Take a tour of a real samurai residence, a must-see if you are one of those girls who fantasize about Japanese history. Also check out the really cute and creative traditional crafts as well as the local cuisine!

A kaiseki dinner spotlighting “gakko,” a key part of Akita’s local culinary culture

The Gakko Kaiseki (1,650 yen), featuring smoked pickles that are referred to locally as “gakko,” is a popular menu item at Shokudo Inaho. Because Akita is covered with deep snow during the winter, a custom has developed to pickle vegetables harvested in the fall and dine on the preserves until the spring thaw. Although gakko is usually served as a side dish, here it is featured as the main dinner ingredient.

You are sure to enjoy gakko prepared in a myriad of ways

Gakko Kaiseki, served in a box, comes with nine different gakko dishes, such as gakko simmered in sweet syrup and gakko tempura. Each gakko dish, served in a beautiful little bowl, resembles hors d'oeuvres served in Western cuisine. The crispy texture and smoky aroma are pleasing to the palate. These gakko dishes will amaze you with their varieties of textures and make you wonder if they are really all made from pickles. The Gakko Kaiseki also comes with scrambled egg and gakko served over a bowl of rice as well as kiritanpo (rice dumpling) soup.

This is gakko served with Kakunodate natto (fermented soybeans). A local product that is traditionally handmade, with only 1,200 servings made a day, this natto goes perfectly with gakko.

Inaniwa udon noodles topped with all sorts of different ingredients goes down nice and easy

In addition to the Gakko Kaiseki, the restaurant offers a lineup of original menu items made with local ingredients. Kakunodate-style Inaniwa Udon (1,100 yen) is a noodle dish topped with 9 to 11 different ingredients, such as tororo kombu from Shindo Kombu-ya (a local store specializing in kelp products), pickled plum, chopped spring onion, sansai (wild plants), and more. The all-natural soup stock made with kombu and bonito goes well with Inaniwa udon. Mixing all the toppings with the udon noodles before you eat is the best way to enjoy this dish.

Shokudo Inaho is a casual restaurant occupying its own little corner of Kakunodate. The owner and head chef experiment together every day to create original dishes.
Time passes quickly while engaging in pleasant conversation with the friendly owner.

Stroll down a historic street dotted with samurai residences

Once a flourishing castle town, Kakunodate boasts attractive streetscapes with many samurai residences that have either been preserved or restored. Walk down this lane lined with black-painted wooden fences and cherry trees, and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time. In spring the blossoming flowers of 400 weeping cherry trees brings extra shades of beauty to this area that has been dubbed the "Little Kyoto of Michinoku."

The samurai residence is like a historical theme park where you can learn all about samurai culture

Visit samurai residences that look exactly as they did back in the Edo period. A must-see is the Aoyagi Samurai Manor Museum featuring the 400-year-old residence of the prestigious Aoyagi family. Here you can explore a number of exhibits that will immerse you in history. The museum uses old structures and warehouses to display treasured artifacts and materials, including the two-century-old Main House, the Armory showcasing a collection of armor, including helmets, as well as weapons, and literature from the Edo period. The Akita Folk Museum gives you a glimpse of the lives of farmers back then, and much more. In the Samurai Experience Booth you can try on a samurai helmet and lift a palanquin used to transport nobility during the Edo period. Don a helmet and take a photo of your samurai self.

Houses and warehouses sprouting up around the garden, serve as a museum, cafe, etc. It’s a fun place to learn about history. If you are feeling tired, stop and relax at the museum cafe.

The Armory has a collection of armor, including helmets, books, and other materials that form an integral part of the heritage of the Aoyagi family. This place offers a fascinating up close look at the family’s heirlooms such as helmets, flags, swords, and other items that were so important to the pride of the samurai. Everything has been so well preserved that it’s hard to believe that it all dates back hundreds of years.

