Huge lake. Great views in winter as well. The view is clearer in the morning

Spectacular views, only there for a day.

From Akita Station to Tazawako Station is 1h by bullet train, 2h by local train. Although it takes some time to access, it is a place worth visiting. We visited here in early March 2024. There is still certain snow left, the mornings and evenings are bit cold. The calm blue surface of the lake surrounded by a forest covered with white snow was so awesomely beautiful! Tazawako Station is spacious, and nearby you can also eat local specialties like Kiritanpo and Inaniwa Udon. You can also access the sulfuric Nyuto Onsen or ski slope with good snow in about 30 minutes by bus.

You can take a pleasure boat around Lake Tazawa. It takes about 40 minutes, but you will be healed by the beautiful blue and mountains of Lake Tazawa.

Quiet and serene lake with crystal clear blue waters. Lots and lots of fish.

Went on a boat tour looping around the lake. Was awesome to see the foliage and the emerald colors of the waters. Ticket was 1400 yen. Throw fish bait for 100 yen and they will swarm like piranhas.

What a hidden beauty near Akita station. This place is not much developed and has very infrequent public transportation during winter time. I recommend to take rental car from Akita station and visit this place. Such a majestic view during winter of this lake. It is really deep lake(~424m) and definitely worth visiting. For public transportation nearest railway station is Tazawako.

Very nice and serene!

Took the bus service B that does a circular loop around the lake for 1210 yen - it was definitely value for money as it allows for u to take the bus and drop off at multiple stops. Not that it has enough frequency for u to do that. But it stops for 10-15mins at several spots of interest like at the statue which is near the Rose Hotel and a forest park good to trek at. I personally find the scenery best there. Then it stopped at the shrine before returning to the station. It makes other stops along the way. Look out for the signs. I personally liked the “Citizen’s Park” which was about 25mins walk from the the entrance of the lake. It had lovely trees which were transforming from the colour of spring. I did not take the ferry but would skip it in view that the bus travels around the lake.

Lake Tazawa 田沢湖 + Statue of Tatsuko. The deepest lake in Japan at 423 metres. Its extreme depth is said to be caused by a volcanic activity or by a meteorite impact. Because of its depth, it is also a lake that does not get frozen in winter. There is also a golden female statute here which tells the story of a lady Tatsuko who wished to keep her beauty forever by transforming into a dragon and threw itself into the lake. Yes, the story does not make sense to me but the view and calmness here is worth a visit.

Breathtaking view and clear waters. You can also rent bikes for tour at around 3,500 yen for 3 hours to bike around the lake.

The water is bluer than other blue ponds I have seen in Japan and it’s fun to feed fishes though it. The golden dragon lady is mesmerizing. The cloudy weather was even better we could feel the clouds hovering over the lake and when sun came out it was magnificent feeling

Loved this park and the castle ruins too! Beautiful views of Akita City and enjoyed walking around in the snow.

One of the historical public parks in Akita. It had been the castle, now it belongs to Akita city. Very beautiful red leaves in a Japanese style garden. There are fountain with carp fishes, lotus pond, Japanese shrines and others. Free to visit. It's very nice and relaxing for us.

It's not the best place to visit in the middle of summer but since I'm only in Akita to catch the Kanto Matsuri, this seems like a good place to explore within minutes from the train station. Of course, I was made to regret my decision because the weather was scorching and as I made my way to the park, I was greeted by the insane screeching of cicadas. I was told this would be a beautiful place for cherry blossom viewing in spring (and I have no doubts about that). But maybe in summer, it's more advisable to give this park a miss. Not even the sight of the Osumiyagura turret / guard post is of any consolation... And the lotus littered moat? Let's just say it kind of looks like a total mess...

A big, beautiful, and historic park in Akita city. You can easily walk to here from city centre. And there is a Akita Arts Theatre Mille Has around the entrance. Visitors can also have a short break at the Art Theatre. If visited this park at the right time, guess the red leaves or green leaves can show a different view of this park.

Japanese parks are unique with their design and atmosphere. Lovely place to spend time so chill place 😌

Beautiful park. It was a fairly big and nice for a walk.

Visited on January 8th. There was a light amount of snow and it was a fantastic atmosphere. There were hardly any tourists so I was able to sightsee comfortably.

