Kakunodate and Lake Tazawa

Tohoku, Japan · Town / small city, Lake, Mountain

The best-preserved samurai quarter in northern Japan: wide earth streets between black wooden fences, with warrior-family houses you can go inside. Four hundred weeping cherries bloom over them in late April, and in winter those same fences under snow are the other reason to come. Fifteen minutes by train from the deepest lake in Japan and from the seven hot-spring inns hidden in the forest of Nyuto.

The essentials

Getting there

Train + bus — Only the Akita Shinkansen, the Komachi, comes here, and nothing else stops: from Tokyo it is about 3 hours to Kakunodate (17,260 yen with a reserved seat, which is compulsory on the Komachi as it has no unreserved cars) and some 13 minutes less to Tazawako, the stop before. The Komachi leaves Tokyo coupled to a Hayabusa and splits from it at Morioka, where it leaves the high-speed line and continues on widened conventional track: Morioka to Tazawako is 35-45 minutes. From Sendai, changing at Morioka, a good hour and a half; from Akita, 42 minutes to Kakunodate. Kakunodate is walkable: 15-20 minutes from the station to the samurai quarter. The lake and Nyuto are reached from Tazawako station on Ugo Kotsu's Nyuto-Komagatake line buses (fares as of April 2026): 400 yen and 12-15 minutes to the lakeshore (Tazawako-han), 750 yen to the Tatsuko statue (Katajiri stop), to Alpa Komakusa or to the Tazawako Kogen ski area, 850 yen to the Tsuru-no-Yu turn-off and 950 yen and about 50 minutes to Nyuto Onsen. There are only a handful of departures a day and the last afternoon one is early, so check the timetable before fixing the plan: a taxi from Tazawako to Nyuto is around 7,000 yen. A hire car pays off for the lake, Dakigaeri and Komagatake, but winter tyres are essential in snow season, and the final track to Tsuru-no-Yu is not always cleared: the Nyuto inns collect their guests at Alpa Komakusa.

Frequently asked questions about Kakunodate and Lake Tazawa

What to do in Kakunodate and Lake Tazawa: 30 activities

• Lake Tazawa, the deepest lake in Japan 2.5 h must-see Tazawako · 35 min

  An almost circular caldera six kilometres across and 423.4 metres deep: the deepest lake in Japan and one of the few in the north that never freezes, which keeps its dark cobalt blue even in January. Ugo Kotsu buses run from Tazawako station to the shore (Tazawako-han) in 12-15 minutes for 400 yen. Trails around the lake carry Asiatic black bear warnings and they are not decorative: make noise, carry a bell if you are alone and avoid dawn and dusk.

• The samurai quarter (Uchimachi street) 2.5 h must-see

  Some 400 metres of wide, kerbless street lined with black wooden fences, gates and gardens, preserved since Ashina Yoshikatsu laid out the town in 1620. The town is split in two by the Hiyoke, an earthen and tree-planted firebreak that separated the samurai quarter from the merchants', and the division is still legible as you walk. The street itself is free and lies 15-20 minutes on foot from the station; you only pay to enter the houses that open to visitors. In cherry season traffic is restricted and it is packed until midday.

• Tsuru-no-Yu, the milk-white hot spring 2 h must-see booking Nyuto Onsen · 60 min

  The oldest of the Nyuto springs and the one in every photograph: rows of thatched buildings with earthen floors, and an outdoor pool with a sandy bottom through which the source bubbles up, the water opaque white with sulphur. The large rotenburo is konyoku (mixed) and women enter along their own covered passage; there are also two women-only outdoor baths, so mixed bathing is never compulsory. Day bathing costs about 700 yen from 10:00 to 15:00 and is not offered on Mondays (if the Monday is a public holiday, it closes the Tuesday instead). Staying overnight is booked by telephone and only by telephone (0187-46-2139): the line opens at 7:00 on the 1st of the month, six months ahead, and fills within minutes.

• Kakunodate Festival floats (yama-butsuke) 4 h only 7-9 Sep

  From 7 to 9 September, eighteen wooden floats carrying giant figures and musicians tour the town, and when two meet and neither gives way they shove each other by hand until one is pushed aside: that is the yama-butsuke, and it happens mostly after dark. It has been on the UNESCO list since 2016 as part of the Yama-Hoko-Yatai float festivals. Free to watch; the town fills up and hotels book out far in advance.

