AKITA
Tohoku is located in the northeastern part of Honshu island in Japan. There are six
prefectures in Tohoku area including Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, and
Fukushima. Before exploring all of the prefectures, let’s begin with Akita!
Akita faces the Sea of Japan, and is located roughly 450km due north of Tokyo. It is located at almost the same latitude of Beijing, Madrid and New York. It is the sixth largest prefecture in Japan.
Additional Blog Post
There are plenty of sightseeing spots in Akita that you can enjoy while learning about Japan
For example, the Samurai District of Kakunodate where you can visit the Samurai houses and also walk around the district by wearing Kimono. The cherry blossoms and maples leaves are breathtaking view. Besides that, Lake Towada, Akita Komagatake (collective name of Mt. Onamedake, Mt. Odake, Mt. Medake), Dakigaeri Valley (10km long gorge, famous for green foliage of summer, maple leaves of autumn, and waterfalls) are perfect places for natural scenery. Last but not least, Akita is famous for their Kanto Festival (12-meter-tall lantern poles manipulated by people, using their palm of hand, shoulders and hips to balance it) and Namahage (traditional event that takes place on New Year’s Eve in Akita’s Oga region). You may visit the museums to learn more about it.
Travel is to relax, healing your mind and body.
Hence, don’t miss out the hot spring while you are in Akita. For hot spring, you may try Nyuto Onsen Village. It has 8 inns situated within a mountain gorge and is well known throughout Japan. The water color varies by location such as milky white, reddish-brown, crystal clear etc. The major industry in Akita is rice-farming. When you are in Akita, don’t forget to try their Kiritampo hot pot. Kiritanpo is rice that has been pounded, shaped around a stick and roasted. Hinai-jidori chicken bowl and Inaniwa Udon are also the “must-try”. Finally, try some Japanese sake and continue to enjoy your trip!
