Akita Prefecture · Japan
Where to stay in Akita
Akita is a city in Akita Prefecture, Japan, home to about 303,000 people. This guide covers 1 hotel in Akita.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 1
- Nearest airport
- AXT15 km · Akita Airport
- Currency
- JPYyen
- Time zone
- Asia/Tokyo
- Language
- Japanese
About
About Akita
Akita is the capital and most populous city of Akita Prefecture, Japan, and has been designated a core city since 1 April 1997. As of 1 August 2023, the city has an estimated population of 300,502 persons in 136,628 households and a population density of 332 persons per km2.
Akita is the largest city in the prefecture, and as such is the hub for transportation, sports, and shopping. Its longitude is about the middle of the prefecture, and so is reachable from both the north and south. In Akita, late June to late July is the rainy season. The spring and summer before and after that tend to have fairly moderate amounts of rain, and are good for outdoor activities. In November, it is common for some cold weather thunder storms to occur—this is said to mark the end of fall and the beginning of hatahata (a local fish) season.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Akita
See
- Senshū Park
- Akarenga-kan Museum
- Senshū Museum of Art
- Akita Art Museum (including Masakichi Hirano Collection)
- Kanto Museum
- Hitotsumori Park
- Koizumigata Park
- Akita Prefectural Museum
- Ōmoriyama Zoo
- Our Lady of Akita Convent
- Nakajima Library
Do
- Round One
- Kanto Festival
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Akita
1 place to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay |
|---|
| Toyoko Inn Akita-eki Higashi-guchi hotel |
Where to stay
More hotels in Akita
6 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| ANA Crowne Plaza Akita | 1984 | 2.1 km |
| Hotel Metropolitan Akita | 1986 | 2.3 km |
| Akita Castle Hotel | 1.6 km | |
| Daiwa Roynet Hotel Akita | 1.3 km | |
| Hotel Route-Inn Grantia Akita Spa Resort | 1.5 km | |
| Toyoko Inn Akita Station Higashi | 2.5 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Akita
Akita has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 28 °C; July is the wettest, with about 213 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Akita: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Akita Airport (AXT), about 15 km from the city centre in a straight line; Odate Noshiro Airport (ONJ, 57 km) and Iwate Hanamaki Airport (HNA, 94 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Akita Airport (AXT) has domestic flights from major Japanese cities including Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Sapporo, as well as a solitary international link to Taipei. Buses connect the airport with Akita Station (秋田駅). A ride costs ¥980 and takes 40 minutes. Odate-Noshiro Airport (ONJ) in Odate is within the city limits of Kita-Akita and is thus occasionally dubbed "Akita North Airport". It only has services to Tokyo and there is no public transport direct to Akita, so it's not particularly useful for Akita city, but may be a viable alternative if you're heading that way.
Getting around
You can get around by bus, taxi, car, or bike. Many bus routes start in front of Akita Station. In the winter, there can be snow and ice, so drivers should decrease their speed. On the 2nd level of the JR Akita train station is a Tourist Information office. From there you can organize free bicycles.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
AXT · Akita Airport
ONJ · Odate Noshiro Airport
HNA · Iwate Hanamaki Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Akita
Eat
The most well-known Akita dish is kiritanpo. Kiritanpo is essentially a tube made of rice, generally formed around a disposable chopstick. It is often roasted, sometimes after being smothered in miso paste. It is also eaten in kiritanpo nabe, a stew of sliced kiritanpo, vegetables, and chicken or fish, most commonly eaten during the winter. Of course, there are many non-local styles of food available in Akita City, including a wide variety of ramen and Indian restaurants.
Drink
As one of Japan's most famous rice-growing regions, Akita has some of the best local sake in all of Japan. A great place to find many different bottles for sale (and usually free samples) is in the Prefectural Goods Shop (あきた県産品プラザ, akita-renritsu puraza) in the basement of the Atorion Concert Hall.
Stay safe
There are bears in Akita. You won't find one trundling along Chuo Odori outside Akita Station, but visitors who are in Akita to enjoy its semi-rural outskirts such as Akita Onsen or the Our Lady of Akita Convent should familiarise themselves with bear safety. You will see signs scattered around warning of bear danger but if you cannot read Japanese they won't be much good to you. It's always best to assume that bears may be in the area, including in the colder months. The Asian black bear is a retiring kind of beast. It's unlikely to bother you if you don't bother it and for that reason it's best to avoid startling a bear, so make noise as you walk and keep a look out.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Akita: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Akita?
Akita has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 28 °C; July is the wettest, with about 213 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Akita?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Akita Airport (AXT), about 15 km from the city centre in a straight line; Odate Noshiro Airport (ONJ, 57 km) and Iwate Hanamaki Airport (HNA, 94 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Akita?
yen (JPY).
Nearby
Destinations near Akita
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.