Akita

Pink cherry blossoms in contrast with the black samurai residences of Kakunodate, spectacular Omagari fireworks displays, vibrant autumn leaves covering Hachimantai and Dakigaeri Gorge, Oga’s Namahage ritual and Yokote’s Kamamura snow huts festival, iconic Akita dogs and magical snow melting on Dragon’s Eye Lake


Akita’s beautiful natural wonders

Lake Tazawa


Lake Tazawa has been selected as one of the 100 best landscapes of Japan. The cobalt blue lake water is so transparent that fish can clearly be seen swimming below the water surface.


The lake has a maximum depth of 423.4m making it the deepest in Japan. The water changes colour from sky blue to turquoise and indigo as the water gets deeper. A golden statue of Tatsuko stands against the majestic water and is a popular symbol of Lake Tazawa. 

Dakigaeri Gorge


Dakigaeri Gorge is a popular place of natural beauty surrounded in summer by verdant greens and in autumn by colourful foliage in stunning contrast with the magical turquoise blue stream running through the river valley. Long ago the mountain path along the gorge was so steep and narrow that people had to embrace each other as they passed. This gave rise to the gorge’s name “Dakigaeri”, meaning “to embrace someone and turn around”.


The best time to view verdant summer greens is from mid-June to late August while autumn leaves are at their best from early October to early November. The gorge is especially popular during the Dakigaeri Autumn Leave Festival, attracting visitors with traditional folk entertainment and tea ceremonies.


Nyudozaki


Nyudozaki is a scenic cape located at the northern tip of the Oga Peninsula offering a panoramic view of the Sea of Japan. The highlight is the view of the blazing sun setting over the sea as the sky and sea seamlessly merge on the horizon in shades of orange. This view from the cape has been selected as one of Japan’s 100 most beautiful sunset views. 

Hachimantai Dragon Eye Lake


Hachimantai Dragon Eye Lake is a mysterious phenomenon that can be seen when the snow covering Kagaminuma Pond starts melting. A ring of blue water appears on the white snow-covered lake surface during early summer and the appearance has given rise to the pond’s nickname “Hachimantai Dragon Eye Lake”. This unique sight can only be seen from late May to early June depending on the local weather conditions. Come and see this miraculous creation of nature for yourself!

Shirakami Sanchi


Shirakami Sanchi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is a mountainous area extending across Aomori and Akita. It is home to one of the world’s largest primeval beech forests stretching over 130,000 hectares, 17,000 hectares of which are designated Natural Heritage. Although much of the designated area is unexplored, there are various hiking trails available through the pristine natural surroundings of Shirakami Sanchi.

Akita’s history, culture and festivals

Namahage Museum


“Namahage” is a folk ritual performed throughout the Oga Peninsula and surrounding areas. Each New Year’s Eve fierce demons known as Namahage visit each house to frighten misbehaved children. Despite their scary appearance, the Namahage are gods bringing the local people warnings against laziness as well as blessings for the wellbeing of their families and rich harvests from the mountains and the sea for the coming year.


The Namahage Museum introduces visitors to both the traditional and natural history of the region. The exhibition includes a wide variety of 150 masks actually used in the rituals of each town and village along with a video presentation of Oga’s New Year’s Eve Namahage ritual.

Kakunodate Samurai District


Kakunodate is a former castle town which flourished during the Edo period. Known as the “Little Kyoto of Tohoku”, the town is home to a district two-kilometres in radius consisting of samurai residences and traditional architecture popular with both domestic and international tourists.Springtime is particularly popular with people coming for cherry blossom viewing from late April to early May. The traditional district features a row of weeping cherry blossom trees whose pink flowers bloom in beautiful contrast with the black walls of samurai residences, 162 of the 400 weeping cherry trees are designated natural treasures. 

