![\"Akita](\"https:\/\/nb-img.imgix.net\/images-stn-ueno\/16-Akita-Shinkansen7.jpg?auto=compress,enhance,format\")
Akita Shinkansen Komachi service e6 series train<\/p><\/div>\n
The region served by the Akita Shinkansen is famous for its natural beauty, hot spring spas, ski resorts, and dynamic summer festivals.<\/p>\n
![\"Japan](\"https:\/\/nb-img.imgix.net\/images-stn-ueno\/16-Akita-Shinkansen4.jpg?auto=compress,enhance,format\")
Japan biggest fireworks competition is held every August in Omagari, Akita Prefecture<\/p><\/div>\n
The train service that runs on the Akita Shinkansen is called the Komachi<\/strong>. The train is named after the poet Ono no Komachi who was born in Akita Prefecture and who was famous for her beauty. Between Tokyo and Morioka Komachi services are coupled to Hayabusa services. At Morioka the two services separate, and while the Hayabusa continues on the Tohoku Shinkansen toward Shin-Aomori, the Komachi is diverted on to the Akita Shinkansen branch line and continues on to Akita. <\/p>\n A carriage banner on the Komachi<\/p><\/div>\n At JR Ueno Station Akita Shinkansen services run from platforms 19 and 20<\/strong>. The Akita Shinkansen is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Komachi shinkansen service bound for Akita at JR Ueno Station<\/p><\/div>\n There are six stations on the Akita Shinkansen route between Morioka Station and Akita Station.<\/p>\n Morioka > Shizukuishi > Tazawako > Kakunodate > Omagari > Akita<\/strong><\/p>\n Some Komachi services do not stop at Shizukuishi. Information on the key destinations and on transfer points is given below. For detailed information on destinations between Tokyo and Morioka, please see our article on the Tohoku Shinkansen<\/a>. Example ticket fares and journey times are given from JR Ueno Station. Tickets for reserved seats usually cost around 500 yen extra but this can go up and down in peak and non-peak travel periods. Low season reserved ticket pricing is given below.<\/p>\n Departure information at JR Ueno Station<\/p><\/div>\n Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture and has a large number of tourist attractions. There is a tourist information center in Morioka Station which has plenty of free information and maps.<\/p>\n Transfers can be made here to JR East\u2019s Tohoku Main Line, Hanawa Line, Tazawako Line, Yamada Line, and the Iwate Ginga Railway Line. <\/p>\n <\/i> Train fare (reserved): 14,530 yen Attractions around Shizukuishi include an abundance of hot spring spas, ski resorts, and ecotourism activities.<\/p>\n Shizukuishi Station is served by JR East\u2019s Tazawako Line.<\/p>\n <\/i> Train fare (reserved): 15,750 yen This station is named after Lake Tazawako, a beautiful blue crater lake which is the deepest lake in Japan. There is a regular bus service from the station to the lake where people enjoy hiking and boating. Sightseeing boat tours will take you from the east side of the lake to the west where you can see the golden statue of Tatsuko. Tatsuko is a legendary girl who prayed for eternal beauty and was transformed into a beautiful dragon that now lives at the bottom of the lake. The bus from the station to the lake takes around 12 minutes. <\/p>\n From Lake Tazawako you can then take a 36 minute bus ride to the Nyuto Onsen hot spring resort. This resort consists of seven hot spring inns which are located at the foot of Mount Nyuto and surrounded by beech woods. Each inn has outdoor bathing facilities with breathtaking views over the surrounding countryside. Tsurunoyu<\/a> is the oldest inn at the resort and still has some traditional thatched roofing. <\/p>\n Tazawako Station is served by JR East\u2019s Tazawako Line.<\/p>\n <\/i> Train fare (reserved): 15,960 yen Kakunodate<\/strong> is an old castle town founded in 1620. Today the castle has gone, but the town still has many beautifully preserved historical buildings and is a popular cherry blossom viewing location in the spring. <\/p>\n Kakunodate is best known for its samurai houses, six of which are open to public viewing. Of these Aoyagi House and Ishiguro House are the most popular. Aoyagi house belonged to a rich samurai family and now is an extensive complex housing a museum, restaurant and gift shop. At Ishiguro House you can take a tour of the house interior, the garden, and the storehouses. Family heirlooms on display inside the house include a full suit of samurai armor. The Denshokan Museum is also in the samurai district and here you can view traditional local crafts such as products carved from cherry bark.<\/p>\n The samurai district in Kakunodate<\/p><\/div>\n The merchant district is a separate area of the town which also has some preserved historical buildings. The Nishinomiya Residence is a particularly impressive merchant\u2019s house that now houses a museum and restaurant. In addition to the cherry trees that line the broad streets of Kakunodate\u2019s samurai district there are also several hundred weeping cherry trees along the banks of the Hinokinai River that are a nationally designated beauty spot. <\/p>\n Kakunodate Station is served by JR East\u2019s Tazawako Line and by the Akita Nairiku Line.<\/p>\n <\/i> Train fare (reserved): 16,600 yen Omagari is best known as the location for Japan\u2019s National Fireworks Competition<\/strong> in the fourth week of August. During this competition, fireworks technicians from all over Japan create their best displays along the banks of the Omono River. It is definitely the biggest and most impressive fireworks show in Japan. Unfortunately, accommodation is limited in Omagari and the event is very popular, so visitors will need to book early to be sure of a place to stay during this event. If you cannot book accommodation, an alternative is to stay in a different city along the Akita Shinkansen train route and just come in to Omagari for the display.