Location: Akita Prefecture
Top Things to do in Akita Prefecture
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The 10 Best Things to Do in Akita Prefecture, Japan
Akita Prefecture in Japan, from Asia region, is best know for History Museums. Discover best things to do in Akita Prefecture with beautiful photos and great reviews from traveller around the world here!
Restaurants in Akita Prefecture
1. Ogashinzan Traditional Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 120 reviews
Reviewed By Gretchen M
If you are wanting an authentic experience of the Namahage folk tradition of Oga I highly recommend joining this 30 minutes presentation.
So by now you have certainly noticed that Namahage are an integral part of life on the Oga peninsula! Nevertheless, it is still elusive as to their sheer fear factor unless you experience them first hand. It may sound touristy, but they do a great job of simulating the New Year`s Eve tradition of visiting homes and scaring the young children.
The house has a traditional thatched roof and is dark inside with a fire pit. It is popular with Japanese visitors so usually there is a good crowd creating a high level of energy. First you hear the roaring of the Namahage and you can physically sense the fear as people start clinging closer together. The narration is in Japanese, however if you know the overall story you certainly get the gist of what is going on. The day we joined we were told that the straw from their costumes is considered to bring good health so were we encouraged to pick some up.
Once the Namahage enter the house they stomp around controlling the atmosphere quite dramatically. I should warn you though that if there are small children they will intentionally scare them to the delight of the Japanese visitors. So please be careful when bringing children!
The Namahage are gods that were tricked by the locals into fleeing to the Mountains. They, however, descend every New Year`s Eve visiting homes threatening to take lazy and naughty children back to the Mountains with them. Amongst the pleading of the children and the reassurance of the parents that they will indeed behave the Namahage are appeased (well, that and with the offering of sake of course!) and eventually leave the house ... until next year.
Visiting this reenactment is particularly fun after first visiting the adjoined museum and time providing taking a walk up to the Shinzan shrine where the annual Sedo matsuri is held. It is set off in a beautiful forested park of the local Mountains. You can visit year round. From spring to fall there is a lovely outdoor tea room that serves a light menu including curry, udon, kiritanpo as well as drinks.
You will need either need a car or take a bus from the Funakawa Oga train stations. Probably about 20 minutes from station / 15-20 minutes from tunnel.
By car take the Namahage line and there are clearly mark signs for museums with a beautiful tile statue on the left side road. Take a left and follow the curving road for about 1 kilometer. There is a plenty of parking available.
Prices are best if combined with the Namahage-kan museum, ¥800 combined ticket, ¥1000 combined ticket for winter months between December and March.
¥700 for adult, ¥500 for child if you choose just do the Traditional Museum (the reenactment).
2. Samurai District
Overall Ratings
4 based on 433 reviews
This historic neighborhood consists of wide, tree-lined streets with mansions built during the Edo Period, only six of which remain and are open to the public. The area is particularly beautiful in late April, when the cherry trees are in full bloom.
Reviewed By YTCHENG - Hong Kong, China
We have again visited Kakunodate by late April and lucky enough to see the beautiful weeping cherry trees along the street with traditional samurai houses. There were many visitors strolling along the street taking photos or viewing individual houses. The atmosphere was really calm and pleasant despite of the many people there. As this place was only about an hour's traveling distance by train from Akita, so it is highly recommended to tourists to come and share the joy during spring time.
3. Senshu Park
Overall Ratings
4 based on 273 reviews
Reviewed By HotEarth - Melbourne, Australia
This park lies no more than 15 minutes walk from Akita Station. There is a big long pond filled with flowering lilies when we visited. Further in at the base of the castle is another smaller fully landscaped beautiful pond. A short passage of wisterias extend into the pond. There are some benches placed around this pond for those who would like to sit to take in the beauty of this feature.
Up on the hill are remains of the castle and its gates with a rebuilt main gate and turret. It was quite an interesting hunt for the remains by just using the walking map from the Tourist Info Center at the train station, especially when no markers at the site are in English!
Its a gem!
4. Oyasukyo Daifunto
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 65 reviews
Reviewed By Danielle M - Washington DC, District of Columbia
I have never seen anything quite like this; a steaming hot river cutting through a gorge, complete with steam vents shooting out of the cracks. Oyasukyo has a short and lovely hike down into the gorge. There are many onsens to soak in afterwards. I highly recommend Doroyu Onsen (however it is a little bit out of the way).
The gorge is beautiful in spring and summer but I recommend visiting in autumn as the gorge has many colorful trees. Do not recommend visiting in winter: the hiking path is closed due to heaps of snow. However, the onsen are still open.
