{"id":96343,"date":"2022-11-30T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=96343"},"modified":"2024-02-27T14:43:51","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T05:43:51","slug":"autumn-akita-how-to-spend-3-days-in-semboku","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/autumn-akita-how-to-spend-3-days-in-semboku\/","title":{"rendered":"Autumn in Semboku, Akita: How to spend 3 days of historical, cultural, and nature-filled adventures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
More often than not, autumn often gets overshadowed by cherry blossoms in springtime in Japan. However, autumn holds a special place in my heart, as it is the first season I got to wear a kimono<\/a> and walk the streets of Kyoto, and it is the season I first visited my favorite region in Japan, Tohoku, during the autumn warm welcoming of red, orange, and yellow in the mountain ranges<\/a>. There\u2019s no shortage of tranquillity in Tohoku, especially with the many beautiful onsens, such as Akita\u2019s iconic Nyuto Onsen<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Last I visited Semboku<\/strong>, it was a very quick dash-and-go of the historical samurai district of Kakunodate<\/strong> (\u89d2\u9928)<\/a>. This time, I was able to take my time to get to know Semboku (\u4ed9\u5317). The tight community is eager to invite visitors to experience all they have to offer, and there is so much more than just the autumn foliage. Here\u2019s how I spent three days in Semboku city:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The history of modern day Kakunodate dates back to the Edo period (1603\u20131868), during which the Ashina and Satake clans ruled. In the glorious days of the samurai, Kakunodate had 240 samurai residences<\/strong>. Currently, six of them are open to the public to offer insight into how wealthy samurai families lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was pleased to visit Odano Samurai House,<\/strong> which was used as a residence since the 1600s. The Odano family moved from Hitachi Province with the first lord of Akita, Yoshinobu Satake. They are well known for their excellence in arts and specialize in creating medical reference drawings. Walking into the estate, you are first greeted by a mossy green Japanese garden featuring stonework and maple trees. The sliding doors in the main building are open for you to take a peek inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDay 1: Explore What to See and Do in the Kakunodate Samurai District<\/h2>\n\n\n\n