Akita Prefecture
Akita Prefecture provides visitors with natural beauty and cultural heritage. Akita City hosts the vibrant Kanto Matsuri, a summer festival where participants skillfully balance towering bamboo poles adorned with lanterns, showcasing the region's cultural traditions. Kakunodate, with its well-preserved samurai residences, offers a charming glimpse into Japan's feudal past, and the cherry blossom-lined streets burst with colors during the cherry-blossom season.
The prefecture crown jewel, Lake Tazawa, Japan's deepest lake, is surrounded by picturesque mountains and lush landscapes, providing a serene retreat for nature enthusiasts where they can enjoy hotspring baths, hiking, and other outdoor activities. There is also the Shirakami Mountains.
It is also celebrated for its loyal and intelligent Akita dog breed, commemorated at the a dedicated museum in Odate. Culinary delights include kiritanpo, grilled rice sticks, and Inaniwa udon, a delicate thin noodle.
The prefecture is boarded by Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata prefectures.