Akita is the largest city in the prefecture, and as such is the hub for transportation, sports, and shopping. Its longitude is about the middle of the prefecture, and so is reachable from both the north and south. …WikiTravel
Senshū Park (千秋公園; Senshū Kōen). Senshū Park is a beautiful place to take a walk, especially during the spring season when the cherry blossoms are blooming. The park hosts a replica of Akita Castle, the original having been constructed in 733 AD. For a small admission fee, the lower floors of the castle contain a small museum, and the upper floor provides a panoramic view of the city.
Akarenga-kan Museum (赤れんが郷土館), 大町３丁目３−２１, ☎ +81 018 864-6851. This museum, built in 1912, hosts various exhibitions of arts, crafts, and historical materials.
Senshū Museum of Art (千秋美術館; Senshū Bijutsukan), 中通２丁目３−８ (In Atorion Music Hall, south of Senshū Park and west of Akita Station.), ☎ +81 018 836-7860. This museum has Akita-related art on display year-round. From time to time, various exhibitions are here, too.
Akita Prefectural Museum (秋田県立博物館; Akita Kenritsu Hakubutsukan), 金足鳰崎字後山５２ (NE of Oiwake Station, east of Kanaashi Agricultural High School.), ☎ +81 018 873-4121. This museum has hands-on exhibits on science and history.
Masakichi Hirano Museum of Fine Art (平野政吉美術館; Hirano Masakichi Bijutsukan), 千秋明徳町３−７ (South of Senshū Park, next to the Prefectural Art Museum.), ☎ +81 018 833-5809, [3]. May-Sep 10AM-5:30PM, Oct-Apr 10AM-5PM, closed Mondays, closed Dec 28-Jan 3. This museum, built in 1967, focuses on the works of Tsuguji Foujita. Adults ¥610. …WikiTravel
Japan’s Defense Ministry has decided to postpone a procedure to deploy a new missile defense system due to opposition from candidate host communities.
(NHK)
The Defense Ministry has newly estimated that the price tag of two land-based missile batteries Japan aims to deploy could cost around ¥400 billion (.6 billion), double the initial quotation, according to a government source. (Japan Times)
The “Dokaben” popular Japanese baseball manga series, which has been published off and on in a weekly magazine since 1972, will end in the next issue due out on June 28. (Jiji)
We’re no strangers to the power of a good camera. Last year’s 4K introductory video to the San’in region, with its gorgeous foliage and eerily perfect beaches, set an incredibly high standard. Now, Akita-based cinematics company Armadas is here to push that standard doubly high, with eye-searing, gorgeous shots from a number of locales around Japan – in 8K resolution. (Japan Today)
Visitors to a park in the city of Hirosaki in northern Japan’s Aomori Prefecture have been enjoying the breathtaking sight of about 2,600 blossoming cherry trees. (NHK)
Fans of the Akita dog Wasao will be in for a treat for another year as the canine, who has gained nationwide fame with his unique looks, was reappointed Sunday as “tourism stationmaster” in a town in northeastern Japan. (Japan Times)
A winter storm continued to batter wide areas of Hokkaido and Tohoku on Friday, leading to the death of one man and significant transportation disruptions. (Japan Times)
The New York office of the Japan National Tourism Organization has produced four videos to promote tourist attractions of Japan’s Tohoku northeastern region to American people. (Jiji)
The number of criminal offenses recognized by police in Japan in 2017 fell by 81,009, or 8.1 pct, from the preceding year to 915,111, hitting a postwar low for the third straight year, the National Police Agency said in a preliminary report Thursday. (Jiji)
A man was arrested Monday on suspicion of stabbing two men the previous night, one fatally, in what appeared to be random attacks, the police said. (Japan Times)
Japanese authorities have found 2 more bodies beneath one of the 2 wooden boats that washed ashore on the Sea of Japan coast. The vessels are believed to have come from North Korea. (NHK)
Police are investigating a wooden boat that has washed ashore in northeastern Japan. This comes as several boats believed to be from the Korean Peninsula have been found in Akita Prefecture this month. (NHK)
Police in Japan’s northeastern prefecture of Akita say they have found 8 men of undetermined nationality and a wooden boat washed ashore. Police say the men claim to have come from North Korea. (NHK)
The European Union has decided to lift its restrictions on imports of some foods from 10 prefectures in Japan, such as rice grown in Fukushima, home to the country’s worst nuclear accident. (Jiji)
Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a 48-year-old man who allegedly stabbed his common-law wife to death at their residence in Sakai City last week after a dispute about her bulimia-like behavior. The woman’s daughter was also seriously injured in the incident, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)
