AKITA

Located in the western part of Tohoku region Akita I n f o r m a t i o n

prefecture boasts Shirakami Mountains, the World E C K
Heritage Site, as well as the deepest lake in Japan, ■ Akita Prefecture Tourism Guide“Akita-fan dotcom”http://www.akitafan.com/en/index.html
Lake Tazawa. Ranked third in production of rice in
■ Akita City Tourist ■ Senboku City Lake Tazawa ■ Kakunodate Town Tourism Association
Japan Akita is also prosperous in its forestry.   Information Desk   Tourist Information Center TEL 0187-54-2700
Variety of Akita s local cuisine doesn t leave TEL 018-832-7941 E TEL 0187-43-2111 E K http://kakunodate-kanko.jp/language/en/kakunodate.html E C K

AOMORI
anything to be desired either. Finally, let s not forget
Akita s unique traditional events such as ■ Towada Hachimantai Tourism Association ■ Oga City Tourism Association ■ Akita Airport Terminal Information Desk
TEL 0186-23-2019 TEL 0185-24-4700 E tel : 018-886-3366
Namahage or Akita Kantou Festival.

One Day Course Recommended for

JR Akita
Model Tohoku Kakunodate Nairiku
Public Taxi
visiting Lake Tazawa・
From Shinkansen Bus Bus Line
Course
Akita Kakunodate Warrior Kakunodate Matsuba Kakunodate Area
1 Station Station
Residences
Station Station

Four You Pass

AKITA
Akita Lake Tazawa

Kakunodate Akita Nairiku Line

kita! Warrior Residences Area Semboku City∼ You can use 4 vehicles
Enjoy A
Kakunodate
Kita-Akita City
9-M (excluding Taxi)as many
Season Year Round
MAP

Area Semboku City times as you want!

Use 4 vehicles Season Year Round
The 94.2km long route from
Semboku City Kakunodate to
●Akita Nairiku Line

to travel through This region is commonly

used for shooting Japanese
Kita Akita City, Takanosu. See
the rice fields and mountain
●Route Bus
●Lake Tazawa Tourist Pleasure Cruise
all hot spots. Samurai films. Enjoy the streams along the railway line. ●Public Taxi

IWATE
beauty of Japan:cherry Ride above picturesque (one-way trip once) Valid for
blossoms in spring and ravine on the railway bridge two days
Travel through one of the most famous maples in autumn. and in 5km long tunnel. Adults (above 12 y/o) Children (below 12 y/o)
locations in Akita, Kakunodate and JR
Tohoku Pleasure
Lake Tazawa, using 4 vehicles. With a Shinkansen Lake Bus Lake Tazawa cruise Lake Tazawa ¥2,100 ¥1,050
Four You Pass you will be able to
Tazawa Pleasure Statue of Contact
Station cruise tour
use the railway,bus, pleasure cruise Tatsuko ●Akita Nairiku Region Public Transport
and taxi freely. Plan your trip Cooperation Council
Akita Nairiku Initiation Headquarters
efficiently! Lake Tazawa

MIYAGI
(pleasure cruise)   TEL 0186-82-2114
Access: JR East Website MAP 9-M Area Semboku City Lake Tazawa
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/index.html Season From end of April to (Statue of Tatsuko) MAP 9-M
end of October
Ugo Transportation Stock Company Area Semboku City Season Year Round
Enjoy the deepest lake in
http://www.ugokotsu.co.jp/ Japan from a boat. On board Inspired by a legend of princess Tatsuko,
time is about 40 minutes. this bronze statue facing away from the
Akita Nairiku Jukan Railway Don t miss the statue of clear water of the lake symbolizes her

YAMAGATA
http://www.akita-nairiku.com/ Tatsuko, symbol of Tazawa. wish of eternal youth and beauty.

