Akita Hidden Gems
Rice country and cedar forests on the Sea of Japan, known for sake, hot springs buried in snow, and folk traditions kept alive in small towns.
4 spots
Climate & Best Season
Very heavy winter snow and grey Sea-of-Japan skies; short, warm summers. February for snow festivals, August for Kanto Matsuri.
Famous For (Food)
- Kiritanpo hotpot
- Inaniwa udon
- Sake
- Hinai-jidori chicken
Signature Sights
- Kakunodate samurai district
- Lake Tazawa
- Nyuto Onsen
- Namahage folk rituals
Ogata Village Polder Museum
Lake Hachirogata was the second-largest lake in Japan. Between 1957 and 1977 it was drained — a national project using D…
Kosaka Mine Office
Kosaka was, at the start of the twentieth century, the largest producer of silver in Japan and later of copper, and in 1…
Akita Folk Performing Arts Hall
Akita has an unusual concentration of surviving folk performance — the Kanto pole-balancing of the city, the Tsuchizaki…
Korakukan
Korakukan was built in 1910 as a welfare facility for the Kosaka mine, which was then one of the richest in Japan, and i…