The Abukuma Mountains and Ou Mountain Range run north-south across Fukushima Prefecture, dividing it into three areas with completely different climatic features.
In the Coastal Region, which runs along the Pacific coast, summers are mild and winters are relatively warm, with little snowfall.
Meanwhile, the summers in Aizu are pleasantly cool in the mountains and at night, but can be intensely hot and humid in the valleys and during the day. And winter brings some of the heaviest snowfall in Japan.
The weather of the Central Region falls somewhere in between the two areas. Summers are hot and humid, but can have massive temperature fluctuations throughout the day, while winters bring chilly winds and snowfall.
All of these natural characteristics set the stage for the delicious food that Fukushima produces.
Fukushima Ten-no-tsubu rice
The texture is delightfully firm and springy. It’s better than the rice I typically eat.
(Tokyo man in his 30s)
It’s got a clean flavor and even tastes great cold. I bet it would be great for bento boxes or rice balls.
(Tokyo woman in her 30s)