Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty, and Natural Monuments of Akita

The summit of Akita-Komagatake, an active volcano in Akita, was designated a Natural Monument in 1926 for its alpine flora, including komakusa on volcanic gravel.

Four Jomon stone circles sit side by side on a river terrace in Akita, a grouping unique in Japan. The 4,000-year-old Isedotai Site is a World Heritage component.

In Yokote, Akita, the Ōtoriiyama Site is the eleventh-century hilltop stronghold of the Kiyohara clan, with double earthen ramparts, dry moats and rare earthenware.

Ichinomegata, a freshwater maar lake on Akita's Oga Peninsula, formed when magma met groundwater in a violent blast. Its andesite holds rare mantle rock.

Kisakata in Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture, is a National Natural Monument where over 60 pine-covered hills dot rice paddies — remnants of islands that once floated in a scenic lagoon rivaling Matsushima. Shaped by Mount Chokai's volcanic collapse and an 1804 earthquake, this is the northernmost destination of Basho's Oku no Hosomichi. Discover a landscape where geology, poetry, and breathtaking seasonal beauty converge.