Where should you base yourself in Akita?
Base yourself near Akita Station for the park and port, or stay consecutive nights in Kakunodate to visit the houses and Lake Tazawa on separate days. If staying in both areas, choose your Shinkansen for the hotel transfer day. These itineraries start at local stations; flights and airport transfers need separate arrangements.
Choose the places you want to see first
Choose Senshu Park for an arrival-day walk or Selion for sea and port views. For house interiors and local crafts, choose Kakunodate; for lake scenery and the Statue of Tatsuko, compare the Lake Tazawa loop bus. Ishiguro’s final day of general admission is 30 November 2026. For later travel, check Aoyagi and Kawarada’s opening hours.
Itineraries by trip length
Eight itineraries start at local stations. First decide whether to stay in Akita or Kakunodate and whether to change hotels. A late arrival or early departure means shortening sightseeing that day. Arrange airport transfers separately.
2 days / 1 night
Visit the park and port on separate days from Akita Station, or spend one day at each of two houses in Kakunodate. These two itineraries use one base without lake travel.
3 days / 2 nights
For the park and houses, spend one night in Akita and one in Kakunodate. For houses and lake, stay two nights in Kakunodate and use one day for Lake Tazawa.
4 days / 3 nights
For a city walk too, choose one night in Akita followed by two in Kakunodate. With three nights in Kakunodate, you can add craft exhibitions on departure day after the houses and lake, but skip the museum if you leave in the morning.
5 days / 4 nights
For the port too, spend two nights in Akita and two in Kakunodate, keeping the port visit and hotel transfer on separate days. With four nights in Kakunodate, visit the houses, crafts and lake on separate days, with no new sightseeing on departure day.
Where to stay
Akita Station · 秋田駅
A useful base for Senshu Park, meals in the city and buses to Selion. If you plan to continue to the airport after visiting Selion, check the return bus to Akita Station and the airport bus separately.
Kakunodate Station · 角館駅
Arrive by train and walk to the samurai district. Hotels near the station suit an onward train journey, while accommodation near the district makes it easier to return after a walk. Not every property provides transfers to and from the station.
Tazawako Station · 田沢湖駅
Change here for buses to the lakeshore. Accommodation near the station, beside the lake and at Nyuto Onsen is in different locations. Decide where you will have dinner and which bus will get you to your accommodation in time for check-in before booking.
Choosing transport and accommodation
Before boarding the Lake Tazawa loop bus
Choose a Lake Tazawa loop bus with sightseeing stops and plan your return JR journey alongside it. Services marked ● in the operator’s timetable do not run on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays or designated holiday periods. Not every bus connects with the Shinkansen. Large luggage, including large suitcases, is restricted. This itinerary includes short walks at Katajiri and Gozanoishi Shrine before reboarding the same bus. Check additional fares if you switch to a later service. Have lunch after returning to the station, not during a sightseeing stop.
Operator’s loop timetableBoarding and luggage informationService statusCabinet Office public holiday calendar
For accommodation close to the station
Compare Hotel Metropolitan Akita for a connection to Akita Station, or Hotel B4T for a stay immediately beside Kakunodate Station. B4T uses self check-in and does not provide breakfast. Check each hotel’s official information for room prices and conditions.
Akita–Kakunodate e-ticket reference and actual price
The regular-season JR Shinkansen e-ticket table lists an adult ordinary-car reserved seat between Akita and Kakunodate at ¥2,870 one way, or ¥5,740 return. Adding ¥1,000 for the two houses gives a reference amount of ¥6,740. Distinguish this from paper-ticket fares and the actual price for your travel date. Eki-net registration, a reservation and a linked transport IC card for each passenger are required. Prices vary by season and booking product. Accommodation, meals, station access and travel before and after the itinerary are excluded.
JR EAST e-ticket price tableConditions of useTourist association facility informationOfficial Kawarada information
Changing hotels and visiting the lake: what does the JR pass cover?
The JR EAST PASS can be used on the Akita Shinkansen between Akita and Kakunodate and between Kakunodate and Tazawako. Reserve seats first and check that outward and return journeys fall within its consecutive validity period. Ugo Kotsu’s lake buses and Akita Chuo Kotsu’s Selion buses are excluded. Ordinary tickets are also available; compare all your other JR journeys to judge whether a pass costs less. An original non-Japanese passport is required. The JR EAST PASS is not limited to Temporary Visitor status; do not apply another pass’s eligibility rules to it.
Official JR pass informationJR EAST PASS passport requirements, conditions and seat reservations
Which days should you visit the park, port, samurai houses and lake?