Due to scheduling issues, I missed the cherry blossoms in the popular destinations down south so I was looking at options around Tohoku. Looking back, I'm glad I chose Akita and especially Senshu Park for hanami! While it was rather wet on the day I visited, the blossoms were in full bloom and with ample space to roam around with little crowds to avoid. For any goshuin/seal stamp collectors, I managed to collect a couple from the two shrines on-site. Unfortunately I missed checking out the Cherry Blossom Festival at full-swing as the vendors were still setting up when I visited but it looked like a fun option especially later in the day.

Had a short walk during the winter period and it was quiet, nice and beautiful! Worth a visit.

beautiful park with a decent amount of area to cover, with plenty of quiet and scenic spots to relax. visited during the summer; this place looks great in all seasons. not sure what some low-rated reviews are talking about, yapping about how this place is a miss in the summer. they don't have a damn clue.

Beautiful park that is very well maintained. When I went, the were doing some tree-trimming which created some unpleasant noise, but that was the only thing I could possibly say negative about it. Some buildings near the entrance like the Culture Creation Center run events occasionally, so it's good to watch out for those too.

After a last minute change of plans, we found ourselves in Akita for a few hours longer on a drizzly Friday morning in June than expected. We were hanging around to see the Akita inu at "Akita Dog Station" that didn't open until 11AM and stumbled across this park nearby while walking around earlier that morning. I honestly wish I had known about this park earlier. It was the quintessential Japanese park with little shrines, a mini waterfall, garden, woods, bamboo and even a small eatery and gift shop. We didn't have time to do any eating or shopping, nor did we have time to go into the small museum located in a restored building. Instead we spent it just walking around the garden areas and enjoying being outside of the city. If you're in Akita, do yourself a favor and block out a few hours to give this park and surrounding areas some of your time, you won't regret it.

I was here at the start of March, and while not the best time to visit the park, it was still a good experience. There's a lot to see!

One of my favourite places in Akita city... It's perfect for picnic, walking, jogging and reading too... The view from the senshu tower is so beautiful Ps: beware of the strong wind

Very small museum, 15 minutes to see the entirety at a leisurely pace. Not the greatest value for 1000 yen. Also, no photography allowed. As a foreigner this causes problems since I can’t translate the Japanese text accompanying the artwork with Google Lens, and most of it was only displayed in Japanese. The QR code for an English audio guide failed to work, too. So, as a museum, it could be improved fundamentally. The large painting of historical Akita was interesting but did not get contextualized well. The cafe and shop has a beautiful view, and the staircase going up to the main level is memorable. So, it can still be a way to spend an hour or so if you take your time and unwind in the cafe.

For 300 yen for the exhibit, a must go! The exhibition I went to had a large painting of Akita cultural festivities - it was beautiful. The museum itself is also very new, modern and nice. Must go!

The museum is close to Akita Station. The space is not so large, but the stylish architecture and special exhibitions are excellent. The curator's commentary attracted a large number of visitors and the exhibition was a success. The Akita scenes painted by Tsuguharu Fujita for this museum are

Not super huge, but has some cool unique exhibits and is conveniently located

Permanent exhibition it is pretty small. Maybe 20 pieces in total. The not permanent one it was about the best pics of National geographic, animals, culture, landscapes etx. actually really cool. The downside it was that everything was only in Japanese (no english at all), and it was forbidden to take picture about everything. Ticket it was 800-1000 yen for full access, around 200yen only for the permanent exhibition.

It was a good museum to visit in the city and the free exhibition was very interesting too! The main galleries were also interesting too and learnt quite a few things along the way walking around.

Came here during my short stay in Akita, just a walking distance from Akita station

I really enjoyed the special exhibit. I was a bit sad we couldn’t take pictures but understood (200 year old prints are delicate) the permanent exhibit was impressive, but not extensive. Staff was nice and helpful. I’ll definitely come back next time there is a special exhibit I want to see.

1000 yen to get in. It's very cool but kinda small for a museum.

A beautiful museum with a rich history behind the architecture of the building itself. The second floor cafe is also quite relaxing!

Huge painting showing historic Akita, well worth to go and see

It was super expensive 1000 yen Just to see the biggest picture along with some other happening museums.. doesn't make sense.

The Japanese Straw Raincoat, the ''Mino''. Rice straw is naturally water-repellent, water drops don’t penetrate towards the inside and rather easy flow along fibres. Ancient Japanese rain gear was therefore often made of straw, which was also easily available, not difficult to make and light in weight. But it was bulky and easy flammable! It was a typical dress used around 1900. Similar style straw capes were also used in China, Vietnam and Korea. With the rise of synthetic fibres and plastics the mino lost its practical use and became forgotten.

