If you're visiting the sights of Fukushima prefecture, it's likely you'll find yourself passing through Koriyama station, either to change trains or to spend a night in the city between other destinations.
As well as the JR Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train, from Koriyama station you can take a number of other JR lines:
- the Ban'etsu West Line, to historical Aizu-Wakamatsu and to Inawashiro, from where you can visit Lake Inawashiro or take the bus up to the Bandai plateau
- the Tohoku Main Line, going south to Kuroiso and north to Fukushima city
- the Suigun Line, which will eventually bring you to Mito
- the Ban'etsu East Line, heading towards the Pacific coast for Miharu and Iwaki
As big stations go, it's a pretty pleasant place to stroll around. The main concourse is big and spacious, and didn't really feel crowded at any time that I was there. It's overlooked by a colourful, artistic stained glass window, that casts coloured light onto the floor. There are little statues of cute characters dotted around, and some inventive decoration on the steps, showing you what I assume is a local historical figure as you look at them head on.
There are convenience stores and cafes inside the station, as well as a Lush, a drugstore, a bookstore and a souvenir shop where you can buy local products as gifts for your friends or yourself. Up on the second floor there's the tourist information office, which has some leaflets in English and other languages about the region and its sights. Also up there are some restaurants and the Food Bazaar, a small food court with stands selling snacks and light meals such as ramen. If you need more, the station is also directly connected to S-Pal, a three-floor shopping centre with cafes, clothing stores, a Muji store and a hundred-yen store.