A little boutique where you’ll find something as unique as you are

Kazuki is a quaint little shop tucked away in a quiet alley off the main street with all the samurai houses. Its elegant Japanese-style edifice blends in seamlessly with the traditional urban tapestry. Step in the store and you find yourself in a bright and open gallery-like space, where clothing, bags, household items, and accessories are artfully displayed. Crafted by artisans from the Tohoku region, everything here is designed to enrich your life and nourish your soul.

Turning traditional into trend-setting

Displayed on the shelves along the wall are tea canisters and small containers made from tree bark. This is a traditional Kakunodate craft called kabazaiku. Since they are made from the bark of mountain cherry trees, they are also knowns as ouhizaiku, literally meaning cherry bark craft. You'll find a variety of items, from delicate tea canisters and stationery designed with natural bark patterns to products incorporating more playful designs and a splash of color.

This tea canister has a magnet hidden inside the cherry bark at the top and bottom, making it stackable. It may be a nice idea to store different types of tea leaves, such as sencha, hojicha, and black tea, in canisters distinguished by bands of different colors.

Find a modern brooch that’s like no other in the world

The Kavers brooches are made from wood and a layer of cherry bark, each designed with a traditional Japanese pattern carved on the surface. These modern brooches combining bright colors and traditional patterns embody both pop art and homespun warmth.

You should also check out the necklaces that have been crafted in a glass accessory studio while you’re here. The beautiful firefly beads evoke the image of fireflies twinkling in the dark night.

This barrel-shaped beer mug made of Akita cedar is surprisingly light! Due to the low thermal conductivity of wood, this mug will keep your drink either cold or warm for a long time.

Displayed on this wall are coats and jackets, such as the Oshima Coat, made either from hand tie-dyed or kimono fabric. Some of them are made from a precious woven cloth called Akita kihachijo. Made from all natural materials, each garment is unique, with different colors and patterns.

One of a kind creations incorporating traditional craftsmanship

The music boxes are so beautifully crafted, you can’t see where the wood is joined together, and their soft sound is super soothing. There are other unique collaborative products that go beyond traditional crafts, such as tea canisters that combine the art of kabazaiku and Kawatsura lacquerware and trays that combine the techniques used in kabazaiku and Odate magewappa (bent-woodware). Everything here is a fusion of traditional techniques and innovative ideas, and every one of them is a joy to behold.

Location with perfect views right at the train station

Conveniently located right next to JR Akita Station, the Hotel Metropolitan Akita offers a spectacular view of Mt. Taihei as well as the mountains of Dewa to the east along with a beautiful view of the sun setting over the Sea of Japan to the west. The hotel’s interior is accented with Akita-themed designs. Visitors are greeted at the entrance by formidable stares from traditional namahage masks.

Guest rooms with locally inspired decor designed to relax your body and mind

Designed to put you in an Akita frame of mind, the guest rooms feature curtains patterned after the leafy local perennial known as Akitabuki, traditional temari balls discreetly placed here and there, as well as other objects and designs that imbue the room with authentic Akita ambience. The spacious guest room’s calming colors and big beds guarantee a good night's sleep.

Decorative traditional temari balls are placed by the bed. These thoughtful little touches touch the hearts of foreign guests

An exhilarating breakfast feast full of local goodies

Breakfast is served buffet style at the Restaurant Cuore, and features an eclectic mix of Japanese and Western cuisine, all prepared with local ingredients. There is a wide variety of local foods such as freshly cooked Akitakomachi rice, fresh baked bread hot from the oven, colorful seasonal vegetables, kiritanpo (rice dumplings), and Inaniwa udon noodles. A healthy and flavorful breakfast will power you up so you can get a head start on the day.

You can partake of traditional Akita fare like kiritanpo and Ianiwa udon, as well as varieties of side dishes that go well with rice, such as Akita’s renowned gakko (pickles), nimono (a simmered medley of ingredients), and natto. They all come together to heighten the experience of enjoying the Akitakomachi rice.

You can check in to the hotel right after getting off a train. Providing good access to tourist destinations in the area, the hotel is the perfect place to stay for sightseers.

