basic information

Kakunodate is a former castle town and samurai stronghold in today's Akita Prefecture. While Kakunodate Castle no longer remains, the town is famous for its samurai tradition and its hundreds of weeping cherry trees (shidarezakura).

Apart from the loss of its castle, Kakunodate remains remarkably unchanged since its founding in 1620. The town was built with two distinct areas, the samurai district and the merchant district. Once home to 80 families, the samurai district still has some of the best examples of samurai architecture in all of Japan.

Kakunodate is also well known as the location of one of the Tohoku Region's most popular cherry blossom spots. Around late April and early May, large crowds of people come to see Kakunodate's special combination of pink blossoms and historic homes.

Attractions

Central Kakunodate

Cherry Blossoms (2) Kakunodate is a famous hanami spot. Samurai District (1) Beautifully preserved former samurai district. Kakunodate Castle (3) Not even ruins remain of the former castle. Merchant District (3) District formerly reserved for merchants.

Near Kakunodate

Nyuto Onsen Rustic hot spring resort.

best of the best    best of Japan    outstanding (1) - (99)    most visited attractions

Orientation

Access and Orientation How to get to and around Kakunodate. About transportation in Japan

Any advice or questions? Voice them in the forum!

travel community

Users who have been to Kakunodate: 42
Most visited: Ranked 68th out of 106 destinations

Rating by users:		recommended (78/100, 24 votes)
Rating by staff:		recommended
Overall Rating:		outstanding

User Feedback We constantly strive to keep japan-guide.com up-to-date and accurate, and to find ways to improve the user experience. If you have any updates, suggestions, corrections or opinions, please let us know:

english links

japanese links