Take a bus from Akita Station to the port observation deck, and use the Shinkansen for Kakunodate and Tazawako. Visit the park, port, houses and lake on separate days around where you are staying and your return transport.
Arrival day: Akita Station and Senshu Park
Begin with a walk from the station to Senshu Park. Visit the moat in daylight and return towards the station for dinner. To reduce slopes, stay beside the moat; decide whether to continue uphill to Ninomaru based on how much walking you want.
Port views, then back to Akita City
Choose your outward and return Selion buses together. Restaurants and shops have different hours from the observation deck, so plan lunch at the port or back at the station around your return bus. If an immediate onward train feels rushed, compare the itinerary with two nights in Akita.
Kakunodate: house interiors and craft exhibitions
Explore Aoyagi’s garden and exhibitions and Kawarada’s house and garden. Add the Kabazaiku Densyokan if you are interested in crafts made from wild cherry bark. The three-night itinerary puts the museum on departure day, while the four-night stay gives it a separate day. Compare the latter if you leave early.
Tourist association facility informationOfficial Kawarada informationSemboku City: craft museum prices, hours and walk
A Lake Tazawa day trip from Kakunodate
Use one day of your Kakunodate stay for Lake Tazawa. Take a loop bus with sightseeing stops at Katajiri and Gozanoishi Shrine, returning to the station on the same bus. Staying beside the lake or at Nyuto Onsen requires separate transport and accommodation arrangements and is outside this day trip.
Facility directionsOfficial JR timetableOperator’s loop timetableTourist association notice dated 2026-10-06
Which route should you take from the station to each attraction?
The directions below start at stations. If leaving from your accommodation, change the map’s starting point to your booked address. Check official JR and bus timetables and facility opening information for your date before relying on map estimates.
Akita Station → Senshu Park
Walk about five minutes from Akita Station to Pocket Park or 15 minutes to the Ninomaru site. Choose the moat area or uphill park as your destination. These estimates cover the walk from the station to each point; add time for exploring, photos and breaks.
Akita Station West Exit → Selion
Take the Selion service from stand 4 at Akita Station’s West Exit bus terminal and get off at Selion. Enter the front of the port tower to visit the observation deck, then return by bus to Akita Station. The ride is about 25 minutes; waiting and the walk to the entrance are extra. Use the appropriate weekday or Saturday, Sunday and public holiday timetable for both journeys.
Facility directionsOperator’s Selion timetableTourism federation: Selion buildings and entrances
Kakunodate Station → samurai district
Follow the station road to the T-junction by Kakunodate Post Office, then turn right into the samurai district. Aoyagi is at 角館町表町下丁3 and Kawarada at 角館町東勝楽丁9. Aoyagi’s station walk is listed as about 15 minutes by the tourist association and 20 minutes by the city. Leave extra time for finding your way.
Official walking routeTourist association facility informationCity information
Akita Station → Kakunodate Station
Take a Morioka-bound Akita Shinkansen and get off at Kakunodate. It passes through Omagari without a change of trains on this section. Choose a train that stops at Kakunodate and reserve your seat. For a house visit after arrival, allow enough time before that day’s last admission.
Official JR timetableTourist association facility information
Kakunodate Station → Tazawako Station → lake loop
Take the Shinkansen to Tazawako Station, then change to the Lake Tazawa loop bus outside. See the Statue of Tatsuko and lake at Katajiri, then take a short walk at Gozanoishi Shrine before reboarding the same bus to the station. The stops last 20 and 10 minutes respectively. Choose your train back to Kakunodate around the bus’s return time.
Official JR timetableOperator’s Selion timetableOperator’s loop timetable
How much are admission and transport for the places you choose?
Calculate only the items you choose, for one adult. The facility prices and bus fares below exclude JR travel, accommodation, meals and airport transfers. Admission totals vary depending on whether you visit both houses and add the craft exhibitions.
| Facility or journey | Adult price | What to budget alongside it |
|---|---|---|
| Aoyagi and Kawarada samurai houses | ¥500 each; ¥1,000 for both | Individual general admission. Additional tours and activities cost extra. |
| Kabazaiku Densyokan | Individual admission: ¥500 | Check whether a craft demonstration is running that day. |
| Selion observation deck and return bus from Akita Station | Free observation deck; bus ¥550 each way, ¥1,100 return | Meals, shopping and the JR fare for the alternative walk from Tsuchizaki Station are extra. |
| Lake loop bus from Tazawako Station | ¥1,160 for one loop | Return on the same bus after its sightseeing stops. Check return JR fares and additional fares for reboarding a different bus separately. |
| Senshu Park | The basic itinerary does not include paid indoor facilities. | To enter Kubota Castle’s Osumi Yagura, check its opening information and admission for your date separately. |
Tourist association facility informationOfficial Kawarada informationSemboku City: craft museum prices, hours and walkObservation deck hoursFares and times by bus stopFare tableAkita City park informationPaid facility ordinance
Kiritanpo hot pot or Inaniwa udon: what should you eat?
