Information / Q&A

Tazawako Area
A variety of brochures are available at Tazawako's Tourist Information Center Folake, located inside the JR Tazawako Station. Please drop by this center first after arriving.

Kakunodate Area
Brochures and maps are available at the entrance of Kakunodate Station.
You can also get various sightseeing brochures and maps from Semboku's Tourist Information Center Kakunodate.​ ​

The most highly recommended tourist spot is of course Lake Tazawa, which is famous for being the deepest lake in Japan. The reflection of the Statue of Tatsuko on the azure surface of the lake is also breathtaking. For hot springs, some recommended spots include Nyuto Onsenkyo, which has a wonderful spa feel to it, and Tamagawa Onsen, which is known for its highly acidic springs. Other spots include Tazawako Kogen Onsen, Mizusawa Onsen, and Natuse Onsen, which all have their own spring sources. Enjoy being wrapped in mother nature on a hike up Mt. Komagatake, which boasts hundreds of species of alpine flora. During the summer, you can take a bus ride up to the eighth station of the mountain and enjoy a comparatively relaxed hike. In  autumn, you can take a stroll through Dakigaeri Valley, and in winter time, you can enjoy skiing across powder snow, just to name a few of the amazing spots you can visit.​ ​​ ​

Tazawako Area

After exiting the station, you will find coin lockers in the bicycle parking area on the right.

The Tourist Information Center Folake located inside the station will watch your luggage for 500 yen per piece of luggage, regardless of the size.

Please note the hours for this service. ■ Hours: 8:30-16:30

Kakunodate Area

There are coin lockers available at the Tourist Information Center Kakunodate near the station.

In addition to the coin lockers, the Tourist Information Center Kakunodate will watch your luggage for 500 yen per piece of luggage, regardless of the size.

Please note the hours for this service. ■ Hours: 9:00-17:00

● Places you can use foreign issued credit cards

Tazawako Post Office

Weekdays from 8:45 - 18:00

Saturdays from 9:00 - 17:00

Sundays from 9:00 - 15:00

● Banks with foreign currency exchange services

Akita Bank's Tazawako Branch and Hokuto Bank's Tazawako Branch

Hours: Weekdays from 9:00 - 15:00

Currencies: U.S. dollar, Canadian dollar, Euro, British pound, Australian dollar,

South Korean won, Chinese yuan, Taiwan dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Singapore dollar, Thai baht

The main foreign currencies are as listed above.

To help tourists from Japan and abroad get around Semboku City and access information more easily, the "Semboku City Wi-Fi" project was started and is now in full swing with more than 70 tourism facilities participating throughout the city. See below for more details.

The sightseeing boat operates from late April until early November.
The Lake Tazawako Circuit Bus Line is operated by Ugokotsu.

From Tazawako Station, take either the Nyuto bus line or the Hachimantai bus line and you'll arrive at the eastern border of Lake Tazawako in less than 15 minutes. However, the Statue of Tatsuko is located on the opposite side (shore) of the lake, so you won't be able to see it from here. From here, you'll need to either 1. Take the Lake Tazawako Circuit bus line 2. Take the sightseeing boat 3. Go on a rental bicycle 4. Walk/run. Options 1 and 2 are nice, but why not challenge yourself with 3 or 4 if you like exercising. The distance from here to the statue is around 10km. *Public restrooms and parking lots are available.

Please see the Hot Springs Guide page.

Tazawako Area

If you are staying in the Tazawako area, both recommendations and reservations can be made. Please contact us via phone or email. On-the-day accommodations cannot be made via email and should be placed via phone but may not be available if the facilities are already full. You can also make on-the-day reservations by coming in-person to the tourism center.

Kakunodate Area

Recommendations for accommodations in the Kakunodate area can be given.

It takes around 20 minutes to reach the bukeyashiki area from Kakunodate Station when going on foot.
For more information on each samurai house, please see the Bukeyashiki Area page.

Tazawako Area

Unfortunately there are no tour buses that operate year-round. However, there are buses that operate in the spring during cherry blossom viewing season, and in the autumn during the foliage season.

Kakunodate Area

There are no tour buses in this area. However, you can ride on local buses, though they have limited operations.
We recommend walking or taking a taxi instead.
It takes about 15 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by car to the bukeyashiki (samurai houses) area.

Please refer to the guide map together with the information below.
Restrooms, Wheelchairs, and Pet (Dog) Friendly Places

Most bullet trains stop at Kakunodate Station, but the first train from Akita and the last train from Tokyo each day do not stop there.
Please see the bullet train's schedule for details.

The station doesn't provide any original lunch boxes, but there is a New Days convenience store located inside the station that sells lunch boxes from around Akita. A limited number are sold daily, so please purchase yours as early as possible.

There is a municipal Sakura-Namiki Tyusyajo along the Hinokiuchi River embankment.
From 8:00 to 16:30 (Open for free after hours)
One regular car costs 500 yen, one medium-sized car costs 1,000 yen, and a large car costs 2,000 yen.
Address 124-2 Kitano, Kakunodate cho, Semboku City Akita