Two days in Akita: choose park and harbour or houses
For one night, choose Akita city and harbour or Kakunodate houses as your base. Rather than combining both cities and lake, visit park and harbour on separate days or split the houses. Shorten or skip day 2 viewing for a morning departure.
Choose a 2 days, 1 night itinerary
Two days from Akita Station: park and harbour
Spend one night near Akita Station, visiting the park and harbour views on separate days. Check the time between your return Selion bus and departure train first.
Two days from Akita Station: park and harbour →2 days, 1 nightTwo days in Kakunodate: visit the houses separately
Stay one night in Kakunodate to take your time with the samurai houses and gardens. Visit Aoyagi House on day 1 and Kawarada House on day 2. Leave viewing time after your first-day arrival and before your second-day departure to see both.
Two days in Kakunodate: visit the houses separately →Two days from Akita Station: park and harbour
Spend one night near Akita Station, visiting the park and harbour views on separate days. Check the time between your return Selion bus and departure train first.
Day 1 · Senshu Park
Walk through Senshu Park after arriving at Akita Station. Start around the moat, then climb to the Ninomaru site if you are comfortable with slopes.
- Akita Station and your hotel → Senshu Park walk
Allow roughly five minutes from Akita Station to the park’s pocket park, or 15 minutes to the Ninomaru site. Walk around the moat, continuing up the slope if comfortable. Allow 60–90 minutes for an afternoon walk; shorten it to the moat if a late arrival or rain limits daylight. The park is open all day, but this itinerary does not recommend walking after dark. If adding the Kubota Castle Osumiyagura interior, check its dated hours and adjust your walking time.
- Senshu Park → Hotel check-in and dinner
Return to your hotel after walking and check in at your booked time. Eat near the station and stay at the same hotel.
If arriving late, take a short walk around the moat before dinner.
Day 2 · Selion observation deck and departure from Akita Station
Visit Selion’s observation deck, then return to Akita Station. Decide whether to have lunch at the harbour based on time before your return bus.
- Akita Station west-side stop 4 → Selion bus stop
Board a Selion-bound bus at stop 4 in Akita Station’s west bus terminal and get off at Selion. The adult one-way fare is ¥550. Set your harbour visit length around the return bus to Akita Station.
- Selion bus stop → Port Tower entrance and fifth-floor observation deck
Enter through Port Tower’s front entrance and enjoy Akita Port and sea views from the free fifth-floor deck, open 09:00–21:00. Selion Rista and Plaza are separate buildings from the observation tower.
Observation deck operationTourism federation Selion buildings and entrances
- Selion observation deck → Rest and return bus stop
After enjoying the harbour views, take a rest and return to your bus stop. Services are infrequent, so choose your return bus before allocating meal time. If there is not enough time for harbour lunch, eat after returning to the station.
- Selion return bus stop → Akita Station west exit
Take an Akita Station west-exit-bound bus from Selion. At ¥550 each way, return bus travel costs ¥1,100.
- Akita Station → Leave for your next destination
Return to Akita Station before leaving for your next destination. For Tokyo or Morioka, check Akita Shinkansen stops and reserved seats for your date. Look up airport buses separately, leaving time for meals and boarding between your Selion return and departure.
Official JR timetableOperator Selion Line timetableFAQOfficial access
Choose your return bus first. If time is short for a harbour meal, eat back near Akita Station.
Included: Selion bus return at ¥550 per adult each way; Selion observation deck free. Paid indoor facilities in Senshu Park excluded.
Separate costs: Accommodation, meals, travel to/from Akita, airport travel and additional facilities excluded.
For one adult. Check both included items and separate costs.
Stop-by-stop fares and timesFacility accessObservation deck operation
Two days in Kakunodate: visit the houses separately
Stay one night in Kakunodate to take your time with the samurai houses and gardens. Visit Aoyagi House on day 1 and Kawarada House on day 2. Leave viewing time after your first-day arrival and before your second-day departure to see both.
Day 1 · Aoyagi House
Visit Aoyagi House on arrival in Kakunodate. Choose a service that leaves time to finish in the afternoon; shorten the visit if arriving late.
- Around Kakunodate Station → Walk to Aoyagi’s entrance
Follow the road from the station, turning right at the T-junction where Kakunodate Post Office is visible to enter the samurai-house district. Use the tourism association’s walking-route signs to locate Aoyagi House at 角館町表町下丁3. Station walking estimates differ: roughly 15 minutes from the association and 20 from the city. Allow extra time for photos, navigation and your actual accommodation starting point.
Official walking routeTourism association facility guideCity hall
- Aoyagi House → Exhibits, garden and ¥500 admission
Explore Aoyagi House’s exhibits and garden in the afternoon, allowing roughly 90 minutes. General April–November hours are 09:00–17:00, with individual adult admission ¥500. Separate tours and paid activities are excluded from this cost.
- Aoyagi House → Hotel check-in and dinner
After viewing, return towards the station through the samurai-house district and past the post office, then check in. Eat at a restaurant whose hours you have checked and return to your accommodation. If you missed the first-day visit after a late arrival, reassess which houses to visit against next-day departure and opening times.
For a late arrival, shorten the visit or move it to the next day. Winter closing may be earlier; check facility guidance.
Day 2 · Kawarada House and departure from Kakunodate Station
If you visited Aoyagi yesterday, visit Kawarada House before leaving today.
- Station road and samurai-house district → Visit Kawarada House
Follow the same station road and post-office T-junction to Kawarada House in the samurai-house district. Its address is 角館町東勝楽丁9, roughly 15 minutes’ walk from the station. Visit the house and garden in the morning. April–November hours are 09:00–17:00, last reception 16:30, with individual adult admission ¥500. Guided viewing is listed from 10:00 for roughly 10–15 minutes; ask at the entrance whether it is running and accepting visitors that day.
Official walking routeOfficial Kawarada informationCity hall
- After visiting Kawarada → Depart from Kakunodate Station
Return past the post office to Kakunodate Station after viewing. Choose an afternoon departure if you want lunch before leaving. Check your dated JR timetable for a train stopping at your destination and reserved seats.
For a morning departure, move this house visit to an earlier day. Leave time to walk back to Kakunodate Station afterwards.
Included: Adult admission to Aoyagi and Kawarada houses, ¥500 each.
Separate costs: Accommodation, meals, arrival/departure JR travel, taxis, additional tours and activities are separate.
For one adult. Check both included items and separate costs.
Tourism association facility guideOfficial Kawarada informationCurrent facility guide
Frequently asked questions
How much does visiting two Kakunodate houses cost?
For an individual adult, Aoyagi ¥500 plus Kawarada ¥500 totals ¥1,000 for one visit each. Accommodation, meals, rail travel and separate tours are excluded. Check winter hours by facility. Aoyagi closing differs between the association’s 16:30 and city hall’s 16:00; confirm your dated closing with the house. Kawarada’s December–March last reception is 16:00, closing 16:30, with closure 28 December–4 January.
City hallTourism association facility guideOfficial Kawarada information
Sources and check dates
- Akita city park guide ·
- Observation deck operation ·
- Facility access ·
- Operator Selion Line timetable ·
- Stop-by-stop fares and times ·
- Tourism association facility guide ·
- City hall ·
- Official access ·
- FAQ ·
- Current facility guide ·
- Official JR timetable ·
- Official walking route ·
- Official Kawarada information ·
- Tourism federation Selion buildings and entrances ·