PICKU
Kakunodate/ Lake Tazawa Area
Lake
Tazawa
P Kakuno
date

Recommended Kakunodate Petite Phrase

FUKUSHIMA
Sweets shop
Café-Restaurant specialising mainly
in western confectionery and

crawling
pastries.The shop is famous for its
unique flavour of sweetness it
achieves from using local ingredients
Try out the unique sweetness of such as Kakunodate cherry blossoms.
Contact TEL0187-54-1997
local Akita desserts. You can find a
http://www.kakunodate-puchi.com/
great number of confectioneries in

NIIGATA
Kakunodate/ Lake Tazawa area.

Mountain Honey Shop (Lake Tazawa)
A cute shop specialising in honey. Apart from a
wide variety of different types of honey you can buy
candies and ice cream with honey topping in here.
Contact
TEL0120-038-318
http://www.bee-skep.com/
Sakai Shop (Kakunodate)
A grocery store selling local edible wild
plants, mushrooms and fruits. Check
out the sweet corner for parfait filled
with the fruits of the season.
Contact TEL0187-54-2367
Accommodations
Ando Brewery
An old shop specialising in miso soy
sauce and pickles boasting over 300
years of history. Try out the novel taste
of soy sauce flavoured soft cream.
Contact TEL0187-53-2008
http://www.andojyozo.co.jp/index.html

11 Course fees are subject to change without notice. 12

 Food Culture
Moriyoshi
http://www.pref.akita.jp/koho/
PICKUP foreign/en/0220.html
Learn the life of Matagi

Morioyoshi
Enjoy Akita s local mountain, sea food and village cuisines.
in a Matagi school

AOMORI
Area
A facility where you
can learn the history
and culture of nature
co-existing Matagi
Experience Matagi society known for
its strict rules.
hunting in Utto
Hotsprings area!
A group of hunters called Matagi famous for Inaniwa Udon MAP 9-K Kiritanpo MAP 8-O

AKITA
hunting large animals such as bears or Area Yuzawa City Season Year Round Area Northern Area Season Autumn/Winter
antelopes lived in Utto region. Learn the Noodles filled with Akita history, one of the three Representative cuisine of Akita region. This clump of
unique culture of Matagi people. udon dishes known to represent Japan. Enjoy its rice on a cedar stick can either be fried, boiled or
smooth texture and the addictive refreshing flavour. covered in miso sauce.
Akita Prefecture Inaniwa Udon Cooperative Odate Kiritanpo Association
http://www.inaniwa-udon.jp/ http://www.odatetanpo.net/
Indoors class (Year Round)
●About Matagi ●Matagi Stories
●Trying out Jango ※ Local cuisine

IWATE
Outdoors class (Spring to Autumn)
●Mountain herb and mushroom picking
Utto Hot Springs
●Riverwalk of Ani  ●Tracking bears
Also known as Matagi spring is told to ●Waterfalls walk of Ani
have a healing effect on cuts and burns. Indoors Class (Winter)
Its amber coloured water comes from
●Walking with snow shoes
Mt.Moriyoshi. Yokote Yakisoba MAP 9-L Hinai Chicken MAP 8-O
●Hot pot in the snow
Access Akita Nairiku Line.

MIYAGI
Area Yokote City Season Year Round Area Northern Area Season Year Round
Get off at Ani-Matagi Station. Contact for further details.
Regarded as a B level cuisine by gourmets Yokote Enjoy the delicious smell and the crunchy bite of this
Utto Hot Springs Yakisoba is made from thick straight noodles and
http://www.mataginosato.com/ enriched with a special local seasoning. Normally it also chicken cuisine regarded as one of the Japan s best.
TEL 0186-84-2612 includes soft-boiled eggs and Fukujin pickles. Akita Prefecture Livestock Production and Feed Division
Yokote Yakisoba Shop Committee http://www2.e-komachi.jp/hinaijidori/
http://www.yokotekamakura.com/yokoteyakisoba/index.html

Komata

PICKUP

YAMAGATA
Akita Ravine
Nairiku
Railway

Nairiku Area Shiotsuru Baked Clams MAP 7-M Imonoko Soup MAP 9-L
Akita Nairiku Railway Area Akita City etc. Season Autumn/Winter Area Yokote City Season Autumn