Experience the Kanto Festival, an Akita summer tradition

This facility introduces the traditional performing folk arts of Akita City to visitors. One of the largest festivals in Tohoku, the Kanto Festival is held every August on the city’s main thoroughfare. The festival features kanto (poles with lanterns), which are made to look like rice stalks and lanterns that resemble rice bales. Kanto are carried by performers who balance them on their shoulders, waist, palms of their hands, or foreheads as they parade through streets in hope for a good harvest. On the day of the event, performers bearing about 280 kanto poles start lining the streets as night begins to fall, The countless lanterns swinging in the night sky is a spectacular sight seen only here in Akita’s signature summertime tradition.

Do you think you could carry a 10-meter-tall kanto?

Kanto poles actually used in the festival are on display in a three-story exhibition hall. You will be amazed by their size and weight. You can also try balancing a kanto pole for yourself here.

When we visited the facility, we got a lesson from a couple of real kanto performers. The 10-meter-tall kanto pole was difficult to balance because of the swaying of the lanterns attached at the end. We each managed to balance the pole using our whole bodies and kept it up for a while.

• Demonstrations by kanto performers are held on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from April (May in 2020) through October. You can get a good gander at their amazing techniques for balancing a 10-meter-tall kanto pole on their shoulders and waist. It’s thrilling to watch them perform up close just as they would at the festival. On the day we visited the facility, they showed us the most difficult technique of balancing a pole on their waist.

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Take a tour of Takashimizu sake brewery

You can take a tour of the Takashimizu brewery, one of Japan’s most prestigious sake brands, to see how sake is made. Akita City’s Kawashiri district, where the brewery is located, is blessed with fine quality water. The story goes that the Satake clan, the feudal lord of the local domain, used this water for tea ceremonies. There are three breweries on the site, Senshu-Gura, Sennin-Gura, and the main brewery, as well as a storage facility and bottling plant. Everything from fermentation to shipment is carried out right here.

A guide takes you through the brewery, starting off with the fermentation process that takes place between October and March. Operations vary depending on the day, but if you are lucky, you’ll get to watch the sake brewers at work.

Inside Sake Dojo Sennin-Gura you can watch a video about sake brewing and have a look around at the displays of traditional sake brewing equipment. This is where you can drink in the history behind the Takashimizu label.

Originally built in 1953, Sennin-Gura retains all the charm of yesteryear with many of its original pillars and beams still intact. Old household items, such as a hearth and millstone, are also on display.

We stumbled upon an old hibachi among the items on display. The sight of this age-old heating device brought us back to the good old days and made us feel warm all over.

• This is daiginjo-gensyu, which was awarded the Gold Prize in 2019 in the Annual Japan Sake Awards. Takashimizu won the Gold Prize for two types of sake, one made at its main brewery and the other at its Goshono-Gura brewery. It’s quite an amazing accomplishment.

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Be sure to check out Kura Kura for some sake-themed products and original merchandise to take home

At Kura Kura, one of the brewery’s tourist facilities, you can taste eight types of sake as well as the water that goes into making them.

Takashimizu sake is crisp cold and mellow on the palate. You’ll appreciate it even more after you’ve learned all about Takashimizu’s history and the art of sake making. You can buy bags, aprons, and other original products with the Takashimizu logo at Kura Kura. They make perfect souvenirs.

A masterpiece that wowed the feudal lord of Akita and lords from across Japan

When in Akita, you must have Inaniwa udon, a local dish that’s famed to be one of the three best types of udon noodles in Japan. The history of Inaniwa udon stretches back centuries. In 1752 it was officially designated by the local clan as a signature specialty of its feudal domain. The taste was praised by the shogun and feudal lords from all over the country.

Udon noodles, made from high quality wheat, go down smoothly

The restaurant serves Inaniwa udon noodles made with exacting care by expert noodle makers. Designed to resemble an Edo-era merchant house, the restaurant seems like it’s filled to the rafters with history. If you want to taste simple Inaniwa udon, order the Zaru Udon. Boiled udon noodles rinsed with cold water are silky smooth on the palate, and the wheat flavor is enhanced when you dip them in the dashi broth.

