AKITA
Facing the Japan Sea, Akita Prefecture is rich in nature and home to the first ever world heritage in Japan, Shirakami Mountains. It is also known for its rice and Japanese sake along with delicious local cuisine such as Kiritanpo.日本海に面し、日本で初めて世界遺産に登録された「白神山地」をはじめ、豊かな自然に恵まれている。米どころ、酒どころとしても知られ、きりたんぽなど美味な郷土料理も魅力。
-
1. Cherry and Rapeseed Blossom Road 桜と菜の花ロード
Cherry and Rapeseed Blossom Road is an 11-kilometer stretch on Prefectural Road 298 lined with rapeseed trees and about 3,000 cherry blossom trees. The scenery of pale yellow and vivid pink flowers seems to go on forever. It’s a popular drive course in the spring when you can take in the full beauty of the blossoms.
県道298号線沿いに約11km続く桜並木。菜の花と約3000本の桜の開花が重なり、淡い黄色と桜色の鮮やかな景色がどこまでも続く。麗らかな春を満喫できるドライブコースとして人気。
Google Map -
2. Oshira-sama’s Weeping Cherry おしら様の枝垂れ桜
Next to Hakusan Shrine, there is a 200-year-old, 10-meter high, 19-meter wide weeping cherry tree that looks as if it is reaching down to the shrine’s torii gate. Named after a household deity, it is a magnificent tree with graceful drooping branches, a wide trunk, and splendidly colored flowers.
白山神社の傍らに樹齢約200年、樹高約10m、枝張り約19mの枝垂れ桜が鳥居を抱くように立っている。ゆったりと枝を垂らす姿や幹の太さ、花の色とも風格を備えた名桜といえる。
Google Map -
3. Lake Tazawa 田沢湖
Lake Tazawa is 423.4 meters deep, making it the deepest lake in Japan. When the sunlight shines on the bottom of the lake, the water turns a clear, vivid, azure blue. Another highlight of the lake is the golden statue of Tatsuko—a legendary maiden who was turned into the guardian dragon of lake—standing against the backdrop of beautiful Mount Komagatake and other mountains.
日本で最も深い約423.4mの湖で、太陽が水底を照らすため透明感のある鮮やかな瑠璃色で彩られる。駒ヶ岳など美しい山々を背に水面に立つ黄金の像、湖神の「たつこ像」も必見だ。
Google Map -
4. Kisakata 象潟
Once a group of islands, the entire area became land about 200 years ago when an earthquake caused the seabed to rise. One of the best times of the year to visit is in June when the rice fields are flooded—the spectacular Mount Chokai covered in lush new growth reflecting on the water is a truly beautiful sight.
200年程前の地震で海底が隆起して現在のような陸地に。6月、一斉に水がはられた田んぼには新緑鮮やかな名峰・鳥海山が水面に浮かび、この時期ならではの美しい風景が広がる。
Google Map