Where to stay in Akita
Akita is the quiet capital of Akita Prefecture on Japan's Sea of Japan coast, reached in under four hours from Tokyo on the Akita Shinkansen. It trades the crowds of the Pacific side for rice paddies, sake breweries and the wide moat of Kubota Castle, with Lake Tazawa and the Nyuto Onsen hot-spring hamlets an easy day trip inland.
Akita rarely tops a first-time Japan itinerary, which is exactly what makes it worth the detour. The city grew up around Kubota Castle, whose grounds are now Senshu Park, a short walk from the Shinkansen station and still the place locals gather for cherry blossoms in spring. Akita Prefecture is one of Japan's biggest rice-growing regions, and that shows up on every dinner table as kiritanpo hot pot and in a concentration of sake breweries most visitors have never heard of. The Akita dog, now recognised worldwide, was bred in these mountains, and a statue of Hachiko's breed stands outside the station. Stay here and you are also a train ride from Lake Tazawa, Japan's deepest lake, and the secluded Nyuto Onsen baths further into the hills. Hotels cluster around the station and Kawabata street, from business towers with direct concourse access to onsen ryokan-style inns with their own hot-spring baths.
Akita in numbers
4.8Business市とコージ
4.6CouplesCottage Village 宿り木荘
4.5BusinessHotel Alpha Inn Akita - Vacation STAY 67273v
4.5BusinessDaiwa Roynet Hotel Akita Ekimae
4.4FamilyHotel Metropolitan Akita
4.3FamilyRichmond Hotel Akita Ekimae
4.3CouplesAkita Castle Hotel
4.3CouplesANA Crowne Plaza Akita by IHG
4.3BusinessHotel Alpha Inn Akita - Vacation STAY 67285v
4.3OnsenDormy Inn Akita
4.2BusinessEn Hotel Akita エンホテル秋田
4.1City ViewHotel KAN-RAKU Akita Kawabata
4.0CouplesQuintessa Hotel Akita
4.0BusinessToyoko Inn Akita-eki Higashi-guchi
4.0BusinessHotel Alpha Inn Akita - Vacation STAY 67288v
4.0BusinessHotel Alpha Inn Akita - Vacation STAY 67293v
4.0Near StationAPA Hotel Akita Senshu Koen
4.0OnsenRoute Inn Grantia Akita Spa Resort
4.0BusinessHotel Alpha Inn Akita - Vacation STAY 67275v
3.9BusinessHotel Route-Inn Akita Tsuchizaki
3.9BusinessComfort Hotel Akita
3.8BusinessHotel Alpha-One Akita
3.8BusinessHotel Alpha Inn Akita - Vacation STAY 67286v
3.7BusinessHotel Alpha Inn Akita - Vacation STAY 67264v
3.6Businessプリンセスプリンセス秋田大町
3.6BusinessHotel Alpha Inn Akita - Vacation STAY 67278v
3.5BusinessHotel Pearl City Akita Kanto-Odori
What to expect
- Senshu Park and the Kubota Castle ruins, a 5-15 minute walk from most station hotels
- Akita Museum of Art, designed by Tadao Ando, overlooking Senshu Park's moat
- Kiritanpo hot pot and local sake, Akita Prefecture's signature rice harvest
- Day trips to Lake Tazawa and the Nyuto Onsen hot-spring hamlets
Local tips
- ✓Base yourself within walking distance of JR Akita Station: the Shinkansen platform, bus terminal for Lake Tazawa and most business hotels sit within a 15-minute walk of each other
- ✓Book an onsen room at Dormy Inn Akita or Route Inn Grantia if a hot-spring bath after a day of travel matters to you, since most standard business hotels only have private en-suite showers
- ✓Visit in mid-August for the Kanto Matsuri, when performers balance illuminated bamboo poles hung with paper lanterns along the main street near Kawabata
- ✓Try kiritanpo nabe at a restaurant near Kawabata rather than a station food court version, since the dish is a slow-simmered specialty best eaten seated
- ✓Keep a half-day free for Lake Tazawa or the Nyuto Onsen hamlets: both are reachable by train and bus from Akita Station but need the better part of a day round trip
Where to stay
FAQ
How do you get to Akita from Tokyo?
The Akita Shinkansen (Komachi) runs directly from Tokyo Station to Akita Station in roughly three and a half hours, with no transfer required, making it the fastest and simplest option for most travellers.
Is Akita worth visiting outside of festival season?
Yes. Senshu Park, the Akita Museum of Art and the city's sake breweries and kiritanpo restaurants are open year-round, and winter brings snow scenery around Kubota Castle that the August Kanto Matsuri crowds never see.
Where should I stay in Akita for easy sightseeing?
Hotels within walking distance of JR Akita Station put Senshu Park, the Akita Museum of Art and the Kawabata dining street all within 15 minutes on foot, and also keep the bus terminal for Lake Tazawa and Nyuto Onsen close at hand.
Can I do an onsen hot-spring bath without leaving the city centre?
A handful of station-area hotels, including Dormy Inn Akita and Route Inn Grantia Akita Spa Resort, run their own natural hot-spring baths on site, so a soak is possible without the trip out to Nyuto Onsen.