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Hachimantai Plateau・Lake Tazawa

Hachimantai Plateau is located over the northeast of Akita Prefecture. The plateau makes up the southern part of the Towada-Hachimantai National Park. The region has been developed as hot spring resorts, offering ideal trekking and skiing, and is well known for its natural wonders and its variety of alpine plants and flowers The top of Mt. Hachimantai soars roughly in the center of the plateau. Lake Tazawa is a crater lake situated near the center of the eastern region of Akita Prefecture. Its circumference is 20 kilometers, and at 423 meters, it is the deepest lake in Japan and also the 17th deepest in the world. Because of this extreme depth it never freezes over even in the coldest of winters. The sapphire-blue lake is amazingly beautiful and reflects everything around it. It is a major tourist attraction for visitors at anytime of the year.

Kakunodate

Kakunodate is an old castle town, in central Akita Prefecture. This town is well-known as “little Kyoto” because the old samurai houses there have been well preserved up to the present day. The town of Kakunodate dates back some 400 years to 1620 when it was established by Ashina Yoshikatsu, the lord of the Satake clan. Walking through this town, you feel as if you have been transported through time to the Edo era. With its samurai houses and its beautiful weeping cherry blossom trees, this “little Kyoto” attracts tourists from all over the world. Visit Kakunodate especially in spring and walk along the banks of the Hinokinaigawa River, enjoying the breathtaking view of over 400 beautiful pink cherry blossom trees stretching out over 2 kilometers. And after visiting the samurai houses, be sure to visit a workshop of the cherry blossom bark craft (Kaba-Zaiku) artisans. This samurai art has been passed down through the generations for over 200 years.