Around 100km long local railway connecting
Kakunodate and Takanosu, going through gorges of
Hinokinai and Anigawa rivers. Along the railway line
you can see the famous Ani district of Matagi
Village, Utto hot springs, Mt.Moriyoshi inn, maple
trees, and much other vegetation Mt.Moriyoshi is
famous for. Kakunodate rural areas, mountains and
valleys, and finally Matagi Village after you get
through the mountain pass. Further we recommend
A hot menu of representative fish of Akita, Hata-Hata ,
vegetables and a special fish sauce called Shottsuru
all mixed in one. Eat it while it still boils!
Akita Prefecture Sales Division
http://common.pref.akita.lg.jp/aktshoku/index.html
Komata Ravine
Komata Ravine, designed as a natural Traditional Industrial Arts
memorial in the prefecture, is a mysterious
ravine boasting over 100 waterfalls (a Akita offers a plethora of first rate wooden crafts!
FUKUSHIMA
Called the feast of autumn in Akita and used to
celebrate the success of harvest by local people, this
potato cuisine is boiled in soy sauce and miso for
delicious flavour.
http://www.pref.akita.jp/koho/
foreign/en/0230.html

noting Hitachinai railway bridge for its scenic high
altitude greenery.
NIIGATA
source of water for Mt.Hanayoshi s eastern
foot) and lots of caverns. You can reach
Komata ship in 30 minutes by the tranquil
lake pleasure cruise. From Komata ship
you can walk on the 1.8 kilometers long
boardwalk and enjoy variously shaped
unique waterfalls, including the 20 meters
tall breathtaking triple step waterfall.

Accommodations
Season ●Fresh greenery / From middle of
May to beginning of June
●Autumn colors / Best scenery at
middle of October Birch Craftsmanship MAP 9-M Magewappa Boxes MAP 8-O

Akita Nairiku Jukan Railway Company Access From Akita Nairiku Line Ani-Maeda Station Area Semboku City Area Odate City
45 minutes long taxi ride.
TEL 0186-82-3231 Traditional craft of tea caddies, trays and other tools Traditional boxes made by peeling off a thin layer of
Tourism information of Kita-Akita city
for daily lives made from the bark of Japan s symbol, natural Akita s cedars, softening it with hot water and
http://www.akita-nairiku.com/ http://www.city.kitaakita.akita.jp/kankou/joy/nature/komata.html
sakura tree. Notice the amazing vivid colours. fastening it in a round shape with mountain sakura bark.
Kakunodate Industrial Arts Cooperative Odate Magewappa Boxes Cooperative
13 http://www.chuokai-akita.or.jp/kabazaiku/ http://www.chuokai-akita.or.jp/magewappa/ 14
 Nature http://www.pref.akita.jp/koho/foreign/en/0150.html Hot Springs http://www.pref.akita.jp/koho/foreign/
en/0130.html
A number of famous hot springs including the Tamagawa known to output the
Don t miss the World Heritage site Shirakami and other scenic locations! highest amount of hot water in Japan!

AOMORI
Shirakami Mountains MAP 7-O Mt. Kanpu MAP 6-M Tamagawa Hotsprings MAP 9-N Nyuto Hot Springs Resort MAP 10-M

Area Northwest Season June-November
A humongous mountain range covering parts of Aomori
and Akita prefectures. Recorded as a World Heritage site
in 1993 it boasts largest beech forest in East Asia.
Access From JR limited express Tsugaru Futatsui Station
to Yunozawa Hot Springs by Hokushu bus.
Area Oga City Season From mid March to mid December
Having its bigger half covered in lawn Mt.Kanpu is 300m
tall and is a famous paragliding location. Observatory
located on the mountain is a popular tourist destination.
Access From JR Akita Station to Oga Station on JR Oga Line
Use taxi or rental car to reach the destination.
AKITA
Area Semboku City シーズン Year Round Area Semboku City シーズン Year Round
Boasting the highest amount of output of hot water Located on foot of Mt.Nyuto this hot springs
(9000 liters per minute) this 98C ph1.1 acidic hot spring resort offers hospitable lodgings from the far past.
is visited by many for its effective recuperation qualities. Try out the famous turbid hot springs.
Tamagawa Hot Springs Nyuto Hot Springs Association
http://www.tamagawa-onsen.jp/ http://www.nyuto-onsenkyo.com/

