Kakunodate角館（かくのだて）

Feel the flow of history through the "Little Kyoto of Michinoku," the town that brings its historical atmosphere to life.

Kakunodate is a quiet town in the east of Akita. It is enclosed on three sides by mountains, and the Hinokinai-gawa River runs southwards through it. The original shape of the town was formed at the beginning of the 17th century, and from then on it developed as a castle town. The town has a refined ('miyabi' in Japanese), elegant feel ('iki' in Japanese) , and is called the "Little Kyoto of Michinoku."

A large number of samurai houses remain in Kakunodate, making this town one of the best for seeing the layout of a Japanese castle town and the style of samurai houses. Some of the main houses are those of the well-known samurai warriors Ishiguro, Aoyagi and Nishimiya, which are open to public. There are also shrines, temples and merchants' storehouses, which seem to surround the town and give visitors the feeling that the history of Kakunodate is still alive today.

The Hinokinai-gawa River is lined with cherry trees for two kilometers. The tunnel of cherry blossoms that forms along the riverbanks in spring is beautiful, and has been designated as a national beauty spot. Even after the flower season, the banks are loved by the townspeople as a pleasant walking course - first there are the cherry tree leaves, then luscious shades of green in summer, followed by the autumn tints.

Many traditional events are held throughout the four seasons in Kakunodate. If you come at the right time you can enjoy: the Sakura-matsuri Festival (cherry blossom festival) in spring; the Sasara-mai Dance in summer, in which people dance while they rhythmically rub two 'sasara' bamboo whisks) together; the stirring Oyama-matsuri Festival in autumn, in which floats collide with one another; and the Hiburi Kamakura in winter, in which a straw bag on the end of a rope is set afire and swung around to pray for good health.