<\/p>\n Omagari Station is served by JR East\u2019s Ou Main Line and Tazawako Line.<\/p>\n <\/i> Train fare (reserved): 16,920 yen Akita is the capital city of Akita Prefecture. The most famous event here is the Kanto Matsuri festival<\/strong> which is held every year from August 3rd to 6th. During this festival two hundred poles carrying lanterns are paraded through the streets to the accompaniment of whistling flutes and pounding drums. Smaller poles carry 24 candle-lit lanterns and weigh between 5 and 15 kilograms. Bigger poles carry 46 lanterns and weigh between 30 and 50 kilograms. The biggest spectacle of the event is the performance of the pole bearers who balance these poles on their palms, foreheads, shoulders, and hips. This is one of the biggest festivals in the Tohoku region and has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. <\/p>\n The lanterns of Akita Kanto Matsuri<\/p><\/div>\n If you visit Akita at a different time of year you can still experience a little of the festival at the Neburigashikan Museum. Here they have some of the poles and lanterns on display and a staff member demonstrates some of the pole balancing tricks. This museum is an 18 minute walk from Akita Station. Other museums of interest in Akita are listed below.<\/p>\n Akita Station is served by JR East\u2019s Ou Main Line, Uetsu Main Line and Oga Line.<\/p>\n <\/i> Train fare (reserved): 17,590 yen The Japan Rail Pass<\/a> can be used for either ordinary seating or Green Car seating. However, at the time you buy the pass, you must choose an Ordinary Pass or a Green Pass. As an alternative to the Japan Rail Pass, JR East also offer a discount pass for the Tohoku area of northern Honshu. This special 5 day pass for overseas visitors offers unlimited use of JR East\u2019s local trains, shinkansen, and limited express services within the designated area and also some non-JR trains in the Izu and Nikko areas. This pass is great if you want to explore Akita Prefecture and other parts of northern Honshu. For prices and more details check the official JR East Pass<\/a> webpage. To save you time, tickets for the Akita Shinkansen can also be reserved online<\/a>.<\/p>\n To see how the Akita Shinkansen connects with other shinkansen routes, view our complete map of Japan\u2019s shinkansen high-speed train network<\/a>.<\/p>\n JR East has complete timetables for Akita Shinkansen trains heading from Tokyo<\/a> and to Tokyo<\/a>. To look up train times, fares, and connections quickly on this route use online English route finders like Hyperdia<\/a> or the Japan Transit Planner<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article by Michael Lambe. Photos by Michael Lambe, Seventh Heaven\/PIXTA(1), lastpresent\/PIXTA(2), shimada\/PIXTA(6), type\/PIXTA(7). All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Akita Shinkansen is a high speed bullet train rail route that connects Tokyo with destinations in Iwate Prefecture and Akita Prefecture. This shinkansen route is a branch line of the Tohoku Shinkansen. Akita Shinkansen services follow the Tohoku Shinkansen between Tokyo Station and Morioka Station. Beyond Morioka Station the Akita Shinkansen branches off from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uenostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1055"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uenostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uenostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uenostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uenostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1055"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.uenostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1059,"href":"https:\/\/www.uenostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1055\/revisions\/1059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uenostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/nb-img.imgix.net\/images-stn-ueno\/16-Akita-Shinkansen2.jpg?auto=compress,enhance,format\")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/nb-img.imgix.net\/images-stn-ueno\/16-Akita-Shinkansen1.jpg?auto=compress,enhance,format\")
Key Destinations<\/h2>\n
![\"Departure](\"https:\/\/nb-img.imgix.net\/images-stn-ueno\/16-Akita-Shinkansen3.jpg?auto=compress,enhance,format\")
Morioka Station<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/i> Train time: 2 hours and 7 minutes<\/p>\n<\/div>\nShizukuishi Station<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/i> Train time: 2 hours and 22 minutes<\/p>\n<\/div>\nTazawako Station<\/h3>\n
\n<\/i> Train time: 2 hours and 42 minutes<\/p>\n<\/div>\nKakunodate Station<\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/nb-img.imgix.net\/images-stn-ueno\/16-Akita-Shinkansen5.jpg?auto=compress,enhance,format\")
\n<\/i> Train time: 2 hours and 56 minutes<\/p>\n<\/div>\nOmagari Station<\/h3>\n
\n<\/i> Train time: 3 hours and 6 minutes<\/p>\n<\/div>\nAkita Station<\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/nb-img.imgix.net\/images-stn-ueno\/16-Akita-Shinkansen6.jpg?auto=compress,enhance,format\")
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\n<\/i> Train time: 3 hours and 40 minutes<\/p>\n<\/div>\nTickets & Discounts<\/h2>\n
Map & Timetables<\/h2>\n