There is a bus that takes you directly there from the Yuzawa bus station.
5. Mt. Chokai
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 66 reviews
Reviewed By doug50today - Akita, Japan
you can see the snow capped mountain from Akita city on a good day (and from the right place). fun twisty drive up to the visitor center half way up. when i went it was misty and i thought we were at the top as you couldn't see anything. if the weather's good you can do some hikes from here. don't expect anyone to speak English here though. there's lots to see and do on the plateau below, which is quite big. forget going here if you don't have a car !!
6. Omagari Fireworks
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 34 reviews
A tradition dating back to 1910, this fireworks festival is known throughout Japan as the definitive fireworks meet, with pyrotechnicians from throughout the nation competing to show off their skills. The new technologies on display top themselves every year, and the stories told by the displays and innovative production values are highlights. Competitors vie in three categories: daytime fireworks, #10 round-shell fireworks, and creative fireworks. The overall champion receives the Prime Minister's Prize. The finale, featuring wide starmines a year in the making from the Omagari Fireworks Cooperative Association, is an absolute can't-miss, with a story and scale that leaves viewers speechless.
Reviewed By Douglas H - Michigan
The people were nothing less than great, the city was open and friendly to outsiders to the convention.
7. Akitanairikujyuukan Rail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 52 reviews
Reviewed By Bob L - Forest Hills, New York
The Akita Nairiku Jyuukan Railway is a category 3 (local railway) that traverses a very scenic area. Customers are mostly locals. It connects at both ends with Japan Rail. There is a woman who comes through with a cart with refreshments (no hot drinks). English brochures are available in the end point stations.Well worth a ride in summer or winter.
8. Akita Furusatomura
Overall Ratings
4 based on 65 reviews
Reviewed By YoroNikki - Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
We enjoyed the permanent exhibition of prefectural crafts. There is a Planetarium showing movies with reclining seats, that was fun, around 500 for adults, my son aged 4 as free. Kids can try crafts for a fee and see figures and objects from festivals around Akita. There are loads of souvenirs, local food and casual restaurants too. On national holidays they have special events. Yokote is cold so it was nice to walk around somewhere warm inside, outside the snow was knee deep. There is a science museum and kids activity centre here that we didn't have time to try. Much more fun than it sounds.
9. Dakigaeri Valley
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 100 reviews
Reviewed By bakatori - Singapore
When you travel alone, if you are lost, you are lost.
It is exciting to travel the unbeaten path. You never know what to expect.
However, Unbeaten also mean you have no information at all.
Dakikaeri Gorge is one of those unbeaten path. The only information I got from Internet is in Japanese. No detailed map, no outstanding landmark, just one map with a route that says just about anything.
On top of that, Jindai Station is just a platform with a small cubicle for waiting. It is unmanned, and no toilet at all. So I couldn't get any information from the station just like I couldn't get any relieve from my full bladder.
As I was walking blindly, without any direction in mind, I was contemplating should I retrace my step back to the station and take the next train out of here.
I did not, and I was lucky, I found a police post by the road.
I walked right into the police post to ask for assistance.
Next thing I knew, I was redirected to the correct path.
Now I have a route, I have a direction. I am glad I persevered.
Along the quiet road leading to this wonderful place, I encountered practically no one, less than 5 moving vehicles.
Dakigaeri Gorge is definitely a out of the way, away from the beatened path, God-knows-where place one must visit for Autumn Foliage.
I left Jindai Station at 6:45am, reached Dakigaeri Gorge at about 9:30am.
There was a signage displaying schedule for the free shuttle bus that plied between Towadako and Dakigaeri gorge at the makeshift car park during the autumn foliage.
Food stalls were set up in the vincinity, after all it was Autumn Matsuri.
The red suspension bridge, the blue stream, the rapids, the arrays of autumn bloom, the tunnels. And at the end of all these, a beautiful waterfall.
Was this place worthy of embrace and return? For other seasons, I have no comment, not yet. Autumn? Yes, a thousands of embraces, a thousands of returns.
10. Akita Museum Of Art
Overall Ratings
4 based on 169 reviews
Temporarily closed until April 6 for renovation.
Reviewed By Scruffy A - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The museum, built by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, is truly stunning. It is a very modern building (opened in 2013).The only set back is that the museum is entirely dedicated to one artist that not many will know - Tsuguharu Foujita, a Japanese-French painter who did hang out with the likes of Picasso, Leger and Man Ray in Paris in the 1920s. His huge paintings of Akita winter scenes are nice, but, overall, the museum feels empty. The museum café is a good place to sit down for a tea and enjoy the arcitecture and a nice view.
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