In the spirit of the Hyakumonogatari, I decided to look up and translate some scary and eerie stories, one short, one medium length, and one long, from where I live in Akita Prefecture to share.

No matter where I go in Japan, and no matter how much I like, say, the forests in Kobe or the jungles of Naha I always found myself going back to wilds of Akita.

Akita Inu are big, affectionate, hardy companions that helped people for over 1000 years in many different ways. In these times especially, at least for me, playing with an Akita Inu helped alleviate a lot of stress.

People know Akita prefecture for its Namahage, beautiful ladies, rice, sake, Akita-inu and bears (no joke, big honkin bears). Here are the five best castles and castle ruins in Akita, in my opinion.

If ever you find yourself in Akita City, Senshu Park (千秋公園）deserves to be near the top of your sightseeing list. Built on the ruins of Kubota Castle, home of the first lord of Akita, Kubota Han, the park is still a major location for tourists and locals alike.

For me, finding out about a second “hidden” language was like unearthing a hidden shrine in my backyard, and I spent many hours in old libraries and online trying to learn about Akita-ben, the Akita dialect. One thing I learned on my study was that the vocab of Akita is not unified: people use different words in the south and north, but the grammar has consistent traits.

Akita Prefecture hides on the east coast of the Tohoku area of Japan. Even though it is still not as popular as many other prefectures in terms of tourism, it is rich in nature and unique traditions. And here are 15 reasons for you to come to Akita and enjoy its atmosphere!

Sunsets alone along the Sea of Japan, or Nihonkai as it’s called in Japanese, make getting there well worth the effort, and the cycling and camping it offers make it more than well worth it.

As a person who loves Japanese rail and appreciates natural landscapes, I decided that I should definitely ride Akita Nairiku Jukan Railway right after I found out about it and saw amazing pictures and videos taken from its trains.

Every February around the Lunar New Year there are three free winter festivals in Akita prefecture that will make you want to brave the cold for a chance to experience these unique Japanese traditions.

Mt. Eboshi was one of the most beautiful and also easiest hikes I have ever done. I would recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors. With amazing scenery and extraordinary foliage as an added bonus, this was an autumn experience one could only get in Japan.

Tazawa Lake in Akita Prefecture is a near-perfect circle – and a perfect representation of Akita itself: unassuming, unspoiled and sublimely spectacular.