Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Aizu Wakamatsu JR Station 会津若松駅, Aizu Tetsudo Aizu Wakamatsu Station 会津鉄道会津若松駅

Aizu Wakamatsu JR Station 会津若松駅 is a train station serving Ban'etsu Nishi line 磐越西線 and  Tadami line 只見線, located in Aizu Wakamatsu city of Fukushima Prefecture. The connecting Aizu Tetsudo Aizu Wakamatsu Station 会津鉄道会津若松駅 serves Aizu line 会津線 (operated by Aizu Railway 会津鉄道).

Local train service.

Brief encounter with SL Ban'etsu Monogatari train at Aizu Wakamatsu Station.

Limited express / sightseeing trains serving this train station include:
(1) Fruitea Fukushima フルーティーアふくしま, a themed train commuting between Koriyama 郡山駅 and Kitakata 喜多方駅 via Ban'etsu Nishi line 磐越西線, stopping by Inawashiro 猪苗代駅 and Aizu Wakamatsu 会津若松駅.
(2) SL Ban'etsu Monogatari SL盤越物語, a steam locomotive driven themed train commuting between Aizu Wakamatsu and Niitsu 新津駅 (in Niigata Prefecture), via Ban'etsu Nishi line 磐越西線.
In Japanese: https://www.jreast.co.jp/railway/joyful/c57.html
(3) Torokko Aizu Roman Mori go トロッコ会津浪漫号, a themed train operated by Aizu Railway 会津鉄道, commuting between Aizu Wakamatsu and Aizu Tajima 会津田島駅 via Aizu line, stopping by Ashinomaki Onsen 蘆ノ牧温泉駅 and Yunokami Onsen 湯野上温泉駅.
In Japanese: http://www.aizutetsudo.jp/trip/ozatoro/

======

What's nearby?

(1) Tourist information center, near the entrance of the train station.
Machinaka Shuyu Bus one day free pass can be purchased from here.



(2) Bus boarding area, in front of the train station.

Machinaka Shuyu Bus まちなか周遊バス is a city loop bus service which provide excellent accessibility to major places of interest in Aizu Wakamatsu city.
Bus fare per ride = 210 yen
One day free pass = 600 yen
- For Tsuruga Castle 鶴ヶ城, Oyaku-en 御薬園: Board Machinaka Shuyu Bus Haikara-san まちなか周遊バスハイカラ (clockwise direction) and alight at Tsuruga Castle Iriguchi 鶴ヶ城入口.
- For Aizu Samurai Residence / Bukeyashiki 会津武家屋敷, Higashiyama Onsen 東山温泉: Board Machinaka Shuyu Bus Akabe まちなか周遊バスあかべぇ (anticlockwise direction) and alight at Higashiyama Onsen Iriguchi 東山温泉入口.
Bus schedule: https://www.aizubus.com/rosen/machinaka-shuyu

Platform 2 for Kankou Rosen Bus (Aizu Wakamatsu - Ochijuku - Shirakawa) 観光路線バス (会津若松~大内宿~白河), which operates only on weekends and public holidays between April and November. There are two round trips made per day between Aizu Wakamatsu and Ochijuku and it takes approx 1 hr 10 mins per one way trip.
Bus fare (between Aizu Wakamatsu and Ochijuku) = 1,200 yen
Bus schedule: https://www.aizubus.com/sightseeing/bus/shirakawa_line

For my trip, I boarded Torokko Aizu Roman-go train at Aizu Wakamatsu and alighted at Yunokami Onsen, where I transferred to a connecting bus (Saruyu-go 猿遊号) to get to Ochijuku. Utilised Kankou Rosen Bus for the return trip. 

======

Commemorative stamp: