By plane

Akita has an airport, with domestic flights coming in from such places as Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Sapporo. Buses connect the airport with Akita Station a ride costs ¥980 and takes 40 minutes.

By train

The Akita Shinkansen provides hourly service from Tokyo station to Akita station. These trains, called the Komachi  trains, have only reserved seating. The Komachi stops at Ueno, Omiya, Sendai, Morioka before slowing down to travel to Shizukuishi, Tazawako, Kakunodate, Omagari, and finally Akita over conventional rail lines. Trains also reverse direction once at Omagari, the stop before Akita. Komachi trains from Tokyo reach Akita in four hours and cost ¥16,800 each way. Beware that the Komachi trains are coupled to Aomori-bound Hayate trains, which split at Morioka, but as all seats are reserved the chance of getting in the wrong car is minimal at best. For foreign tourists traveling from Tokyo, the better deal is to purchase a JR East Rail Pass or the national Japan Rail Pass.

By bus

JR Bus operates the Dream Akita-Yokohama overnight bus to Akita from the bus terminal at Yokohama Station (9 3/4 hours, ¥9,500) and from Tokyo Station (8 3/4 hours, ¥9,100).
Odakyu and Akita Chuo Kotsu run the Flora overnight bus from Shinjuku (8 hours, ¥9,450).
The Senshuu daytime bus runs from Sendai with multiple departures (3 1/2 hours, ¥4,000).

By boat

Shin Nihonkai Ferry SNF has ferries going north and south. Two ferries go to Hokkaido one to Otaru, and the other to Tomakomai. Both of those towns are relatively close to Sapporo. To the south the ferries go to Niigata, and also to Tsuruga and Maizuru (which are roughly near Kyoto). Reservations can be made in English by email. For Golden Week and busy times, ferries fill up weeks or months in advance. These ferries accommodate passengers with or without vehicles, though the ferry terminals may be inconveniently located for passengers on foot.
 

Senshu Park, Hirano Masakichi Museum of Fine Art, Akarenga-kan Museum, Senshu Museum of Art, Akita Prefectural Museum, Masakichi Hirano Museum of Fine Art

Senshu Park

Senshu Park is a beautiful place to take a walk, especially during the spring season when the cherry blossoms are blooming. The park hosts a replica of Akita 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.

Hirano Masakichi Museum of Fine Art

The Hirano Masakichi Museum of Fine Art in Akita exhibits one of the world's largest collections of paintings by Leonard Foujita (1886-1968), arguably Japan's most famous Western style painter, who spent a considerable time of his life in France and eventually acquired the French citizenship.
Most prominent among the collection's 101 pieces is the twenty meter long painting "Annual Events in Akita", which illustrates Akita life in the four seasons. Selected pieces from the collection are shown in rotating exhibitions, while the "Annual Events in Akita" remains on permanent display. Besides the works by Foujita, the museum shows other pieces from the collection of Hirano Masakichi, an Akita born art lover who passed away in 1989.

Akarenga-kan Museum

This museum, built in 1912, hosts various exhibitions of arts, crafts, and historical materials.

Senshu Museum of Art

This museum has Akita-related art on display year-round. From time to time, various exhibitions are here, too.

Akita Prefectural Museum

This museum has hands-on exhibits on science and history.

Masakichi Hirano Museum of Fine Art

This museum, built in 1967, focuses on the works of Tsuguji Foujita. Adults ¥610.
 

January - May

Information not available

Advertisement