IWATE
Lake Tazawa MAP 9-M Dakigaeri Valley MAP 10-M Oga Hot Springs MAP 5-M Goshogake Hot Springs MAP 9-N

Season From end of April to

Area Semboku City Season Year Round
With 20km long circumference this deepest lake in
Japan (423.4m) offers mysterious amber coloured water
and beautiful scenery at every season of the year.
Access From JR Akita Shinkansen Lake Tazawa Station
to Lake Tazawa Shore by public bus.
MIYAGI
Area Semboku City Area Oga City Season Year Round Area Kazuno City Season Year Round
mid November
Primeval forest known for its greenery and autumn Observe the scenic beauty of the sun setting in the Hot springs located in the magnificent nature of
colours. Don t miss the magnificent sight of red Sea of Japan. Many events including Namahage Hachimantai National Park. Experience the profound
leaves reflected on the mountain stream. and drum, shamisen performances. healing effect said to be amongst the strongest in Japan.
Access Board JR Lake Tazawa Line from Kojiro Station Oga Hot Springs Cooperative  Goshogake Hot Springs 
http://www.e-ogaonsen.com/ http://www.goshougake.com/

History/Culture http://www.pref.akita.jp/koho/
foreign/en/0140.html Festivals http://www.pref.akita.jp/koho/foreign/en/0110.html

YAMAGATA
Experience years of Japanese history in some of its most famous locations. Lay your eyes on some of the nationally famous festivals.

FUKUSHIMA
祭
Akita Kanto (Lantern) Festival 7-M 祭
Koraku-Kan MAP 9-O Matagi Museum MAP 8-N
MAP
Kamakura MAP 10-K

Area Kosaka Town Season Year Round
Experience kabuki theatre performed by some of the
most famous Japanese actors in this wooden shed
known to host ancient Japanese plays up to this day.
Koraku-Kan http://kosaka-mco.com/index.php
Area Akita City Season August 3rd-6th Area Yokote City Season February 15th ・16th
Area Kita-Akita City Season Year Round
Tohoku festival of heroism. Performers compete in The lord sitting on the Kamakura gives away
Learn the unique culture of mountain animal hunters sweet sake and candies to the observers. The
their ability to hold 12m long bamboo sticks
Matagi . Touch with the harshness of life in snowy number of Kamakuras on the streets rises above
decorated with 46Kanto (paper lamps) on their palms
mountain villages. hundreds on the days of this festival which carries
or foreheads. Night is never dark during this festival. 400 years of tradition.
Matagi Museum TEL0186-84-2458

NIIGATA
Akita City Kanto Matsuri Execution Committee Yokote City Tourism Association
http://www.kantou.gr.jp/index.htm http://www.yokotekamakura.com/index.html

Accommodations
Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum/
Namahage House MAP 5-M 祭 祭
Kakunodate Warrior Residences MAP 9-M Nishimonai Bon-Dance MAP 9-K Namahage MAP 5-M
Area Oga City Season Year Round
Area Semboku City Season Year Round Area Ugo Town Season August 16th-18th Area Oga City Season Namahage Event: December 31st
A typical house of traditional Oga region, where the traditional Namahage Sedo Festival:
Experience the traces of ancient Japan in this history One of the three Bon-dancing festivals in Japan.
Namahage event is revived for the New Year s Eve. 2nd Fri.to Sun.of February
movie like dignified residence located in Kakunodate Enjoy the illusion-like sinchronicity of wild music and
Namahage House Locals of Oga region revere Namahage as a
and known for its beautiful cherry blossoms. graceful dancing.
http://www.namahage.co.jp/namahagekan/ messenger of God. It brings happiness, punishes the
Kakunodate Town Tourism Association Nishimonai Bon-Dance Executive Committee
http://kakunodate-kanko.jp/bukeyashiki.html http://ugo.main.jp/index.html lazy and exorcises evil spirits.
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