calls the red roof tiles unique in Japan, because the clay is iron-rich and suited to northern winters. That line is LIVE JAPAN's claim.
The usual rail path is the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Koriyama, then the Banetsu West Line to Aizu-Wakamatsu. Times change with the timetable, so check JR. Neither source prints a fare.
LIVE JAPAN gives the castle address as 1-1 Otemachi, Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima 965-0873, and ordinary castle hours as 8:30-17:00. On 15 November the festival window is 10:00-15:00. That window is the event. The keep's ordinary close on that guide is 17:00.
Nine places on the city map
The map has nine pins. The castle festival and the Ninomaru market share one of them. Prices below are the ones the tourism feature prints. Where a yen figure is missing, the cell says so.
| Place | Date | What you actually do | What it costs, if known |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tsuruga Castle park (Samurai Fes and Ninomarche, one map pin) | 15 Nov (Sun), 10:00-15:00 | Stage performances. Cardboard kabuto and white-tiger sword workshops. Armor try-on and martial-arts tryouts are listed as prepared. About 65 stalls on the Ninomaru lawn. The stage list is on the castle site. | Market admission free. Workshop prices are not on the week feature. |
| Aizu bukeyashiki (samurai residence) | Market and stage 14 Nov (Sat). Kokon lottery also 7, 8, 14, and 15 Nov. | Market 10:00-15:00. Stage at 11:00 and 12:50, with mochi pounding in the afternoon. Shop Kokon: one lottery draw per 3,000 yen spent. | Cardboard sword 1,500 yen. Senbei grilling 100 yen a sheet. |
| Aizu hanko Nisshinkan | Programme 7-15 Nov. Cosplay 7-8 Nov. Zazen and iaido on 8 Nov. | Kyudo, five arrows, in admission. Zazen about 30 minutes at 11:00 and 14:00. Iaido demonstration 13:00 in the archery hall, local Hokushin Itto-ryu, no reservation. Cosplay allowed at both. Change at Aizu-mura, not at the school. | Kyudo and iaido included in admission. Zazen 500 yen plus admission. Changing room is a separate Aizu-mura fee. Cosplay needs an advance reservation. |
| Oyakuen (the domain lord's garden) | 7 Nov only, 17:30-20:00 | One night opening with garden lights. Tea service and a warm food menu are listed, prices still to come. | Entry free during that window. Night-only entry certificate 300 yen including tax. |
| Fukushima Prefectural Museum | 7 Nov and 15 Nov | 15 Nov: cardboard monster-armor workshop 10:00-12:00, then an optional parade to the castle honmaru wearing it. Armor dressing 10:00-12:00 the same morning. 7 Nov: Aizu samurai history trip. | Workshop and armor dressing free. History trip 5,500 yen including tax, advance booking, no elementary students or infants, already full. |
| Onyado Toho (inn, overnight guests) | Stay 7-15 Nov. Armor greeting 7, 8, and 15 Nov, 15:00-17:00. | Staff in armor greet guests on those three afternoons. Buffet breakfast and dinner include a samurai menu. | Greeting free. Meals included in the stay. No room rate on the week page. |
| Seki Bikodo / Human Hub Tenneiji warehouse | 7-14 Nov (through Saturday, not the 15th) | Outdoor matcha with Aizu lacquer tea utensils, 30 minutes a group, slots 10:00-11:30 and 13:30-16:30. Lacquered wooden sword workshop. Starts 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, and 16:00. | Matcha 1,500 yen a person. Sword: large 4,000 yen, medium 3,500 yen, small 3,000 yen. |
| Ozawa candle shop | 7-15 Nov. Scent experience on weekends only. | Make and paint one Japanese candle, about 90 minutes. Scent session 45-60 minutes. Phone 0242-27-0652. | Candle 1,200 yen, reservation recommended. Scent 1,000 yen, reservation required. |
| Yamada Momen weaving workshop | 7-15 Nov. Shop 10:00-16:00. | Watch the factory floor. On weekdays, viewing stops 12:00-13:00. | Factory viewing free. |
Sunday 15 November at Tsuruga Castle
Tsuruga Castle Samurai Fes 2026 is the stage day: cardboard kabuto, white-tiger sword making, and armor try-on plus martial-arts tryouts listed as prepared. The week feature does not name the acts. The stage list is on the castle site.