• The weeping cherries of the samurai quarter 2 h only blossom from 20 April to 5 May

  Around 400 weeping cherries lean out over the black fences; 162 of them are designated a National Natural Monument. Tradition holds that they came from Kyoto in the 17th century in the dowry of the second Satake Kita lord's wife. Kakunodate blooms a month later than Tokyo: usually between 20 April and 5 May, overlapping Golden Week, and accommodation sells out months ahead.

• Ando Jozo, the miso and soy sauce brewery 1 h

  Founded in 1853 in the merchant quarter and still making miso and soy sauce the old way, additive-free, with Akita soy beans and rice. Entry is free and it never closes: from 8:30 to 17:00 you can see the brick storehouse with its sliding doors painted by a local artist and taste the miso, the triple-brewed soy sauce and iburigakko, the smoked pickled daikon that is the prefecture's signature snack.

• Aoyagi House (Aoyagi-ke) 1.5 h

  The largest residence in the quarter: 3,000 tsubo (nearly a hectare) of grounds with six small museums inside, from Satake Kita armour and weapons to the gramophones, cameras and Showa-era posters the family collected. Admission 500 yen adults, 300 yen junior and senior high, 200 yen primary. Open 9:00-17:00 April to November and 9:00-16:00 December to March.

• Cherry blossoms lit at night (yozakura) 1.5 h only all through the cherry blossom festival

  During the cherry festival both the samurai street and the Hinokinai embankment are floodlit, usually until around 22:00-22:30, and the pink weeping branches read better against the black fences at night than by day. It is free. The last Komachi shinkansen towards Morioka or Akita leaves well before then, so this is only for those sleeping locally.

• Cherry-bark craft museum (Denshokan) 1 h

  Kabazaiku is Kakunodate's own craft: wild cherry bark glued onto wood to make tea caddies, boxes and handles, a trade low-ranking samurai took up in the late 18th century to make a living. At the Denshokan craftsmen work in front of you and older pieces are on display. Admission 500 yen adults, 300 yen primary to junior high; 9:00-17:00 April to November and 9:00-16:30 December to March, closed 28 December to 4 January.

• Dakigaeri Gorge 2.5 h Tazawako · 25 min only 20 Apr - 15 Nov

  A narrow gorge of emerald water with a red suspension bridge, the Kami-no-Iwahashi, and a path cut into the rock with unlit tunnels that reaches the Mikaeri-no-Taki waterfall in about half an hour; beyond the falls the trail has been closed for years. The name refers to a passage once so narrow you had to edge along hugging the wall. Access is free, 15 minutes by car from Kakunodate and 20 from Tazawako. It is walkable from late April to mid-November and closed the rest of the year for snow, plus occasional closures after heavy rain. Bring a torch: five metal pipes are set along the trail to be struck as a warning to the bears, which are seen here often.

• Eating in Kakunodate: inaniwa udon and kiritanpo 1.5 h

  Akita has two dishes of its own that are done well here: inaniwa udon, a thin, flat, very smooth noodle usually served cold with dipping sauce (1,000-1,500 yen), and kiritanpo nabe, pounded rice toasted on a skewer and simmered in hinaidori chicken broth with mushrooms and seri, more of a winter thing. Most restaurants sit between the station and the merchant quarter and close early, around 19:00 or 20:00.

• Hiburi Kamakura, the swinging fire ritual 2 h only 13-14 Feb

  On the night of 14 February, in half a metre of snow, people whirl burning bundles of rice straw on a one-metre rope around their heads, purifying the rice fields and praying for health and a good harvest. It is a lunar New Year rite listed as a municipal Intangible Folk Cultural Property, held simultaneously at the main site and in each neighbourhood; some districts start on the 13th. Visitors can join in by paying for a bundle (around 300-500 yen). Wear clothes you do not mind scorching, because sparks fly.

• Ishiguro House (Ishiguro-ke) 1 h

  The oldest samurai house in town (1809) and the only one where the descendant family still lives, occupying the rear while the front is shown; staff will explain the house if you ask. Admission 500 yen adults and 300 yen ages 6-15, 9:00-17:00 April to November and until 16:00 December to March. It has no fixed closing day and can close without notice, so it is worth ringing (0187-55-1496) if it is your only day there.

• Nyuto under the snow 3 h booking Nyuto Onsen · 60 min only 15 Dec - 31 Mar

  From January to March two metres of snow pile up and the white walls around the pools reach shoulder height: this is when Nyuto makes the most sense and when it is hardest to get a room. The Ugo Kotsu bus from Tazawako station runs all year (about 50 minutes and 950 yen to Nyuto Onsen, 850 yen to the Tsuru-no-Yu turn-off), but departures are few and the last afternoon one is early; Tsuru-no-Yu collects its guests at the Alpa Komakusa stop because the final track is not always cleared. A taxi from the station is around 7,000 yen. Driving up in a hire car without winter tyres is not an option.