Another specialty of the restaurant is its scrumptiously delicious Hinai Chicken Oyakodon (or chicken and egg rice bowl). Unlike ordinary oyakodon, this particular dish is made with grilled Hinai chicken and served on a bowl of rice along with eggs seasoned with a salt-based dashi. While the seasoning is very simple, the grilled chicken’s crispy skin smells so good it makes you hungry for more. The grilled chicken perfectly complements the runny eggs.

Enjoy all the flavors of Akita

Here you can enjoy not only Inaniwa udon but also dishes made with local ingredients, such as Hinai chicken, Akita beef, and seafood from Ojika. If you are having dinner, try the locally brewed sake too. Set meals that come with Inaniwa udon are available for a reasonable price during lunchtime. Mugendo offers a special dining experience where you can taste local cuisine from all over the prefecture.

※Please check the website for business hours and regular holidays.

Get up close and personal with Akitas like the famed Hachiko

If you are hoping to see cuddly Akita breed dogs while in Akita, Akita Dog Station located in Area Nakaichi is the place to go. Made famous by the tale of loyal dog Hachiko, Akitas have been garnering a lot of attention in recent years, but the number of Akita dogs is actually decreasing due to the aging of breeders as well as the euthanizing of dogs in shelters. Akita Dog Station seeks to preserve the breed and protect these dogs by introducing them to visitors.

There are eight different Akitas, each with its own unique character. Free of any constraints, they all appear to be as gentle as can be.

Since Akitas get stressed when touched by humans, visitors are only allowed to see them or take pictures of them. When you visit, respect their freedom and give them a loving gaze. Three of the eight Akitas, including white Maru, brindle Sakura, and red Momo, are there to greet visitors. It’s so lovely to see these big dogs play ball or allow themselves to be cuddled by the trainers. You’ll feel comforted just watching them.

This is Aoi. She’s only 2 years old but look at how big her paw is. She’s shy around strangers but once she gets to know you, she turns into a real lovable rascal.

The Station also has a gift shop featuring original Akita merchandise. You can help protect these dogs by buying Akita Fuji T-shirts or other products.

Take a walk with an Akita to the Satellite Station located at JR Akita Station

After visiting hours, trainers walk the dogs to the Akita Dog Satellite Station located inside JR Akita Station. You can see them up close when they go out. They look very happy walking outside even on a cold day. The dogs stay at the Satellite Station inside JR Akita Station three days a week. You can visit with them while waiting for your train.

Enjoy shopping for gourmet food and souvenirs at the station department store

Tópico is a department store that’s conveniently located adjacent to JR Akita Station and offers direct access to the Hotel Metropolitan Akita. It has a shopping area on the second floor and a gourmet area on the third floor, featuring Akita’s premier stores. If you are shopping for souvenirs, go to the second floor. Among the many sweets and merchandise items, those featuring Akita dogs are the most popular. We fell in love with this cute packaging featuring Akitas and decided to bring these sweets back as a gift for our coworkers.

You may get to taste some of Akita’s rare sake at this casual bar

Akita Kurasu is a standing room only bar where you can drink locally brewed sake that has a gift shop featuring products made in Akita. The bar offers a variety of high quality sake from breweries across the prefecture, such as Takashimizu, Yuki No Bousha, and Fukurokuju. It's a great place to sample flights of sake and compare a variety of different sake labels. Be careful not to drink too much, even though that’s difficult to do since they taste so good. Enjoy a variety of sakes along with some tasty little morsels on the side, like gakko or ika shiokara (salted squid).

This cute little sake cup has the name of the bar printed on it. The bar’s pretty plates and glasses, made by local artists, have a charm all their own.

• This is today’s sake tasting flight. You get three different brands of sake, which vary depending on availability, and that only adds to the fun

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If you have time while waiting for your train, have some Inaniwa udon to round off your trip. We recommend you go to Sato Yosuke, a renowned Inaniwa udon restaurant in Akita. It’s located in the gourmet area on the third floor. Try the Futami, the restaurant’s specialty dish that comes with two different flavors of dipping broth.