Yokote Kamakura Snow Huts Festival


The Kamakura snow huts are one of Tohoku’s most popular winter attractions. In Yokote the local children invite visitors inside the illuminated snow huts and treat them to refreshments such as cups of sweet sake and sticky rice cakes. This enchanting tradition fascinates all who visit Yokote’s snow huts. One hundred snow huts are placed across the city including along Kamakura Street during the festival held on 15 and 16 February each year.

Akita Kanto Festival


The Akita Kanto Festival is one of Tohoku’s most popular festivals.

Approximately 280 long bamboo poles each hanging 6 columns of paper lanterns are lifted into the air and illuminate the summer night sky. The festival is a ritual wishing for a rich harvest with the poles symbolising ears of rice and the paper lanterns resembling bags of rice. The skill of the performers, known as Sashite, balancing the swaying poles with lanterns totalling 50kg on their palms, foreheads, shoulders and waists is breath-taking! The festival takes place annually from 3 to 6 August.

Omagari Fireworks Festival


Dating back to 1910, the Omagari Fireworks Festival is one of Japan’s most spectacular fireworks competitions attracting fireworks experts from all over Japan. The festival is known as one of Japan’s three best fireworks celebrations, the highlight of the performances being a magnificent seven-minute display of fireworks with musical backing. The city of Omagari now holds the event four times a year as a Seasonal Fireworks Festival and visitors can enjoy innovative creations lighting up the night sky in each season. The summer festival takes place annually on the last Saturday of August.

Akita Dogs


Akita dogs, the large breed originating from Akita, gained popularity after appearing in the movie “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” and again when a dog was presented to Olympic figure skating champion Alina Zakitova. Visitors can find Akita dogs welcoming tourists as stationmasters in the Akita Dog Visitor Centre at JR Odate station. There are a number of locations where visitors can see Akita dogs in each of the cities of Akita prefecture. 

Onsens in Akita

Nyuto Onsenkyo


Nyuto Onsenkyo is a popular hidden hot spring area home to seven hot spring inns each with its own source of spring water. Onsen hopping is highly recommended in order to experience the different charms of the various inns and their spring water properties.

Tamagawa Onsen


Tamagawa Onsen is unique in Japan for two reasons. The first is that it is the source of the largest volume of spring water, with water rising to the surface at a rate of 9,000 litres per minute. With water temperatures of up to 98 degrees at its source, the sight of the hot spring water gushing out of the earth presents an incredible display of the force of nature. The Onsen’s second claim to fame is that the water has the highest acidity of hot spring water in all Japan with a pH of 1.2. This sterilising water is said to be beneficial for a range of ailments. 

Akita’s culinary highlights

Kiritampo Hot Pot


Kiritampo is mashed rice wrapped around a cedar skewer which is then grilled and cut into pieces to use in a variety of local dishes. Akita’s popular winter warmer is a hot pot with Kiritampo cooked in a broth of the popular local Hinaidori chicken. Miso-glazed Kiritampo grilled on a skewer, known as Misotampo, has a tempting aroma. Grilled Misotampo on a traditional Irori fireplace combines this classic flavour with an ambience of traditional local life.

Inaniwa Udon Noodles


Inaniwa-cho in the city of Yuzawa is the hometown of Inaniwa Udon noodles. The smooth, chewy noodles are hand-made using the traditional processes of kneading, pounding and stretching. In addition to the city of Yuzawa, there are a number of restaurants offering popular Inaniwa Udon in Akita.

Search the attractions of Akita

  • Lake Tazawa / The Statue of Tatsuko
  • Dakigaeri Valley
  • Nyudozaki
  • Shirakami Sanchi Mountain Range
  • Namahage Museum
  • Kakunodate Bukeyashiki (Samurai Residences)
  • Yokote Kamakura Festival
  • Akita Kanto Festival
  • National Fireworks Competition “Omagari Hanabi”
  • Nyuto Onsenkyo
  • Tamagawa Onsen

The mapping service on this website is based on the free usage limits provided by Google Maps and the Google Maps privacy policy applies.
Please note that due to usage limits from time to time Google Maps might not display correctly.