• The golden statue of Tatsuko 0.75 h Tazawako · 45 min

  On the western shore, standing in the water, a gilded 1968 figure by Funakoshi Yasutake commemorates Tatsuko, the young woman who, legend says, asked for eternal beauty, drank from the forbidden spring and became the dragon that lives in the lake. Free, at the Katajiri bus stop, about 30 minutes and 750 yen from Tazawako station. In afternoon sun the gold against the blue is the picture everyone comes for.

• The Hinokinai river cherry avenue 1.5 h only blossom from 20 April to 5 May

  Two kilometres of Somei Yoshino cherry tunnel along the Hinokinai river embankment, planted in 1934 to mark the birth of the crown prince and also a designated Natural Monument. It blooms a few days after the weeping cherries of the samurai quarter, so with luck you catch both. Free, flat, with food stalls during the festival and families spreading mats on the riverbank below.

• The seven baths of Nyuto (yumeguri) 4 h Nyuto Onsen · 60 min

  Nyuto is not a village but seven inns scattered through the forest, each with its own source: ten different waters, from the milky white of Tsuru-no-Yu to the dark Kuro-Yu and the iron-rich Myo-no-Yu. Anyone staying at one of the seven can buy the Yumeguri-cho, an 1,800 yen booklet good for one bath at each plus free use of the shuttle minibus that links them; if you are not staying you can buy the 600 yen map, which covers only the minibus, and pay for each bath separately: between 520 and 800 yen. Mind the hours: most stop admitting day bathers at 15:00 or 16:30.

• Climbing Akita-Komagatake 5 h Tazawako · 60 min only 1 Jun - 20 Oct

  The mountain closing the lake to the east (1,637 m) is one of the most rewarding in the north: a bus climbs to the eighth station and from there it is 1h30-2h of trail across high meadows that fill with alpine flowers in late June and July, among them the komakusa that half the district is named after. The road is only passable from June to October, and from 1 June to 20 October on weekends and holidays - and daily from 21 June to 15 August - private cars are barred: you take the shuttle up from Alpa Komakusa. There are bears; do not climb alone and in silence.

• Cycling around the lake 3 h Tazawako · 35 min

  The road around Lake Tazawa is about 20 kilometres, almost flat, and takes two or three hours with stops; bikes are rented beside the Shirahama pier, around 1,000 yen for two hours and a bit more for e-bikes. There is no separate cycle lane and cars do pass, so it is not a plan for small children. From December to April snow rules it out, and the wooded northern stretch carries bear warnings: better not to stop alone among the trees.

• Gozanoishi Shrine 0.75 h Tazawako · 40 min

  A red torii planted on the northern shore with the water immediately behind it, and a small shrine among pines. The name comes from 1650, when the lord of Akita, Satake Yoshitaka, sat here to look at the lake. Free, on the lakeside bus route; just over the rise there is a rock with a view across the whole caldera.

• How a mixed bath (konyoku) works in Nyuto 0.5 h Nyuto Onsen · 60 min

  Worth knowing before you arrive rather than on the doorstep: the mixed baths at Nyuto are the large rotenburo at Tsuru-no-Yu, both outdoor pools at Magoroku, the one at Kaniba and those at Myo-no-Yu; Okama and the Kyukamura have all baths separated by sex, and most of the others also have a women-only pool. You bathe naked, the small towel never goes into the water, and swimsuits are not allowed except where signs say otherwise. Several places set aside a women-only time slot, posted at reception on the day, and some lend or sell a yuamigi, the bathing wrap that lets you enter covered. The water at Tsuru-no-Yu is so opaque that once you are in, nothing shows.

• Kabazaiku workshop: make your own cherry-bark piece 1.5 h booking

  Several workshops in the merchant quarter, and the Denshokan itself, let you glue and polish your own small piece - a coaster, a hand mirror, a keyring - for around 2,000-3,500 yen in about ninety minutes. Book ahead, usually by phone or through the tourist office at Kakunodate station (0187-54-2700); slots fill up in cherry season. It works well with children from about eight up.

• Kawarada House (Kawarada-ke) 0.75 h

  Reopened in April 2021 after four years of full restoration, so it is the house that best shows how a mid-ranking samurai dwelling was actually built: exposed structure, a shoin study and a small maple garden. Admission 500 yen adults, 300 yen students, with staff explanation. It is the least crowded of the three paying houses.

