Akita Prefecture stretches along Japan's northwestern Tohoku coast, offering a remarkable blend of preserved feudal heritage, volcanic landscapes, and centuries-old culinary traditions. The samurai townscape of Kakunodate rivals Kyoto for beauty, while the impossibly blue Lake Tazawa—Japan's deepest—draws visitors year-round. Akita is famed for its Kanto Festival, when hundreds of performers balance towering bamboo poles hung with paper lanterns; for Namahage demon lore on the rugged Oga Peninsula; for steaming mountain onsen clusters at Nyuto; and for producing some of Japan's most celebrated sake and the uniquely tender Inaniwa udon.
Luxury hotels
Five-star and palace properties.
Tsurunoyu Onsen Ryokan
Japan's most famous outdoor mixed-gender onsen (konyoku) surrounded by ancient pines, operated in a 300-year-old thatched farmhouse deep in Nyuto's mountain valley. No mobile reception. Kaiseki dinner and breakfast included.
Taenoyu Ryokan
Premier Nyuto Onsen property with private outdoor baths attached to some rooms, exceptional kaiseki using Akita mountain and sea ingredients, and a refined forest setting.
Kakunodate Tamachi Bukeyashiki Hotel
A luxury hotel set within a converted 300-year-old samurai compound in the heart of Kakunodate — the most atmospheric accommodation in the samurai district.
Fine dining
Michelin-starred and chef-driven restaurants.