Very detailed information about the Namahage. I love them so maybe I'm biased. I really enjoyed visiting here.

Really interesting museum, lots of information about the history of the namahage, and the Oge region where this tradition takes place every year

Very interesting museum with good language accessibility for foreigners. The show was fun (we did appreciate a lot the English translation of the dialogues and scenes). The gallery with all the masks was very impressive. I didn't know this tradition was taking place in other prefectures of Japan. We got lucky enough to watch a mask carving craftsman in action. Fascinating!

Must go if you visit Oga! During the sedo namahage fesitival period (2022 was on 2/11,2/12/,2/13), they opened the museum for free after 16:00 and was open late till 20:30.

Nice museum. Visit if you are around and have time. Closed during winter. Would be better scenery after May.

This place is great! Everyone should visit at least once. The Namahage show experience is very fun.

It is a nice place to introduce about NAMAHAGE history. You can enjoy the interesting Namahage performane.

Such a great visit. Scared the kids, then they laughed. Shuttle worth it! Reserve shuttle in advance. ~1.5-2 hours ok.

This place exceeded my expectations. I did not know about the 'Namahage' culture prior to coming to this museum, and was really impressed with the culture and how it kept the community together. They also had a demonstration of the culture using local dialect which was hard to understand, but it was a fun watch especially because one of the guests brought their kids. I would highly suggest getting the museum ticket as well as the ticket for the demonstration to truly experience the culture.

It was our first time in Japan, in Akita, in this museum, and we had such an amazing time learning about Namahage. Such a wonferful tradition! My husband watched the children being scared and he was laughing and vouched that he will invite Namahage to come scare our children if it was available in New York City. High recommend to visit here! The craftsman at the museum made handmade decorations that are just do detailed and awesome. It's great!

Super cool place, especially now in the winter. The snow makes the shrine seem otherworldly and magical! The museum had an audio English guide and some written explanations; there's also a nice short movie every 15mins but it's in Japanese...still good though. Pay attention to when the namahage experience is open. It wasn't open when we were there. But there is a namahage festival up there around February 11th, 12th, & 13th; 6~8pm. The buses from Oga station to here don't run a lot, but there is always a taxi....which costs $50 one way/ 20min.

If you look for the traditions of Akita, you should stop to the namahage museum. I learned a lot about it and it was really interesting. They have like show/performance of the namahage and you can participate, and look how it was the tradition back then. One more thing interesting is that they speak in a Japanese but kind of Akita dialect. So even for Japanese person could be hard to understand 100%.

Very cool and interesting. Please also check out the books near the lobby. You get a better picture of the similar practices in Europe and other places. The show was cool too. The Namahage have a thick accent and were a bit hard to understand due to the masks. Or my Japanese is just not that good. Haha There is a shuttle taxi, which runs on the peninsula. Ask the tourist information at Akita station about it. Shuttle reservations had to be done before 9pm.

Interesting area history with a nice show to demonstrate local customs.

If you like Japanese warriors and their culture, you would love this place. This is one of the biggest houses in this district and it is an interesting place to spend an hour or more.

Interesting place. They’re thoughtful in letting people have the chance to actually “use” edojidai things.

Beautiful amazing museum/samurai’s house with beautiful collection of samurai armours, and a sword holding experience and a samurai helmet wearing experience. I love this museum and it’s one of the best I’ve been in the world. It’s really beautiful as well! I highly recommend it.

One of the best museums I've seen in Japan, extensive collection of mementos from Edo era until WW2.

Most all samurai house hold items and arms used are displayed. The descriptions are both in Japanese and English. It's take around 30 mins to finish the self tour. Admission fee cost 500 yen per person. It's worth to study the history of Samurai in the past.

Fascinating history and beautiful displays and grounds. History was not coherently developed as there were many layers of history. Anyone would appreciate more of what they’re seeing with a bit of study in advance.

In fall foliage time, you not only can take pictures on the colourful maple trees along the two streets where the heritage Samurai houses located, you can also take pictures in the evening when the houses got their trees illuminated. We came after a heavy rain. All tourists were gone except some serious amateur photographers. The wet streets offered interesting reflections on the tree colours and the vehicle lights. A surprise!

