Stand at the Shiomidai Lookout in Misaki Park and the Pacific opens below you, the coastline running north toward the Shioyazaki Lighthouse. Iwaki rewards travellers who are willing to move between the coast and the hills, trading a morning at a temple garden for an afternoon among fossils.
The city suits travellers with a car or patience for local transport, families travelling with children, and anyone interested in the overlap of Heian-era temple building, coal-mining history and the deep past preserved in the region's strata. This guide covers the sights worth your time and how to string them into a single day.
Top things to do in Iwaki
1. Shiramizu Amidado Temple
Shiramizu Amidado is the oldest building still standing in the Iwaki region and was designated a national treasure in 1952. It was built on the orders of Tokihime, widow of the feudal lord Norimichi Iwaki, in 1160 at the end of the Heian Period.
A Japanese garden surrounds the temple, and visitors can relax and enjoy the peaceful grounds. Allow time to sit in the garden rather than treating the temple as a quick stop.
2. Aquamarine Fukushima
This aquarium focuses on the ocean off the coast of Fukushima, specifically the meeting of the warm Kuroshio Current from the south and the cold Oyashio Current from the north. Highlights include a touching pool, a walk-through glass tunnel, tropical botanical gardens and marine mammals.
It opens 09:00-17:00 and admission is ¥1,600. Pair it with Misaki Park and the Onahama waterfront, which sit in the same part of the city.
3. Misaki Park
On the eastern side of Onahama Bay, a headland rises 46 m above sea level and holds Misaki Park. Its main features are the Shiomidai Lookout and the Marine Tower, which has an observation deck approximately 60 m high giving a bird's-eye view of the surrounding coastline.
Go for the view over the bay, and combine the visit with Aquamarine Fukushima nearby.
4. Shioyazaki Lighthouse
The Shioyazaki Lighthouse is a symbol of Iwaki City, standing on a cliff top overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The beacon stands 80 m above sea level and its beam reaches 40 km out to sea, and it has guided ships since 1890.
In front of the lighthouse are two stones, one of which appears to be playing the same song over and over again; this stone is a memorial to Hibari Misora, who was featured in one of her famous songs. Look for the stones after taking in the cliff-top view.
5. Iwaki City Coal and Fossil Museum
This museum gives a comprehensive overlook at the history and development of the Joban coalmine. Displays include a replica of the living conditions of the miners as well as fossils found within the city.
One featured display is a dinosaur fossil known as the Futaba Suzuki Ryu, a kind of plesiosaurus discovered in the Futaba strata group, a layer that formed in the seashore 80 million years ago, and named after the strata group and the discoverer.
6. Iwaki City Sea Dinosaur Centre
Built at the site where Futabasaurus suzukii was found, this is a mini theme park with outdoor attractions such as slides, a roller coaster, a Ferris wheel and dinosaur models, plus an indoor playground. The plesiosaur was discovered by a high school student, Tadashi Suzuki, at a riverside outcrop of the Ohisa River in Itakizawa, Ohisa Town, in 1968.
It opens 09:00-17:00 and admission is ¥200 for adults and ¥100 for children. The fossil and a reconstructed skeleton are on display at the National Science Museum in Tokyo, so come here for the site and the outdoor attractions rather than expecting the original specimen.
7. Iwaki City Ammonite Centre
The Ammonite Centre was built directly at a giant ammonite fossil excavation site. It opens 09:00-17:00, and admission is ¥250 for adults and ¥100 for children.
On weekends, excluding the third Sunday of each month, visitors can take part in excavations just outside the centre between 10:00-11:30 and 13:30-15:00. Field work may be cancelled in bad weather, so treat the dig as a bonus rather than a certainty.
8. Iwaki City Museum of Folklore and Traditional Housing
Reproduced traditional houses, household goods and villages from the late Edo to the early Meiji period are on display here. It is a chance to experience old-style Japan at first hand.
Opening hours run Wed-Mon, 09:00-17:00 from April to September and 09:30-16:30 from October to March. Admission is ¥210 for adults and ¥100 for children.
9. Nakoso Barrier
According to ancient records, this was the site of the Kikuta barrier gate. The name 'Nakoso' means 'do not enter', and the barrier gave the impression to the Michinoku, the people of the north, that they were not welcome.
The image of divided people, lovers and even seasons made the Nakoso-Barrier popular among poets as an 'uta-makura', a place that inspires poetry. Many literary works describing the barrier, and portraits of the poets and writers, are on display in the museum here, along with exhibitions on the history of the barrier and the customs of ancient travellers.
10. Spa Resort Hawaiians
This amusement complex is a large indoor and outdoor hot spring resort featuring a waterpark, waterslides and the world's largest outdoor hot spring. There are also hula and Polynesian dance performances, souvenir shops and specialty shops.
Admission is ¥3,150 for adults and ¥2,000 for children, with discounts for late entry, and a free shuttle bus runs from Yumoto Station. It works well as a wind-down after a day of sightseeing.
11. みちのくや 尼子の橋や 以和のうえ
This memorial is one of the named markers in the city. Stop if you are passing and want to read the inscription in person.
12. 鈴木 辰三郎の像
A statue commemorating Suzuki Tatsusaburō, whose name is tied to the region's fossil discoveries. It makes a natural companion stop to the fossil and dinosaur sites.
13. 飯野八幡宮
A place of worship in the city. Visit respectfully and quietly, as you would at any working shrine.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Shiramizu Amidado Temple, where the garden is at its most peaceful early in the day, then continue to Aquamarine Fukushima when it opens at 09:00.
Afternoon: Move on to Misaki Park for the Shiomidai Lookout and the Marine Tower observation deck, then drive to Shioyazaki Lighthouse for the cliff-top view and the Hibari Misora memorial stones.
Evening: Finish at Spa Resort Hawaiians, where the hot springs and the hula and Polynesian performances make an easy end to the day; late-entry discounts apply.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit the Ammonite Centre?
Weekends, excluding the third Sunday of each month, when visitors can join excavations outside the centre between 10:00-11:30 and 13:30-15:00. Field work may be cancelled in bad weather.
How do I get to Spa Resort Hawaiians without a car?
A free shuttle bus runs from Yumoto Station.
Which sights suit families with children?
Aquamarine Fukushima, with its touching pool and walk-through glass tunnel, and the Iwaki City Sea Dinosaur Centre, with its slides, roller coaster, Ferris wheel and indoor playground, are both built for younger visitors.
What can I see at the Iwaki City Coal and Fossil Museum?
Displays on the history and development of the Joban coalmine, a replica of the miners' living conditions, and fossils found within the city, including the Futaba Suzuki Ryu plesiosaur.
Pick the coast or the hills for your first morning, check the opening days for the Museum of Folklore and Traditional Housing, and start planning your trip to Iwaki.