Aizu and Decorated Candle

I mentioned Aizu, Fukushima (Japan) in my previous article 'The Scream', I'll tell you more about Aizu. For me, Aizu is the place I feel close to. Maybe because my mother's family used to live there many years ago. I don't know the house they lived in, and I have never lived in Aizu, but I have visited there a few times including school excursions.

My latest trip to Aizu was in 2008, with my friend. One of our purposes was to have a candle decorating-experience. There are some workshops visitors can try your hand at making something yourself as experiences, including Okiagari-koboshi painting experience. We went to one of Aizu's traditional decorated candles shop; Hoshiban, which is founded in 1772, and was purveyor to Aizu Domain. Aizu's candles are painted with colourful floral and other decorative motifs.

I mimicked a traditional floral design. The fee to do this is 1,500 yen per person include one professionally decorated candle for souvenir. (You will need to book though). You can tell which is which by looking at these candles below. Yes, the one on the right is painted by professional and the one on the left is painted by me!

Aizu is a historical place. There is a tall hill on the northeast of Aizu, which is called Iimoriyama. This place is famous for the tragedy of 20 teenage force members "White Tiger Force" of the Aizu domain, who committed ritual suicide at this place after thinking mistakenly that their castle was   defeated and being destroyed in flames during the Edo period.

There is also interesting building in Aizu; Sazae-dou temple (below, left). This is a double helix tower which has a wooden spiral one-way ramp, that leads you go up from the front-side entrance to the top and go down to the back-side exit without walking the same way.

It was a hot and humid summer day with over 30 degrees Celsius. We had a Zaru Soba for a lunch. It's nice food to cool down for hot summer.

In Aizu, there are many old buildings. It's fun to explore the city.