The host shared lots of precious historic items that preserved so well, letting visitors get a closer glimpse of the living in the past. They showed a general’s sword & weapon which let visitor to hold inside a box! That’s a brilliant idea! It’s soooo heavy… with the armour on, it’s nearly 10kg to wave in the battle. And a distant relative’s amazing artworks which contribute so much in Japanese art, it’s definitely worth a visit besides the Sakura road.

quite nice visit on 25.10.2023 ¥500 entrance big compound 10000 sq m largest among the samurai houses here worth a visit

This is first samurai house that I had visited in Japan (not counting castle ). There is a lot of different building for different function. Highly recommended if you love history and culture. Comparing to old photos in google maps, I find that there are a lot of changes done. According to the guides, they had closed for some time - perhaps several months (predicted from latest entries before April 2018) before reopening it. 500 yen for entrance and premium tour costed another 500 yen. We paid for Premium tour for the main building in order to get to know the house better. Our guide was really kind and knowledgeable. I am not sure if there is English version. Half understanding Japanese, I follow my husband around. We enjoyed matcha in the newly changed Japanese tea restaurant. What interest me besides buildings are old photos presented. There is photos of the last General of Edo Periods. You could see photos of people wearing Hakama and also kimono around.

The Japanese Straw Raincoat, the ''Mino''. Rice straw is naturally water-repellent, water drops don’t penetrate towards the inside and rather easy flow along fibres. Ancient Japanese rain gear was therefore often made of straw, which was also easily available, not difficult to make and light in weight. But it was bulky and easy flammable! It was a typical dress used around 1900. Similar style straw capes were also used in China, Vietnam and Korea. With the rise of synthetic fibres and plastics the mino lost its practical use and became forgotten.

Very detailed information about the Namahage. I love them so maybe I'm biased. I really enjoyed visiting here.

Really interesting museum, lots of information about the history of the namahage, and the Oge region where this tradition takes place every year

Very interesting museum with good language accessibility for foreigners. The show was fun (we did appreciate a lot the English translation of the dialogues and scenes). The gallery with all the masks was very impressive. I didn't know this tradition was taking place in other prefectures of Japan. We got lucky enough to watch a mask carving craftsman in action. Fascinating!

Must go if you visit Oga! During the sedo namahage fesitival period (2022 was on 2/11,2/12/,2/13), they opened the museum for free after 16:00 and was open late till 20:30.

Nice museum. Visit if you are around and have time. Closed during winter. Would be better scenery after May.

This place is great! Everyone should visit at least once. The Namahage show experience is very fun.

It is a nice place to introduce about NAMAHAGE history. You can enjoy the interesting Namahage performane.

Such a great visit. Scared the kids, then they laughed. Shuttle worth it! Reserve shuttle in advance. ~1.5-2 hours ok.

This place exceeded my expectations. I did not know about the 'Namahage' culture prior to coming to this museum, and was really impressed with the culture and how it kept the community together. They also had a demonstration of the culture using local dialect which was hard to understand, but it was a fun watch especially because one of the guests brought their kids. I would highly suggest getting the museum ticket as well as the ticket for the demonstration to truly experience the culture.

It was our first time in Japan, in Akita, in this museum, and we had such an amazing time learning about Namahage. Such a wonferful tradition! My husband watched the children being scared and he was laughing and vouched that he will invite Namahage to come scare our children if it was available in New York City. High recommend to visit here! The craftsman at the museum made handmade decorations that are just do detailed and awesome. It's great!

Super cool place, especially now in the winter. The snow makes the shrine seem otherworldly and magical! The museum had an audio English guide and some written explanations; there's also a nice short movie every 15mins but it's in Japanese...still good though. Pay attention to when the namahage experience is open. It wasn't open when we were there. But there is a namahage festival up there around February 11th, 12th, & 13th; 6~8pm. The buses from Oga station to here don't run a lot, but there is always a taxi....which costs $50 one way/ 20min.

If you look for the traditions of Akita, you should stop to the namahage museum. I learned a lot about it and it was really interesting. They have like show/performance of the namahage and you can participate, and look how it was the tradition back then. One more thing interesting is that they speak in a Japanese but kind of Akita dialect. So even for Japanese person could be hard to understand 100%.

Very cool and interesting. Please also check out the books near the lobby. You get a better picture of the similar practices in Europe and other places. The show was cool too. The Namahage have a thick accent and were a bit hard to understand due to the masks. Or my Japanese is just not that good. Haha There is a shuttle taxi, which runs on the peninsula. Ask the tourist information at Akita station about it. Shuttle reservations had to be done before 9pm.

Interesting area history with a nice show to demonstrate local customs.