Kakunodate
Kakunodate
4
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Kakunodate is an old castle town located on the northern part of the Senboku Plain. Located along the banks of the Tamagawa and Hinokinaigawa Rivers and cradled on three sides by mountains, this town is known both for its historic samurai mansions and the beautiful blossoming cherry trees that line the streets. Popular with tourists from all over the world, it has an atmosphere truly appropriate to its nickname of “the Little Kyoto.”
Duration: More than 3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
167 reviews
Excellent
60
Very good
84
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20
Poor
3
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0
AndyandCathy
Canberra171 contributions
Jun 2018 • Solo
I enjoyed walking around imagining what it would have been like to have lived here a few centuries ago. I suggest you only go into one of the Samurai houses as they are "same same" - one will give you the idea. I enjoyed seeing some of the locals in traditional robes. If you are travelling to or from Akita (from Morioka) it is worth stopping here for a few hours - you will need to allow for a good 20 minute walk from the station - it is well sign posted as you go. Else there are taxis if you are short of time. Worth seeing if you are in the area but I wouldn't make a trip here if it was too out of the way unless this was your thing. I did it in Summer and there was not too many people - I had greenery not blossoms but was happy with that. An enjoyable experience.
Written June 23, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HotEarth
Melbourne, Australia680 contributions
Aug 2017 • Couples
There was quite a crowd strolling and enjoying the beautiful samurai district in this laid back town of Kakunodate despite the hot summer sun! Except for 2, most of the other samurai residences that are open do not charge an entrance fee. It definitely is a cultural experience.
Some local cake shops and eateries are interspersed between these residences. This 700m street is well shaded by huge pines, Japanese maples and cherry trees, forming a lovely canopy for pedestrians enjoying this district.
Next to the adjacent street which runs parallel to the river are two neatly planted rows of old and big cherry trees...for which I can imagine tje beauty of full blossoms in early spring.
Access to this district is quite easy from the main Station and takes about 15 to 20 minutes walk, initially taking the street directly infront of the train station and turning left at the Post Office junction.
Next to the train staion is a tourist info center. Bags can be stored for the day here at 300 yen a piece.
Some local cake shops and eateries are interspersed between these residences. This 700m street is well shaded by huge pines, Japanese maples and cherry trees, forming a lovely canopy for pedestrians enjoying this district.
Next to the adjacent street which runs parallel to the river are two neatly planted rows of old and big cherry trees...for which I can imagine tje beauty of full blossoms in early spring.
Access to this district is quite easy from the main Station and takes about 15 to 20 minutes walk, initially taking the street directly infront of the train station and turning left at the Post Office junction.
Next to the train staion is a tourist info center. Bags can be stored for the day here at 300 yen a piece.
Written August 20, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mmaarraaa
133 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
I loved visiting the Samurai street and seeing how they lived. I didn't know much about samurais before going here and it was such a good learning experience. A must do when visiting this region! I can only imagine how beautiful it just look with the sakura in bloom.
Written August 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
usacobbler
Dublin527 contributions
Apr 2019 • Solo
I took the train to get there and it was about a 20- 30 min walk to the first house I went to see which had been suggested in many forums. The street the samaurai houses is on is so peaceful and it must be amazing when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom since the street is full of these trees on both sides of it. I wasn't lucky enough to see it since they were not out yet which may also account for why it was not very busy. The samaurai houses are marked out and do your research in advance to figure out which ones you want to see because there are fees between 400 - 500 yen for each one so it can get a bit expensive quickly. I found the info for English speakers to be good and I thoroughly enjoyed my day. Three to four hours should be enough tome although if you stop at one if the many restaurants this will add to the time. The gift shops ranged from cheap to expensive and I found some great gift for family and friends there. In short, this really is a must if you are anywhere near the area. Personally I couldn't believe how few people where there but because of how the cherry blossoms were not out this may be the reason for this.
Written April 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
M021958
Perth41 contributions
Nov 2017 • Solo
You can see the samurai section in half a day at a slow stroll or 3 hours at a moderate pace. I wouldn’t stay more than 1 night if all you are doing is looking at the samurai district.
The houses are well preserved and it’s great that some of The descendants are still running the places.
