Bukeyashiki Street in Kakunodate 20060506

is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in Senboku District,

Akita Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is approximately 966,000 (as of 1 October 2019) and its ge ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. In 2003, the town had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 14,138 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...

of 90.26 persons per km². The total area was 156.63 km². On September 20, 2005, Kakunodate, along with the town of Tazawako, and the village of Nishiki (all from Senboku District), was merged to create the city of Semboku. The town is famed for its well-preserved

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

houses and the proliferation of

cherry trees A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

. It is a popular destination for

hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; in this case almost always refer to those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around ...

, or

cherry blossom A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally ...

viewing. It is sometimes referred as 'the little

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

of Tōhoku' (みちのくの小京都 ''Michinoku no sho-Kyōto''). There are the ruins of

Kakunodate Castle , also known as ''Asakura Castle'' and ''Ryugasaki Castle'', was a mountaintop castle (''yamashiro'') located in Kakunodate, Akita Prefecture, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East A ...

, and

Kakunodate Matsuri is a Japanese festival celebrated from 7 to 9 September in Kakunodate, Akita. Its rites centre on Shinmei-sha shrine. As well as a procession and traditional dances, it is celebrated for the ''oyamabayashi'' in which the floats collide into ea ...

is an

Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property A is administered by the Government of Japan, Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), and includes Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan, tangible properties (structures ...

. This city also hosts a "fire and snow" festival featuring kamakura snow domes each winter.

References

External links

Kakunodate and Tarawa Lake Tourist Information
Dissolved municipalities of Akita Prefecture Hanami spots of Japan Tourist attractions in Akita Prefecture Semboku, Akita {{Akita-geo-stub

See also

References

External links