Half Day Kakunodate Tour of Crafts Culture and Cuisine
Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
Kakunodate is a former castle town which flourished during the Edo period. Known as the “Little Kyoto of Tohoku”, the town is home to a district 800-meters in radius consisting of samurai residences and traditional architecture popular with both domestic and international tourists. The samurai residences lining the town’s most famous street are nationally protected Traditional Buildings.
But no one really cared about the merchant district that also has history and culture that is also passed down for generations. In this tour, with an experienced local guide, we will take you to both the merchant district and the samurai district. It will show you the contrast between the 2 distinct lifestyles of people and how the tradition has been passed down to current days.
We picked up the best of the best in town, so we are confident that you will acknowledge the beauty of traditional style of living which people admired from the samurai era.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What To Expect
We will have our tour briefing at ORENCHI. Information regarding Kakunodate Town as a samurai town and also as a merchant’s town will be given here. The tour will begin by going into the merchant’s district first and experiencing Kabazaiku using mountain cherry barks, exploring a century old soy sauce and miso brewery, and visiting manors of the Samurai district. Information regarding Kakunodate’s significance will be given here.
Established in 1876, Yatsuyanagi Shoten is a manufacturer and distributor of kabazaiku, a traditional handicraft designated by the national government. The company has been producing products in Kakunodate for generations, carrying on the traditional techniques and methods of production, while at the same time being conscious of modern lifestyles. The craft of making these products has been passed down for 200 years since the late Edo period (1603-1868), when it became a domestic occupation for the warriors of Kakunodate. Each piece of cherry bark work is made by hand by craftsmen who shave the bark of the mountain cherry tree into thin strips and attach them to the wood with a trowel. On this tour, you will receive instruction from the seventh generation family and experience making your own coasters by scraping the cherry bark yourself. You can take your coaster home as a souvenir. This tour unravels the charm of this traditional craft experience, which is done entirely by hand.
Options
Half Day Kakunodate Tour of Crafts Culture and Cuisine
What‘s Included
Entrance fee of Ishiguro House
Sakura craft workshop fee
3 hours in-person guiding
Insurance for the tour
Ando brewery excursion and tasting
Private transportation
Souvenirs for yourself
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Reviews
13 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Wonderful tour of Kakunodate
Kim10244,May 16, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We spent a wonderful day with Ginji in Kakunodate where he showed us all the amazing highlights and treasures but it was much more than just a tour. He explained culture, daily way of life and shared his perspective with us, the day flowed easily and went far too quickly. Along the way we learned about soy & miso process with a tasting, Samurai way of life, cherry wood bark craftmanship and saké brewing and tasting. We even had time for shopping! Kakunodate is a beautiful City in the Akita Prefecture and we will treasure this memory for ever from this amazing visit and day spent with Ginji.
Great person to be with
P5996IXrobertp,May 11, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The best guide we had on our trip. It is so difficult finding good Japanese guides who speak very good english. Ginji lived in the US in his early years. We were able to get questions answered that we had been curious about for the entire trip. Ginji was just great person to spend a day with.
Kakunodate must-see
patsyo164,May 5, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our guide, Ginji, made the day much more meaningful with his ability to convey information in an American-based context having lived in the US while growing up. We were lucky to be able to see the actual processing at the sake, shoyu, and miso breweries which answered a lot of questions in my mind as a retired Registered Dietitian. Our sake-paired lunch prepared by Yoko was representative of the Akita prefecture’s cuisine and the Inaniwa udon was the star of the meal in my opinion! To be allowed to see inside of very old homes and breweries was a fascinating privilege; even the rain could not dampen our enjoyment.
Cherry blossom and culture in beautiful Kakunodate
Go549511,Apr 25, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was an amazing tour and far more interesting and fun we had envisaged. Our guide Gingi was fluent in English and a speedy translator when we had questions for our Japanese venue hosts. We started at a traditional Samurai house where a tour with the thirteenth generation Samurai owner had been arranged, Next was a tour of the local soy sauce and miso maker, which took us behind the scenes to the vats and allowed us to tatse some specially aged versions. We finished with a cherry wood experience, again at a family owned craft shop which had seen this highly skilled technique be passed down over hundreds of years. Gingi took us to the best cherry blossom spots and arranged a table at a lunch spot that would cater for the vegetarian in our party. It was a fascinating insight into the generations of craft and tradition in Kakunodate and showcased the most beautiful spots for cherry blossom and traditional architecture. We were lucky enough to whizz around on Inaka's ebikes which was really fun. Highly recommended.
One of the best experiences in Japan!
leandrocE1646KM,Apr 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We, 2 parents and our 2 year old daughter have booked this half day trip in Kakunodate. It was hugely worth it! The workshop with the cherry blossom wood was super interesting and we bought a souvenir ourselves later. Also the tour to the soybean brewery was great, the products of the highest quality. But the highlight was our guide Ginji. We are already the 3rd. Mal in Japan and have already spent almost 20 weeks here. But rarely have we had such an attentive and caring guide. He took great care of our daughter and we had a wonderful time. In the evening, after the end of the tour there was another earthquake on the coast and we were stranded in Kakunodate because the Shinkansen were no longer sailing. With a 2 year old child we already had a little worry, so we contacted him again. Without hesitation he came over immediately and helped us enormously that we still came to Morioka, that was unbeatable! As soon as we are back in Akita we will definitely book him again, highly recommended.
A complete tour of Kakunodate
Tanguy L,Aug 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We were very well received by Mikiya! A complete tour of Kakunodate: Samurai quarter, making shoyu and miso, and crafts. All with memories to bring back.
A delightful half day getting insight into Kakunodate’s crafts and history
387AlexA,Jun 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My family and I have taken many food and culture tours in a number of cities and towns across the globe, and this stands out as one of the very best. The town of Kakunodate is a small gem of a place which is beautifully nested among mountains, forests and rivers. The tour was a delightful half day spent with our excellent guide, Ginji, who spoke flawless English and took us to three amazing and memorable places as we biked between them (it was probably less than 45 minutes of actual bicycling). The most remarkable part of this was that the proprietors of these businesses themselves gave us the tours and instruction (in all cases these were multi-generational businesses, the newest of them being “only” 120 years old), all beautifully translated by our guide. We got to see how miso and soy sauce are made by the region’s top producer (including a tour of the fermenting pots and industrial presses), got a tour of a Samurai estate given by the current-generation descendant of that family, and tried our hand at cherry bark crafting learning from a master crafts-person. It felt like getting an in insiders’ access to each of these fascinating and culturally important businesses. I cannot recommend this tour highly enough.
Brilliant Tour
lilacrose,Jun 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a fantastic morning with our guide, this tour was really very special. Our first stop was at workshop where they had been making beautiful boxes and objects using cherry tree bark for 100's of years and we thoroughly enjoyed making coasters with the lovely owner. The next stop was another longstanding family run affair, this time a Soy and Miso brewery where we had tastings and a tour of the process of brewing both soy and miso, our final stop was an old Samuri house and we were shown around by the owner who's family had loved there for 700 years. The whole tour ws really special and our guide was fantastic and even found us restaurant serving vegetarian food at the end of the tour. Highly recommend.
Excellent tour
Dean C,May 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Varied and interesting with a lot packed in and an excellent English speaking guide with great local knowledge. Very enjoyable.
Superb insight into Kakunodate
wennine,Apr 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Wonderful half day bike tour from Ginji, despite the very wet weather. Enjoyed authentic craft workshop along with explanation of soy sauce and miso origin. Ending with a look at samurai history. Some great restaurant recommendations too.
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