Odate, Noshiro Travel Guides

Odate and Noshiro are home to tourist attractions such as Yasaka Shrine, Lake Towada, and Sengen Shrine; tourist events such as Hanawa-bayashi (festival music), Furusato Matsuri (hometown festival), and Naked Pilgrimage; and local delicacies such as Inaniwa udon, Iburi gakko, and Kiritanpo (dried pork belly).

Odate City is located in the northern part of Akita Prefecture, bordering Aomori Prefecture at its northern border. The city is rich in nature, with the Yoneyo River, one of Akita's three major rivers, flowing from east to west in the center of the city.

The first sightseeing spot in Odate City that we would like to introduce is Iwakami Fureai no Mori. Located adjacent to Naganeyama Sports Park, the area around the facility's Iwagami Reservoir is home to 3,000 cherry trees of 22 varieties, and many tourists come here for the cherry blossoms.

Chuken Hachiko, famous for his statue at Shibuya Station in Tokyo, was born in Odate City, and Odate City has the original statue of Chuken Hachiko. Hachiko, the loyal Akita dog, was born in Odate in 1923, and statues of Hachiko were erected at Shibuya Station in 1934 and in front of Odate Station in 1935. As indicated by the fact that Hachiko is an Akita dog, Odate City is home to the Akita Inu Kaikan.

As the only natural history museum of a single dog breed in Japan, the museum collects materials related to the Akita Inu, a national natural treasure, and exhibits the genealogy of the Akita Inu, photos and materials related to matagi hunting with the Akita Inu, and Hachi-kou, the loyal dog.

Katsura Castle Park is located to the north of Odate City Hall. It was burned down during the Boshin War, and now only the inner moat and part of the earthen mound remain. The park is famous for its cherry blossoms, and a cherry blossom festival is held in late April. Be sure not to miss the large 200-year-old Ezo willow tree.

The Ishida Rose Garden is a vast garden of the late Hirohide Ishida, who is said to have loved roses. 700 roses of 600 varieties are planted in the garden, and the Rose Festival is held every June, attracting many visitors.

Noshiro City is located in the northern part of Akita Prefecture, facing the Sea of Japan. Most of the city is covered with the Noshiro Plain, but some parts are hilly. Kaze-no-Matsubara is a must-see sightseeing spot in Noshiro City. It is home to one of Japan's largest erosion control forests of black pine trees, and is known as one of the most famous pine groves along with Amanohashidate, Nijinomatsubara, Mihonomatsubara, and Kebi no Matsubara.

The pine forest of approximately 7 million pine trees stretches along the coast for a total of 14 km with a width of 1 km, where visitors can enjoy forest bathing and bird watching. It has been selected as one of the 100 best pine trees in Japan to hand down to the 21st century and one of the 100 best soundscapes in Japan to preserve.

The Hamanasu Observatory is a 27-meter-high observatory on the embankment of Noshiro Port, from which you can see the setting sun turning the Sea of Japan reddish brown, the Kaze-no-Matsubara pine grove, and the ridges of the Shirakami Mountains on a clear day. The quay of Noshiro Port from the observatory is called Hamanasu Gallery, and is lined with murals created by ordinary citizens.

Noshiro Energeum Park is an energy promotion pavilion located at the Noshiro Thermal Power Station of Tohoku Electric Power Company, and has a tropical botanical garden that reproduces the nature of Southeast Asia, where visitors can view approximately 460 varieties of tropical plants.

Another tourist attraction is Akita Prefectural Hokuriku no Mori Park and Campground, a vast natural park with camping grounds, a wanpaku square with playground equipment, a dog adventure square, and park golf, as well as bird watching and free rental bicycles.

At the Hamabe no Uta Music Museum, visitors can view a number of materials honoring the achievements of Tamezo Narita, a local composer famous for his song "Hamabe no Uta.