❖ Meet at Kintetsu-Koriyama Station

9:00 / 14:00

The group meets the guide at the ticket gate of Kintetsu-Koriyama Station.

❖ Koriyama Castle

9:15 - 9:55 / 14:15 - 14:55 (40 min)

We begin at Koriyama Castle, the pride and symbol of the city. The castle was built in the 16th century and is celebrated as one of the most famous cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan. Depending on the season you can enjoy delicate spring sakura or vivid autumn foliage. Koriyama Castle impresses not only with its imposing stone walls and architecture, but also with its harmony with nature and its splendid exterior gate, relocated from Negoroji in Wakayama. From the top, a breathtaking panorama overlooks the town of Yamato-Koriyama.

❖ Yanagi-cho Shopping Street

10:10 - 10:30 / 15:10 - 15:30 (20 min)

Stroll along the retro arcades of Yanagi-cho and immerse yourself in the old downtown atmosphere. Along the way we step into the 400-year-old Kikuya sweets shop, whose artisans craft a wide variety of Japanese sweets using traditional recipes perfected over four centuries. While exploring this quaint narrow street, look out for Kochikuya, a souvenir shop where you can try your hand at goldfish scooping, a nostalgic pastime that harks back to childhood summer festivals.

❖ Hakomotokan Konya

10:35 - 10:50 / 15:35 - 15:50 (15 min)

Pay a visit to this restored indigo dyer's house. Inside you will find a small museum of art and antiques tied to the city's heritage of goldfish breeding. You can also browse and purchase hand-dyed accessories should something take your fancy.

❖ Koriyama Hachiman Shrine

10:55 - 11:10 / 15:55 - 16:10 (15 min)

Just off the shopping street stands this Shinto shrine, quietly famous among baseball fans across Japan. When a local man once donated baseball mitts to the shrine for the disadvantaged, it sparked a quiet trend; more locals joined in, and eventually famous pro-baseball players began contributing as well. Today visitors come to pray for victory in their games.

We also pause at the iconic K-coffee, a quirky local spot featuring a fish tank crafted from a vintage phone booth: a perfect place to photograph goldfish gliding through the booth while you sip freshly roasted coffee.

❖ Goldfish ponds and Koriyama Goldfish Museum

11:20 - 11:45 / 16:20 - 16:45 (25 min)

Our final stop brings you to Kingyoda, the goldfish production centre just outside the city. Yamato-Koriyama is one of Japan's leading goldfish production sites, distributing approximately 60 million goldfish nationwide, or roughly 40% of the national share. The Kingyoda facility maintains about 50 hectares of culturing ponds, and seeing such vast numbers of goldfish swimming across so wide an expanse is a truly unforgettable sight.

You will also visit the Koriyama Goldfish Museum, which features goldfish-related memorabilia, reproductions of Edo-era prints, and a garden area with tanks of rare goldfish varieties. A small admission fee applies at the museum.

❖ Drop off at Kintetsu-Koriyama Station

12:00 / 17:00

The tour concludes at Kintetsu-Koriyama Station.