• Kuro-Yu, the hot spring that closes for half the year 1.5 h Nyuto Onsen · 60 min only 15 Apr - 8 Nov

  Wooden, thatch-roofed buildings at the end of a track, with two sources, a cascade bath where the water hammers down on your shoulders and greyish-white sulphur waters. It is one of the few hot springs in Japan that shuts completely for the winter: open from mid-April to early November and that is that. Day bathing costs 800 yen adults and 400 yen primary school, 9:00-16:30 (Wednesdays only 9:00-11:00), with towel hire at 550 yen. It has a mixed section and gender-separated ones.

• Lake Tazawa sightseeing boat 1 h Tazawako · 35 min only 11 Apr - 8 Nov

  It leaves from the Shirahama pier, passes in front of the Tatsuko statue and comes back in about 40 minutes; from the water you take in the whole ring of crater mountains at once. In 2026 it runs from 11 April to 8 November, with four departures a day (9:10, 11:10, 13:10 and 15:10) and nothing for the rest of the year. The circuit costs 1,000 yen for adults and half that for children; no booking needed, just arrive ten minutes early, and it is cancelled in bad weather.

• Suzuki sake brewery, home of Hideyoshi 1 h booking Daisen · 20 min

  The Suzuki family has brewed sake since 1689 and their brand, Hideyoshi, was named by the lord of Akita himself. It is not in Kakunodate but in Daisen, fifteen minutes by car or two local-train stops away (Kariwano): the main building is a Meiji-era wooden mansion with whitewashed storehouses. Visits by advance reservation only, with tasting in the shop; tours pause during the peak brewing months, January to March.

• Tazawako ski resort 6 h Tazawako · 40 min only 20 Dec - 5 Apr

  Thirteen runs on the flank of Akita-Komagatake, with the blue lake in view below for most of the descent, which is what sets it apart from other northern resorts. Snow is dry and plentiful from late December to late March or early April; a day pass runs around 4,500-5,000 yen and there is a bus from Tazawako station to Tazawako Kogen (750 yen). It sits fifteen minutes from the Nyuto hot springs, so skiing by day and bathing at dusk arranges itself.

• Hirafuku Memorial Art Museum 1 h

  Devoted to Hirafuku Hyakusui (1877-1933), a nihonga painter born in Kakunodate, and to his father Suian. The building, bare concrete under a steep gabled roof, is by Oe Hiroshi and deliberately clashes with the houses beside it. Open 9:00-17:00 April to November and until 16:30 December to March, closed Mondays and between exhibitions; admission runs about 300-500 yen depending on the show.

• Swimming at Shirahama beach 2 h Tazawako · 35 min only 15 Jul - 20 Aug

  The lake has a small pale-sand beach on the eastern shore, with pedalos and paddle boats for hire, and you can swim there in July and August. The water is fresh, clear and quite cold even at the height of summer; worth knowing that Lake Tazawa has been slightly acidic since the Tama river was diverted into it in 1940 for a hydroelectric scheme, which killed off almost all its fish.

• Touring the quarter by rickshaw or bicycle 0.75 h

  Rickshaw pullers wait at the entrance to the samurai quarter and run 15- to 30-minute commentated rides for about 3,000-5,000 yen for two; the commentary is in Japanese, but they point out details of the houses you would never spot alone. Cheaper alternative: rent a bicycle by the station for around 500 yen an hour, which also gets you down to the river. Neither runs once the winter snow arrives.

What only happens on specific dates

• Nyuto under the snow 15 Dec - 31 Mar
• Tazawako ski resort 20 Dec - 5 Apr
• Hiburi Kamakura, the swinging fire ritual 13-14 Feb
• The weeping cherries of the samurai quarter blossom from 20 April to 5 May
• Cherry blossoms lit at night (yozakura) all through the cherry blossom festival
• Dakigaeri Gorge 20 Apr - 15 Nov
• The Hinokinai river cherry avenue blossom from 20 April to 5 May
• Kuro-Yu, the hot spring that closes for half the year 15 Apr - 8 Nov
• Lake Tazawa sightseeing boat 11 Apr - 8 Nov
• Climbing Akita-Komagatake 1 Jun - 20 Oct
• Swimming at Shirahama beach 15 Jul - 20 Aug
• Kakunodate Festival floats (yama-butsuke) 7-9 Sep

Ready-made routes through Kakunodate and Lake Tazawa

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