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.
6 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
Gono Line and Resort Shirakami
The Gono Line runs 147 kilometres from Higashi-Noshiro in Akita to Kawabe in Aomori, and for about eighty of them it is…
Akita Nairiku Line
The Akita Nairiku Line runs ninety-four kilometres north to south through the middle of the prefecture, from Takanosu to…
Kisakata Kujukushima
Basho came to Kisakata in 1689 and wrote that Matsushima seems to smile while Kisakata seems to grieve. What he saw was…
Nyudozaki
The northern tip of the Oga peninsula, where a treeless grass headland runs out to low cliffs and stops. There are no tr…
Kanpuzan Rotating Observatory
Kanpuzan is a lava dome at the neck of the Oga peninsula, 355 metres high and covered entirely in grass — no trees, just…
Mototaki Fukuryusui
Rain and snowmelt on Mt. Chokai sink into the volcanic rock, travel underground for decades, and come out here — not ove…