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Akita Dog Visitor Center
I went to “Akita Dog Visitor Center” in Odate City, Akita Prefecture, the hometown of the faithful dog Hachiko! “Akita Dog Visitor Center” in Odate City, Akita Prefecture is an “Akita Dog Museum” where you can enjoy learning about Akita dogs. It is a tourist facility where you can meet cute Akita dogs in the “Akita Dog Exhibition Room” and purchase Akita dog goods. Synopsis of “Faithful Dog Hachiko” Speaking of Akita dogs, Hachi is so famous that the bronze statue of “Hachiko, the faithful dog” in front of Shibuya station comes to mind. In 1924, when Hachi was a puppy, he was given to Dr. Eisaburo Ueno, a professor […]
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Namahage
In Akita Prefecture, Namahage is a standard way of disciplining children. Namahage is a traditional New Year folk event held in Oga City, Akita Prefecture (around the Oga Peninsula). (Currently, it is held on New Year’s Eve.) It is a unique custom in which the gods called Namahage, wearing a demon mask and a straw costume, visits homes to ward off evil spirits and warn lazy people. It is designated as an important intangible folk cultural asset of the country. In 2018, it was registered as a UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage as a constituent asset of “Raiho-shin: ritual visits of deities in masks and costumes”. What is Namahage? Raiho-shin (visiting […]
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Lake Tazawa (Legend of Tatsuko)
The surface of Lake Tazawa seen in fine weather is sparkling and the blue color is totally different! It was a very beautiful lake! And the Tatsuko statue was even more golden than I had imagined! Lake Tazawa is the deepest lake in Japan, located in Senboku City, Akita Prefecture. It is a circular lake with a depth of 423 m, a circumference of 20 km, and a diameter of 6 km. Even in midwinter, the surface of the lake never freezes over. There is a folk tale of the birth of Lake Tazawa, the “Legend of Tatsuko”. A golden statue of “Tatsuko,” the heroine of the legend, stands by […]
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Akita Kanto Festival
I tried to summarize the history and origin of the “Akita Kanto Festival” where paper lanterns that look like ears of rice color the summer night sky! The Kanto Festival is an annual event held in Akita City, Akita Prefecture, from August 3 to August 6. The lanterns are tied to long bamboo poles with horizontal bamboos, and up to 46 lanterns are hung from the poles. The whole Kanto poles are likened to ears of rice, and the row of lanterns are likened to a lot of rice bags, pray for a bountiful harvest by placing the Kanto pole on the forehead, waist, and shoulders. It is designated as […]
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Hometown of Ono no Komachi (Koamchido Hall), one of the world’s top three beauties
Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture is the hometown of Ono no Komachi. I tried to summarize the sad legend of Ono no Komachi and Fukakusa no Shosho. The Ogachi district of Yuzawa City in Akita Prefecture is said to be the birthplace and final place of Ono no Komachi, a female poet of the early Heian period (9th century). The vermilion building that comes into view as you drive along National Route 13 is Komachido hall, which was built in memory of Ono no Komachi. It is said that this was the place where Fukakusa no Shosho planted a peony plant that was a gift to Ono no Komachi, so it […]
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Godzilla Rock on the Oga Peninsula
I went to see “Godzilla Rock” in Oga Peninsula of Akita Prefecture that can be seen as a small animal in the daytime, and a monster in the evening! Godzilla blows fire with sunset and clouds is popular at there! There is a rock similar to the monster Godzilla at Shiosezaki in Oga City, the southern tip of Oga Peninsula, Akita Prefecture. The silhouette illuminated by the sunset in red sky is look like a Godzilla blowing fire in the sky, so it is called as “Godzilla Rock”. The best season you can see Godzilla blowing fire is the time around sunset in mid-April and mid-October. During the daytime, it […]