Akita Prefecture, facing the Sea of Japan with beautiful nature and rich culture, hosts parts of two World Heritage sites. Famous for rice cultivation and sake brewing, it also maintains unique folk culture like namahage.

The Akita side of "Shirakami-Sanchi" (registered 1993) features beautiful forest ecosystems of virgin beech forests. The world's largest beech forests, continuing for about 8,000 years as primeval forest, provide habitat for diverse wildlife including black woodpeckers, Asian black bears, and Japanese serows. As part of "Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan" (registered 2021), Oyu Stone Circles are included, attracting attention as ritual sites from Jomon late period about 4,000 years ago.

Suishinkyō (mirror with engraved Thousand-Armed Kannon images) is a late Heian period bronze mirror, a precious national treasure with Buddhist images engraved in lines. This extremely important work in Buddhist art history features elaborate line engravings on the mirror back.

Kakunodate, called "Michinoku's Little Kyoto," is a samurai residence town preserving Edo period town planning. Samurai residences like Ishiguro, Aoyagi, and Matsumoto families glimpse warrior life of that era. Spring brings beautiful cherry tree-lined streets, with weeping cherry and Yoshino cherry trees coloring the town.

Lake Tazawa, Japan's deepest lake (maximum depth 423 meters), impresses with its beautiful lapis lazuli surface. Lakeside features Tatsuko statue, known for legends of a beautiful woman transforming into a dragon. Famous as a non-freezing lake even in winter.

Namahage, folk events from Oga Peninsula, feature men in demon masks visiting households to admonish lazy people as traditional visiting deities. Famous for "Naku ko wa inega" calls, it gained UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage registration in 2018. Shinzan Shrine's Namahage Sedo Festival on New Year's Eve is particularly famous.

Nyuto Onsen area, hidden hot springs within Towada-Hachimantai National Park, offers hot spring resorts with seven different sources. Tsurunoyu, Myonoyu, Kuroyu Onsen each provide different spring qualities. Particularly, Tsurunoyu, continuing from Edo period, impresses with thatched roof buildings.

Akita's food culture centers on kiritanpo as most famous. Made by crushing new rice, wrapping around bamboo and grilling, kiritanpo hot pot simmered in Hinai chicken soup represents Akita's signature regional cuisine. Inaniwa udon, hand-stretched noodles with over 300 years history, features thin, smooth noodles. Hinai chicken, one of Japan's three great local chickens, is known for quality meat.

As the phrase "Akita bijin" suggests, Akita Prefecture is famous as a birthplace of beautiful women. This results from rich dietary life as rice-producing region and many fair-skinned women due to short daylight hours. Additionally, Akita actively produces sake, creating famous brands like Shinsei, Yuki no Bosha, and Yamamoto.