The English descriptions are hit and miss. I just googled the history for more information.
I stayed the night before and was at the first house at 9 am. Try to go early if you want to avoid the masses of tour buses.
It is a 15 minute walk to the samurai district from the train station so make sure you have an umbrella if the weather doesn’t look great.
The houses are well preserved and it’s great that some of The descendants are still running the places.
The English descriptions are hit and miss. I just googled the history for more information.
I stayed the night before and was at the first house at 9 am. Try to go early if you want to avoid the masses of tour buses.
It is a 15 minute walk to the samurai district from the train station so make sure you have an umbrella if the weather doesn’t look great.
Written November 25, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vincentParisFrance
Paris France227 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
I spent a few hours in Kakunodate during the sakura peak week which was also the golden week. It was - as expected - quite crowded. the sky was a bit cloudy which may explains the mixed feelings. was not totally thrilled by the weeping cherry trees and the samourai area is a bit let down and entry fees in the samourai houses are definitely expensive for what you see. There are much better samourai areas in Japan (i.e. Chiran in Kyushu or Kanazawa). Still the cherry blossom path along the river is great and the cherry trees are gorgeous. Even if I much prefered Hirosaki, you can make a stop at Kakunodate and enjoy it. Useful temporary drop off luggage at the station (closed at 5 pm) during the sakura season.
Written May 27, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yan C
Hong Kong, China882 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
The place is famous for cherry blossom in Spring and its old samurai houses. To come here in autumn for the momiji season is a bit disappointing. A walk along the river bank under the trees is still quite pleasant but there are not that many autumn leaves to build up an attractive scenery. The old samurai houses are still there to be visited. But, the many commercial outlets have ruined the serenity and the otherwise unadorned origins of an old town. On the other hand, the commercial elements - the sakura flowers and the tourists - are not here to create a lively atmosphere. A sort of falling between two stools.
Written November 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Warner L
Pasadena, CA658 contributions
Nov 2019
One word does not describe Kakunodate, for it is a day trip at a minimum from Akita City. It is renown for it Cherry Blossoms in the spring and don't leave out the maple leaves of so many colors in the fall.
Written November 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah B
Tacoma, WA75 contributions
Jul 2019
My sister and I had originally planned to spend our 2 days in this area hiking Nyuto/Hachimantai and Akita-Komagatake... but unfortunately the rainy season lingered and so we got tired of being soaked and fighting our way through the muddy/jungly terrain. Having basecamped at semi-remote Kuroyu Onsen (see separate review), Kakunodate was a one-hour drive south - but the driving was easy compared to other routes we did in Hachimantai. We had not planned this side-trip so we visited the very helpful tourist information/office first. My sister does speak Japanese - so that made things easier. We were given some English summaries/maps of the samurai houses - and specific advice to visit the museum house first (which cost about $5 equivalent each) and allocate an hour/most of our available time there (this was fairly accurate). We were also advised to drive to the samurai house district since we were told walking the whole route alone was a couple hours. Although we were told there was free parking, we somehow didn't find it at first - and paid $3 to park along the river (where there are many cherry trees that bloom in the spring); after heading out on foot, we actually did find a small free parking lot by the public restrooms that had room. We hit the museum first. I haven't studied or seen samurai gear much so seeing all that was the most interesting to me. The extensive gardens/grounds (with at least a dozen different buildings) were also impressive. We visited about 5 other free-to-enter samurai properties; most were smaller and simpler - and you could only walk around the exterior of the single-structure grounds. There were also lots of nice eating establishments in the samurai district - and, overall, it is a really cute area for tourism. We did enjoy an umeboshi (pickled plum) soft serve ice cream and we bought lots of low-cost handkerchiefs for coworkers. We were one of probably 20 small groups walking the same route of houses - nearly all others were Japanese families.
Written August 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Baileyxinh
Tokyo, Japan139 contributions
Jul 2017 • Friends
Kakunodate is Samurai & merchant district. It's famous for samurai tradition and its hundreds of weeping sakura (shidarezakura).
April have cherry blossom and September have many matsuri.
April have cherry blossom and September have many matsuri.
Written July 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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