Japan. by Japanese.Japan, judged by a Japanese
A gold statue on a stone plinth at the edge of a wide lake, autumn hills and low cloud beyondA small red-roofed shrine on a raised deck at a snowy lakeshore, grey water and hills beyondA grassy slope with white wildflowers above dark rocks and white surf in green sea water

Akita

Akita: Places to Visit

Food · Things to do · Where to stay

Most visitors to Akita go to Kakunodate, a samurai district laid out in 1620, and to Lake Tazawa and Nyuto Onsen near it. Trains from Tokyo Station reach Tazawako and Kakunodate stations in about 3 hours 12 minutes, and the Komachi on the JR Akita Shinkansen reaches Akita in around four hours.

From JR Tazawako Station, the Nyuto Line bus reaches Nyuto Onsen in about 45 minutes. Yokote builds snow huts for its winter snow festival, and Omagari hosts Japan's national fireworks competition. Flights from Tokyo Haneda land at Akita Airport.

Places in Akita

  • Kakunodate — A townscape laid out by the Ashina clan in 1620, with historic samurai residences and rows of cherry trees.
  • Lake Tazawa — The deepest lake in Japan, 423.4 metres deep; Tazawako Station is on the line from Tokyo.
  • Nyuto Onsen — Seven hot springs, each with its own source, and lodgings with thatched roofs; about 45 minutes by bus from JR Tazawako Station.
  • Yokote — Known for the snow huts of the Yokote Snow Festival in winter.
  • Akita city — The end of the Komachi on the JR Akita Shinkansen, around four hours from Tokyo.