Samurai Food Walk in Kakunodate
Overview
Available languages
2 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
This is a guided culinary tour through the unique cultural and undiscovered sights of Kakunodate in Akita Prefecture. The tour will take you to places such as Japanese sweets stores, sake shops with different sake tastings, miso and soy sauce brewery, the one and only Samurai Street, and much more!
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 travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Kakunodate
We will visit a local sake shop, green grocery, Japanese sweet shop, local snack, and many more in the town! All the places we visit has its own uniqueness and we will explain all the fun facts about it!
Kakunodate, a castle town that flourished in the Edo period, is called "Michinoku's Little Kyoto." In a compact area with a radius of about 2 km, many samurai residences and other old buildings still exist, making it a popular tourist spot visited by many Japanese and foreign tourists alike, who come to enjoy the elegant townscape. The main street of the samurai residences has been designated as a National Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings and is protected as a cultural asset. This tour explores the houses of lower and upper-class warriors and includes an entrance into the actual samurai residences. The history of the Samurai, which continues to the present day, will be explained in a fun and informative way.
What‘s Included
Umbrellas and boots for rainy days are available for rent.
It includes dumplings from a local Japanese sweets shop that has been in business for 100 years. Also included is one locally loved street food stall.
Entrance Fee of Samurai House
Insurance
Includes a three-drink comparison at a local liquor store.
Private transportation
Options
Samurai Food Walk in Kakunodate
Reviews
10 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
We enjoyed a lovely...
John G,,Oct 4, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We enjoyed a lovely morning with Miki san. This is not just a food tour, Miki San explains local history, customs and culture as well as local food with depth and enthusiasm. The miso and soy factory was a special visit, as we had no idea about the different soy sauces, or soy sauce ice cream which is amazing! The sake tasking, mochi sweets and cherry bark visits were full of information and interesting. The final highlight was a visit to the Ishiguro family Samurai residence where Mr Ishigur, a direct descendent of the Samurai, showed us around the house, we were very honoured. The pace of the tour is gently, the people we met a delight and I thoroughly recommend this tour.
Great food tour
Lex v,,Sep 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This is a great food tour to learn a bit more about Kakunodate. We got good and friendly explanations from the guide everywhere.
Book this amazing adventure, you won't be disappointed.
Travis W,,Aug 1, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Mac was amazing. He gave us the option to rent e-bikes so we could see more and we took his advice. We saw 2 different samurai houses, ate the most amazing mochi ever, went to a soy house and rode our bikes by the river. It was a wonderful day! I couldn't recommend it more!!
Foodie walk in calm relaxing environment
SunnyFLCookie,,Jun 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We booked this as a way to see the samurai village. What we got was lovely personable tour with Daiki who has excellent English and easy going way about the town where he lives. We tasted great treats and really enjoyed the sake. The history of the village and getting to see and understand the families who have held on for hundreds of years in this countryside attraction. If eating and drinking “locally sourced” food and products is important to you then you will absolutely love the foodie walking tour! Rice, wheat, soybeans, all farmed from this region! And the water! Delicious!
Great day in Kakunodate!
P4636GYveronican,,May 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Ginji was very informative and answered our many questions. The town itself was so beautiful to be able to walk around, as well as the samurai district. The food and drinks we had were delicious. I loved the soy sauce ice cream and kiritanpo. Highly recommended!
Good Stuff
21charliev,,Mar 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our guide was a really nice guy, great English ability and was ready to answer all of our questions. The food spots we visited represented the local culture well and we got to see bits of the town we wouldn’t have visited otherwise. Great time!
Excellent food tour!
Dylan P,,Mar 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was an excellent tour of the culinary culture found in Kakunodate. Ginji was a fantastic guide, highlighting the history and importance of each of the tour stops in shaping the overall culinary scene found in Kakunodate. I especially enjoyed the stops at Ando Jyozo Honten and 地酒ふじた. Sampling different types of sake, soy sauce, and miso was so fun! Ginji helped greatly in explaining how they change the brewing process to dramatically change the flavors!
Walked around the town of Kakunodate while learning about the history of the town and a local soy sauce brewery.
Vacation25483723175,,Mar 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00The tour was a great experience. I got to see a side of Kakunodate that I never realized existed. We had some kiritanpo, food and sake tasting, and my personal favorite: the soy sauce ice cream. When my tour guide first introduced it to us, I really did not think I would like it at all, but it quickly became my favorite food-related section. Definitely try it(picture attached)! It was also very interesting to hear about all the different processes that go into making soy sauce as well as the history of the town as we walked about. My tour guide was a really personable guy and I highly appreciated his relaxed demeanor and knowledgeable commentary.
It was a tour where we could learn about the history of Kakunodate and the local area.
799yumia,,Dec 16, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It was a great tour. I got to know Akita and Kakunodate, and was taken to some amazing places that you wouldn't find if you weren't a local. The tour conductor was very friendly and I was able to ask him lots of questions. Thank you very much!
Excellent
959agam,,Nov 30, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a lovely time with Miki on the food tour - it felt very personal and very local. We got to meet small shop owners, learn about the local fruit and vegetable, try some traditional Japanese sweets and see one of the old samurai houses from the inside (including meeting one of the descendants!)
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Operated by Akita INAKA Travel