Fukushima-ken travel in February

Hi!

I have been paying attention to the Hagibis 19 disrupted train line maps and trying to use google translate on the JR East page to figure out if the entire rail line from Koriyama to Ononiimachi is back on line to no avail? Is it up now? We're looking to use it in February.

Our other option would be a rental car out of Koriyama. I have driven in snow many times before and my IDP from June 2019 should still be valid. I have actually never used snow tires, though honestly, they would have come in handy because the plowing was the pits last time I was i snow. The expressway seemed quite pleasant Summer, but I am unsure of what it is like in February.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Yes, the Banetsu-to Line between Koriyama and Iwaki has already fully reopened in mid November!

Ohhh thank you! I'm so happy for the people who actually need the line as well as us. I saw pictures of the damage to Koriyama and it looked pretty bad.

Do you think it makes more sense to use it or to rent a car? The plus of the train, is well it's a train. The minus is, I know it doesn't run between Ononiimachi and Koriyama as often as I would like. I'm just unsure of road conditions as I've never gone to Fukushima in Winter.

The area does not get large amounts of snow, but it is not unusual to encounter winter driving conditions there. Trains run almost hourly which is - relatively speaking - not too bad for a countryside line. The other question is whether the attractions you plan to visit are near the stations.

Hi Uji,

Yes, I know the train is not so bad considering Ononiimachi and the rest of the Banetsu-to line are not really high up on tourist lists, the issue becomes more that coming from Tokyo we won't get to Ononiimachi until 12:25 and we then either have to catch the return train at 13:56 or 15:28. Of the times we went by train, once we made the 13:56 and twice we have missed it and had to struggle to find anything to do in Ononiimachi until 15:28. I guess we could technically try for the longer route to Iwaki and then catch a Hitachi, I've not been to Iwaki and have been to Koriyama multiple times. Do you know if there is a bus between Ononiimachi and Koriyama with differing times?

I have driven during snow storms and have driven during their aftermath. I don't like driving during a snow storm though, the reduced visibility and slipperiness of the roads is just miserable. I got caught in a bad storm last March driving to the airport and was in 8-15 cm of snow for over an hour because plowing hadn't happened yet. I got caught in a blizzard with white out conditions near Towadako in '09 when a friend was driving and I just want to avoid that.


Thank you, I do appreciate your advice and help.