A kabuto is a helmet. The cardboard one is a stall craft. A real kabuto is iron plates, often with a maedate crest. The white-tiger sword is cardboard as well, a souvenir nod to the Byakkotai story, not a relic from the hill.
Ninomarche is the same Sunday and hours on the Ninomaru lawn: about 65 stalls, admission free. The city says it is larger than the June edition and does not print that earlier stall count.
- The free monster-armor workshop is 10:00-12:00, then an optional walk to the honmaru in that armor. Armor dressing is the same hours. The stage opens then too, so pick one morning.
- For the stalls, stay in the castle park. Market admission is free.
- Onyado Toho guests: armor greeting 15:00-17:00, samurai menu included, no room rate printed.
What the other days are for
Oyakuen is the domain lord's garden for one night, 7 November, 17:30-20:00. Entry is free. The 300 yen charge is a night-only certificate. Tea and warm food still have no printed price.
I would not plan Saturday around the history trip. At 5,500 yen it was a guided outing, it bars elementary students and infants, and the page already marks it full (man'in onrei).
Nisshinkan was built in 1803 as the domain's top school. A school day meant literacy, Confucian texts, and martial practice, so five arrows and iaido share the buildings. See samurai education. Cosplay on 7-8 November needs an advance reservation, and you change at Aizu-mura. The iaido is a demonstration you watch, not a license to swing a live sword.
A bukeyashikiis a samurai house, and this one was a residence. Tsuruga Castle is the fortress. Seki Bikodo's lacquered sword is a bokuto, wood for practice, not a sharpened blade. Candle bookings: 0242-27-0652. Yamada Momen pauses factory viewing on weekdays, 12:00-13:00.
- Seki Bikodo's last day is 14 November. Sunday has no matcha and no lacquer sword.
- Ozawa's scent session is weekends only and needs a reservation.
- Zazen is 500 yen plus Nisshinkan admission. The week page does not print that admission.
Why Aizu is on this calendar
Aizu was a domain through the Edo period, aligned with the Tokugawa. In the Boshin War of 1868 the domain fought the new imperial army and lost. That defeat is part of the end of feudal Japan. The Satsuma Rebellionof 1877 is a later war, in Kyushu. People who search for the last samurai battle usually land on Satsuma. Aizu's famous fight is 1868.
Byakkotai, the White Tiger Corps, were teenage warriors from Aizu. The incident people repeat is a group on Iimori Hill. They saw the town burning, mistook it for the fallen castle, and killed themselves. The cardboard white-tiger sword points at that memory.
Set this timetable next to a Himeji castle walk and the Kanazawa samurai district. Samurai clothing and samurai museums cover armor when no festival is on.
Plan the nine days
Sunday is the castle. Several paid crafts close before it.
- Step 1: Pick 15 November if you can only do one day — Stage, free market, and the museum workshop if you accept the 10:00 clash. You miss Oyakuen, the residence market, and Seki Bikodo.
- Step 2: Add 14 November for the house and the lacquer — Saturday is the bukeyashiki market, the mochi pounding, and the last day of matcha and lacquered swords.
- Step 3: Book the paid workshops — Reserve the Ozawa candle (recommended) and the weekend scent session (required): 0242-27-0652. Cosplay on 7-8 November needs an advance reservation and a change at Aizu-mura. Check matcha and lacquer-sword times before you go.
- Step 4: Check what is already full — The 5,500 yen history trip on 7 November is marked full. Elementary students and infants were excluded. Recheck the tourism feature before you count on a seat.
- Step 5: Separate train time from event time — Tohoku Shinkansen to Koriyama, then the Banetsu West Line. Check JR. Castle hours on the LIVE JAPAN guide are 8:30-17:00. The festival is 10:00-15:00.
Quiz: dates, wars, and prices
Dates, wars, and prices.
1. Which day is Tsuruga Castle Samurai Fes 2026?
- A. Every day from 7 to 15 November
- B. 7 November at night only
- C. Sunday 15 November, 10:00-15:00
- D. Saturday 14 November at the samurai residence
Show answer
Answer: C. Sunday 15 November, 10:00-15:00
Castle festival and Ninomarche market: 15 November, 10:00-15:00. The residence market is 14 November.
2. Which war is Aizu's famous fight in this story?
- A. The Satsuma Rebellion in 1877, in Kyushu
- B. The Boshin War in 1868, against the new imperial army
- C. A holiday the city page calls Samurai Day
- D. Shichi-Go-San shrine visits on 15 November
Show answer
Answer: B. The Boshin War in 1868, against the new imperial army
Aizu lost the Boshin War in 1868. The Satsuma Rebellion was in 1877 in Kyushu.
3. What is the status of the 5,500 yen history trip?
- A. Free on 15 November with the armor parade
- B. 7 November, advance booking, no elementary students or infants, already marked full
- C. Included with a night at Onyado Toho
- D. Sold at the Ninomaru stalls
Show answer
Answer: B. 7 November, advance booking, no elementary students or infants, already marked full
The 5,500 yen bought a guided trip on 7 November, and the page lists it as full.
4. What do you take home from the Seki Bikodo sword workshop?
- A. A sharpened blade used by the Byakkotai
- B. A lacquered wooden practice shape, 3,000 to 4,000 yen
- C. A free cardboard kabuto from the castle
- D. A candle from Ozawa
Show answer
Answer: B. A lacquered wooden practice shape, 3,000 to 4,000 yen
A lacquered bokuto is a wooden practice shape. Seki Bikodo closes after 14 November.
Questions before you go
Frequently asked questions
- When is Aizu Samurai Week 2026?
- Saturday 7 November through Sunday 15 November 2026 in Aizuwakamatsu. Nine days, nine facilities, more than the June Fukushima DC special edition. The main ground is Tsuruga Castle park.
- Where is the main event, and is the market free?
- Tsuruga Castle Samurai Fes and Ninomarche both run Sunday 15 November, 10:00-15:00, with about 65 stalls. Market admission is free. The stage list is on the castle site.
- Is 15 November a national holiday called Samurai Day?
- The city page does not name a national public holiday called Samurai Day. 15 November is the castle festival day inside this week. The same date is also Shichi-Go-San, a children's shrine visit, which is a different custom.
- Can I still join the 5,500 yen Aizu samurai history trip?
- It is listed for 7 November only, at 5,500 yen including tax, with advance booking. Elementary students and infants are not allowed. The page already marks it full (man'in onrei). Treat it as closed unless the city updates the notice.
People also ask
- How long does Aizuwakamatsu take from Tokyo?
- LIVE JAPAN says just under three hours north of Tokyo by shinkansen to Koriyama, then the Banetsu West Line. Check JR for the time. No fare is listed here.
- Who were the Byakkotai?
- Teenage Aizu warriors. One remembered group killed themselves on Iimori Hill after mistaking the burning town for the fallen castle.
- Can visitors swing a sword at the Nisshinkan iaido demonstration?
- No. On 8 November at 13:00, local Hokushin Itto-ryu practitioners demonstrate in the archery hall. It is included in admission. Visitors watch.
- Is Oyakuen open all week?
- One night only: 7 November, 17:30-20:00. Entry is free. A night-only certificate is 300 yen including tax. Tea and warm food prices are still to come.
- What closes before Sunday 15 November?
- Seki Bikodo and the residence market end on the 14th. Oyakuen is the night of the 7th. Cosplay is 7-8 November. Zazen and iaido are on the 8th. Sunday keeps the castle, the free market, and the museum workshops.
- Does Onyado Toho publish a festival room rate?
- No rate is on the week page. Guests from 7-15 November get a samurai menu with the stay, and a free armor greeting on 7, 8, and 15 November, 15:00-17:00.