Kiritanpo is coarsely pounded rice shaped around skewers and grilled. In hot pots, it is cooked with mushrooms and other ingredients in a soy-based broth made with Hinai chicken. Inaniwa udon is hand-stretched, with a springy, smooth texture.
For a hot-pot dinner, first check whether dinner is already included in your accommodation. On a day with a hotel dinner, consider udon for lunch. Eat near Akita Station on the park day or in Kakunodate on the house day for a convenient return to your accommodation. Menus, prices and hours vary by restaurant; check your chosen place.
Akita Prefecture tourism federation food guideAkita City tourism: kiritanpo and Inaniwa udon
Transport, meals and cameras
Use the JR pass guide for intercity train journeys and the Senshu Park moat camera before a city walk.
JR EAST PASS guide
Compare the JR EAST PASS guide for a trip connecting several cities by Shinkansen. Do not assume the same pass covers Ugo Kotsu’s lake loop and hot-spring buses or the Selion service.
Original Senshu Park moat camera
Before a city walk, use the original Senshu Park moat camera to view the moat and waterside. It shows the moat edge, not all the uphill park paths or the inside of Osumi Yagura. Original feed checked: 2026-10-08.
If you are unsure where to board
When you get off at Selion, ask the driver where to board the return bus to Akita Station. For help finding the port tower entrance, contact the facility on 018-857-3381.
For the Lake Tazawa loop bus, show your timetable at Folake, the tourist information centre inside the station, and ask where to board. Its hours are 08:30–17:15 and its phone number is 0187-43-2111. If the centre is closed, contact Ugo Kotsu’s Tazawako office on 0187-43-1511.
Tazawako Tourist Information Center Folake · フォレイク
Folake location, hours and contact inside the stationUgo Kotsu route enquiriesFacility directions
Paying cash on the Lake Tazawa bus
Prepare coins or ¥1,000 notes. Take a numbered ticket when boarding and hand it in with your fare when getting off. Before boarding, ask the driver how to handle the ticket during the lake loop’s sightseeing stops. With an ordinary ticket, getting off at an intermediate stop normally ends that journey. Do not treat it as a day pass allowing unrestricted travel on the next bus.
Boarding and luggage informationUgo Kotsu carriage conditions, Articles 16 and 21
Official JR pass informationOriginal Senshu Park moat camera
Frequently asked questions
Where should I stay for Senshu Park and the samurai district?
Compare accommodation near Akita Station for Senshu Park, city meals and the Selion bus. For Kakunodate’s samurai district, look near Kakunodate Station or closer to the district. If staying in both areas, plan the day you will travel between them by Shinkansen.
Akita City park informationOfficial access informationOfficial walking routeOperator’s Selion timetable
Can I visit Lake Tazawa as a day trip from Kakunodate?
Yes. Stay consecutive nights in Kakunodate and take the Akita Shinkansen to Tazawako Station for the day. Board a lake loop bus with sightseeing stops and return to the station on the same bus before taking the Shinkansen back. Not every bus connects with a train; choose both journeys for your date together. A stay beside the lake or at Nyuto Onsen uses a different base and return transport from this day trip.
Sources and verification dates
- Akita City park information ·
- Paid facility ordinance ·
- Observation deck hours ·
- Facility directions ·
- Operator’s Selion timetable ·
- Fares and times by bus stop ·
- Tourist association facility information ·
- City information ·
- Tourist association notice dated 2026-10-06 ·
- Fare table ·
- Facility access ·
- Official access information ·
- FAQ ·
- Current facility information ·
- Operator’s loop timetable ·
- Boarding and luggage information ·
- Service status ·
- Official JR timetable ·
- Official walking route ·
- Official Kawarada information ·
- JR EAST e-ticket price table ·
- Conditions of use ·
- Cabinet Office public holiday calendar ·
- Official JR pass information ·
- Original Senshu Park moat camera ·
- Semboku City: craft museum prices, hours and walk ·
- JR EAST PASS passport requirements, conditions and seat reservations ·
- Akita Prefecture tourism federation food guide ·
- Akita City tourism: kiritanpo and Inaniwa udon ·
- Tourism federation: Selion buildings and entrances ·
- Ugo Kotsu carriage conditions, Articles 16 and 21 ·
- Folake location, hours and contact inside the station ·
- Ugo Kotsu route enquiries ·