Akita

Travel Guide

• Exploring the Vast Culture and Nature of Iwate and Akita

  

  16.04.2019

• History and Culture in Northern Akita

  

  13.04.2019

• Bathing and Kicking Back at Hikage Onsen

  

  13.04.2019

• Cultural Riches in Akita

  

  13.04.2019

• 2019 February Best Events in Japan

  

  06.02.2019

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Best Events

• Festivals

  

  • Hanawabayashi Festival
  • Akita Kanto Festival

• Cherry Blossom

  

  • Sensyu Park

• Fireworks Festivals

  

  • Noshiro Fireworks Show
  • Omagari National Fireworks Competition

Top Things to do

• Senshu Park

  Akita Pref. Akitashi Senshukouen

  This park in Akita City, Akita Prefecture was established to maintain the inner and outer citadel of Kubota Castle. It was designed by landscape architect Yasuhei Nagaoka. The remains of the Omonogashira-gobansho (a guard post where the samurai on guard duty and in charge of opening and closing the gates were stationed) and the restored Osumiyagura turret and front gate offer vestiges of the past, and these are popular as photo spots. At a shop in the outer citadel one can try delicious dumpling called Senshu Dango. The lush garden is famous for its cherry blossoms and azaleas and is consequently a popular spot for blossom viewing during the cherry blossom festival and azalea festival each spring.

• Akita Museum of Art

  Akita Pref. Akitashi Nakadori 1-4-2

  This art museum located in the Nakadori district of Akita Prefecture’s Akita City opened in 1967. It moved to its present location in 2013, and was redesigned by architect Tadao Ando. The museum stores and exhibits numerous famous artworks, though the bulk of its collection is from 1930s Western-style painter Tsuguharu Foujita. Sights to see include the more than 20-meter long mural “Annual Events in Akita.” The unique architecture is a must-see, featuring elements such as a spiral stairway without any supports and a pond that looks out towards Senshu Park.

• Akita City Akarenga Red Brick Folk Museum

  Akita Pref. Akitashi Omachi 3-3-21

  This is a museum of local history in Omachi Town, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, arranged in three buildings including the former Akita Bank headquarters “Red Brick House” constructed in 1912. Traditional craft items from Akita City are exhibited in the red brick building, designated as an important cultural property of Japan. Concerts are held annually in the magnificent atrium hall. The new building has memorial rooms for Akita-born woodblock print artist Katsuhira Tokushi and national treasure hammer artist Sekiya Shiro, as well as exhibitions relating to Akita’s history, folklore and art.

• Otafuku

  Akita Pref. Akitashi Omachi 4-2-25

  A local cuisine restaurant in Omachi Town, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, where one can taste Akita’s fresh seafood and mountain food. The menu is a lineup of Akita specialties including kiritanpo (mashed rice pressed on a skewer and toasted) and shottsuru (salted and fermented fish sauce), sandfish, hinaijidori (a cross between Hinai-Dori and Rhode Island Red Chickens), with kiritanpo being served with the most pride. The kiritanpo using Akitakomachi rice from the Senpoku plain is known for its sweetness and aroma, and are rolled and baked stick by stick. The tasty aroma one gets from a sip of the hinaijidori broth soup is another draw for visitors. Aside from counter seats there are also private rooms and sunken kotatsu (warmer) seats, allowing you to enjoy your meal in peace.

• Kakunodate Aoyagi Samurai Manor Museum

  Akita Prefecture kakunodate Omotemachishimocho 3

  The old mansion and prestigious Yakuimon (roofed gate) of the Aoyagi Family, vassals of Lord Ashina and Lord Satake. The architecture of the main building has remained unchanged for about 200 years and is designated as an Important Cultural Property. There are valuable armor and helmets, relating the history of the Aoyagi family, displayed in the armory. The Kaitaishinsho Gallery has displays about the history of the Aoyagi Family, the faithful Odano Naotake and “Kaitaishinsho” (a book of anatomy). There is an experience corner, shop, and a coffee shop for you to enjoy your journey back in time. In spring there is a new species of cherry tree that is said to be the only one of its type in Japan, called the Aoyagi eight-petaled red weeping cherry.

• The Ishiguro Manor

  Akita Pref. Sembokushi Kakunodatemachiomotemachishimochou 1

  The Ishiguro family house is located to the north of Bukeyashiki Road (street of samurai houses). It is the oldest existing house in the samurai residence area of Kakunodate, and it is the only one allowing visitors to enter inside the house for viewing. It is estimated that the main building was built between the 18th and 19th centuries, the roof is thatched, the garden has moss that looks like water, and expresses a prestigious samurai style. It is a 20-minute walk from Kakunodate Station.

• Ando Miso Soy Sauce Brewery

  Akita Pref. Sembokushi Kakunodatemachishimoshinmachi 27

  The former miso and soy sauce brewery was founded in 1853. The brick storehouse, built in the middle of the Meiji period, gives an atmosphere of long ago. You can enter the building and view the fusuma (sliding doors), hand-painted by Nishimiya Reiwa, free of charge. In the black plastered warehouse once used for storage, you can taste miso soup and pickles. You should definitely try the additive-free, naturally produced goods.

• Kakunodate Kabazaiku Denshokan

  Akita Pref. Sembokushi Kakunodatemachiomotemachishimochou 10-1

  This is a tourist facility in Semboku City, Akita Prefecture, established to promote the traditional Kakunodate craft of “Kabazaiku” (cherry bark art) which began as the craftwork of lower-grade samurai. Kabazaiku is characterized by the brilliant, deep coloring it gets from the bark of the mountain cherry tree, and is often used for making tea utensils and accessories. Inside the building Kabazaiku, handicraft, cultural and historical materials are on display, and the Kabazaiku creation demonstration corner is particularly popular. The building itself, made in the old Kakunodate architectural style, is a sight to see.

• Kosendo

  Akita Pref. Sembokushi Kakunodatemachihigashikatsurakuchou 9

  A well-known udon & soba shop in an old temple school building of a former samurai residence, in Kakunodate Town, Semboku City, Akita Prefecture. The specialties are a smooth rice plant udon using hinaijidori chicken or maitake mushroom, and locally-produced buke soba with buckwheat flour aroma bamboo shoot and beefsteak plant (macrophyll) tempura inside. It is a popular tourist spot for its exterior and interior that still retain the atmosphere of the Edo period.