//
Prefecture capital and Core city in Tōhoku, Japan
Photo: くろふね, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Akita (秋田) is the capital of Akita prefecture in the northern Tohoku region of Japan's Honshu island.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
千秋公園; Senshū Kōen
Senshū Park is a beautiful place to take a walk, especially during the spring season when the cherry blossoms are blooming or in winter when the snow covers the trees and the ponds ice over. The park hosts a replica of a watchtower of Kubota Castle, the original having been constructed in 733 AD. For a small admission fee, the lower floors of the castle contain a small museum, and the upper floor provides a panoramic view of the city.
赤れんが郷土館
This museum, built in 1912, hosts various exhibitions of arts, crafts, and historical materials. This was originally the headquarters of Akita Bank. Aka means red in Japanese and renga means brick, so the name means therefore "red brick building". If you visit the nearby Kanto museum, you can buy a joint ticket for that and the akarengakan.
千秋美術館; Senshū Bijutsukan
Will reopen 29th June 2024. This museum has Akita-related art on display year-round. From time to time, various exhibitions are here, too.
秋田県立美術館（平野政吉コレクション）
This museum, built in 1967, focuses on the works of Tsuguji (Leonard) Foujita.
民俗芸能伝承館 minzoku geinō tenjō-kan ; nicknamed ねぶり流し館
The Kantō festival (竿灯) is held in September every year and is about 400 years old. If you aren't around for the festival, this museum gives a taste of what it's like. A fine renovated 150 year old kimono shop adjacent to the museum is included with the price of admission. The guide in the kimono shop may be able to speak some English.
一つ森公園, Hitotsumori Kōen
This park contains an old samurai house that was built in Nakadori, near Kubota Castle, and was moved and renovated in the 1960s. The park also has a Japanese archery (kyūdō) club and shooting range.
秋田県立小泉潟公園, akita-kenritsu koizumigata kōen
Home of the Prefectural Museum and a 300-year-old rich farmer's house, which is rare and can be visited for free. Worth a visit if you like old Japanese houses.
秋田県立博物館; Akita Kenritsu Hakubutsukan
This museum has hands-on exhibits on science and history.
大森山動物園, ōmoriyama dōbutsuen
A small local zoo with a giraffe, elephant, monkeys, lesser pandas, camels, and other animals.
聖体奉仕会 (Seitai Hoshikai)
Of obvious interest to Catholics, but also simply beautiful for anyone keen for a bit of quiet reflection in a country with so many crowded and noisy temples, this is one of the most recent approved sites of Marian apparition. In the 1980s a statue inside the building wept on national TV. The site also has beautiful and expansive gardens and a church with Japanese-style architecture. The nuns have an English-language website with photos and directions which is worth a look.
Akita International University Library
Akita International University's library's interior is made of cedar wood and its roof is half-dome shaped. It has won many architectural awards. Photography is permitted with permission from the reference desk. It's free to visit and has free WiFi, restrooms, and vending machines. It's open every day (including most holidays) and about a 10-minute car ride from the airport.
ラウンドワンスタジアム秋田店
Round One is a kind of indoor amusement park. Once you're inside, there are basketball courts, roller skates, a soccer turf, lots of video games, and similar things.
竿燈まつり Kantō-matsuri
A parade of over 200 bamboo poles with hanging lanterns up to 12 meters tall weighing 50kg balanced on the shoulder, hip, hand, or head of participants. The bamboo poles are meant to represent sprouting rice plants in hopes of a bountiful harvest.
ピーコック
One of the top Indian restaurants in Akita. Vegetarian options available.
インド料理ラクスミ
This is a small Indian restaurant. The nan is all you can eat, and quite tasty. The curry selection is rather large, and tasty too.
らーめん錦 秋田本店
This is a branch of Odate's famous Ramen Nishiki. That ramen shop is ranked as the best in Akita, and this branch is also quite good.
末廣ラーメン本舗秋田山王本店
Delicious ramen. Another branch is near Akita Station.
末廣ラーメン本舗秋田駅前分店
Delicious ramen. Another branch is near the Akita City Office.
カフェ・ブルージュ
This is a Belgian-themed cafe. Sometimes it has live music in the evening.
ホテル・健康ランド こまち
ホテルパールシティ秋田竿燈大通り
A nice business hotel in central Akita City.
中通温泉こまちの湯ドーミーイン
Dormy Inns are Japanese business hotels, albeit slightly more expensive ones, but the rooms tend to be a bit bigger, have tatami rooms and this one at least contains a legit onsen on the roof. An onsen is a real hot spring with the water heated by the earth itself, rather than a heater. The mind boggles to think about how they get it up to the roof, but it's magic in winter as you sit in the hot water with snow falling on you.
東横イン秋田駅東口
As far as Toyoko Inns go, this is a particularly nice one. Right in the centre of town, connected to the station and on the upper floors of one of Akita's tallest buildings giving guests a nice view from the rooms. Toyoko Inns are, in general, very uniform affairs. They're basic, cheap and clean and you get a free, basic Japanese breakfast in the mornings. They also have an English booking site, which is nice, though don't expect the staff to speak English.
ANAクラウンプラザホテル秋田
Also has a buffet restaurant called Sora (open for lunch on weekdays 11:30 - 15:00, weekends and holidays 11:30 - 15:05; dinner on weekdays 17:30 - 21:00, weekends and holidays 17:00 - 21:15), a Chinese restaurant called Karin (lunch 11:30-15:00, dinner 17:30-21:00) and a bar called St. Christina (open 18:00-23:00).
イオンモール秋田
This was the largest mall in Tohoku back in 1993. There are many chain stores, mostly selling young women's fashion. Kaldi Coffee Farm sells foreign foods like biscuits and museli and of course coffee beans. There is also a movie theater sometimes showing movies in English. The ticket machines for films have an English option for buying tickets on them. On the third floor is a Daiso, the \100 shop, and also in the middle of the third floor is the food court. Other restaurants and Starbucks can be found on the ground floor.
TOHOシネマズ 秋田
This theater is the largest in the prefecture. Some of its foreign films are in English with Japanese subs. See the website for details.
チーズ＆ワインアベ
This store sells wine, beer, cheese, and scotch.
イチマルゴ
This store has a small selection of cigars. The owner can do special orders, if you ask.
By train
Akita can be reached by Shinkansen (bullet train) along the Akita Shinkansen Line (秋田新幹線).
By bus
By boat
You can get around by bus, taxi, car, or bike. Many bus routes start in front of Akita Station. In the winter, there can be snow and ice, so drivers should decrease their speed.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Akita · Regional · AXT
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Akita and Japan.
Travel tipsCheck if you need a visa for Japan in 2026. Discover visa-exempt nationalities, eVisa eligibility, stay durations, and how to use Visit Japan Web QR codes.
7 min read
Travel tipsPlan for Japan's new travel costs in 2026. Learn about the ¥3,000 international departure tax, tiered hotel taxes in Kyoto, and Mt Fuji trail fees.
7 min read
Travel tipsComplete 2026 guide to global tourist taxes and access fees. Compare entry fees in Venice, Bali, Bhutan, Kyoto, and Edinburgh, and learn how to pay them.
8 min read
ItinerariesPlan a trip to Japan with kids in 2026. Discover a family-tested 10-day itinerary with theme parks, bullet trains, and practical parenting tips.
8 min read
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.