Kakunodate Town, or Kakunodatemachi (角館町), is a town in Akita Prefecture that is known as “Michinoku no ko Kyoto (みちのくの小京都)”, or “Northeastern’s Little Kyoto”. The town used to be the home of the samurai stationed at Kakunodate Castle back in the Edo period (1603 – 1868). Even now, traces of the presence of the samurai …
Kakunodate Town – The Little Kyoto of Northeastern Japan Read More »
Just like its name, the houses where samurai used to reside are lining up on Bukeyashiki Street (武家屋敷通り) in Kakunodate! A couple of these 200-year-old traditional houses are open to the public. Finding the differences in the construction of the houses between the home of top-ranked samurai, middle-ranked samurai, and lower-ranked samurai can be really fun!
Situated in northeastern Japan, the famous Mt. Zao (蔵王山) in Yamagata prefecture (山形県) and Mt. Hakkoda (八甲田) in Aomori Prefecture (青森県) are well known for the “Snow Monsters” that take shape over trees and branches. However, one of the drawbacks of being so well known is its tendency to be crowded…
There are plenty of “joyful trains” in Japan but have you ever boarded one with live performances? Resort Shirakami (リゾートしらかみ) is the only joyful train in Japan with live performances, including shamisen (Japanese guitar), puppet plays, and Japanese folk tales told in the Tsugaru dialect (津軽弁)!