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Rebecca Lo

As soon as we descended upon the northern Japanese city of Akita, I knew I had brought the wrong clothes for this July holiday.
I read that the country was supposed to be cooler during the rainy season and was looking forward to some respite from Hong Kong's humidity. As it turned out, there was no escaping the sweltering heat.
We went to Senshu Park, a scenic urban park in the heart of the city. A lady selling colourful handmade silk apparel and accessories caught my eye as we crossed the moat to reach the park.
She was setting up racks of men’s and women’s clothing alongside patterned bags and other fabric items, and I was immediately drawn to a red sleeveless A-line dress for 5,000 yen (US$32). Its retro tie-dye look made it perfect for balmy nights.

“My sister made all these things,” she said while giving me change.
We wandered through the lush park to the Kubota Castle ruins in its centre. Kubota Castle was once the seat of the feudal lord Satake Yoshinobu (1570-1633). The gardens were well-groomed, and torii gates and shrines dotted the grounds.
Moss-covered stone structures and blue hydrangeas bloomed under weeping pine branches, making for postcard-perfect Instagram photos.
Content with our soul- and lung-cleansing start to the day, we left the park and headed southwest to explore three museums: the Folk Performing Arts Heritage Centre, the Old Kaneko Family House and the Akarenga Red Brick Folk Museum.
While most people associate Akita with the adorable dog breed of the same name, the city has a long legacy of folk culture that has become part of Japan’s collective intangible heritage.

Folk arts, such as lanterns stacked on skinny bamboo poles, are a highlight of the city’s annual Akita Kanto Festival in early August, for instance.
We found the Folk Performing Arts Heritage Centre’s displays geared towards Japanese visitors – there was no information in English – and the various dioramas were dusty and dated. The staff members were helpful, nonetheless, and did their best to encourage us to try balancing a much shorter stack of lanterns for photo opportunities.
We preferred the Old Kaneko Family House next door with its immersive displays that recreated life in a bygone era. The Kaneko family, who traded in textiles, lived in and operated a clothing store out of the property from 1854 to 1975. Strolling through the home was like visiting an Ikea showroom from Japan’s Meiji period (1868-1912).
The house’s beautifully preserved, polished wooden floor planks glistened, and traditional shoji screens separated tatami rooms that the family once used.
The exterior of the long house was clad in wooden planks preserved using the shou sugi ban burning technique. The house had an earthen floor and a mud-walled storage structure available to rent for private events.
I admired an abacus and reflected upon the connection between my new silk dress, its dressmaker and her precursors, which the shop probably supplied.

A short stroll from the Old Kaneko Family House was the Akarenga Red Brick Folk Museum.
The red, white and grey brick building reminded me of Hong Kong’s Fringe Club. It originally served as the headquarters of Akita Bank, and was built in a neoclassical style adapted for Asian tastes and the local climate.
The design of the former banking hall’s interiors had art deco elements. There were lacquered timber floors and partitions anchored by an intricately detailed marble fireplace. An impressive chandelier presided over the space.
The opulence continued in the back rooms, which had parquet floors, coffered ceilings and garland wallpaper – they felt like the parlours of a European grandmother.
Upstairs were exhibitions dedicated to local printmaker Katsuhira Tokushi and local metalsmith Sekiya Shiro.
Katsuhira’s work depicted rustic scenes of harvests and domestic life presented in colour.
Sekiya’s silver and bronze sculptures were ahead of their time. A diorama at the rear recreated his workshop, where visitors were able to examine the tools he used up close.


By this time, we were starving and made a beeline for Akita Citizen’s Market, near the southeast corner of Senshu Park. It was a real gem of a find, with a lively vibe and all sorts of goods on offer beyond food: crockery, appliances and even dresses and shoes, all at very reasonable prices.
We settled on a sashimi feast of yellowtail, tuna and sea bream at the bargain basement price of 1,000 yen per fish. The vendor threw in free chopsticks, wet napkins, wasabi and soy sauce when he saw we were going to eat everything immediately. As an edible souvenir, I picked up some miso-infused smoked salmon, also for 1,000 yen.
As we headed towards the JR Akita Station, the city’s major transport hub, we congratulated ourselves on a good day with delicious food, walks in nature, cultural insights and memories of our holiday to take home.


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Asia travel

A stroll around Akita, Japan’s northern city full of history, folk culture and food

Akita’s Old Kaneko Family House was the home of textile traders from 1854 to 1975. It is one of the various old buildings that make the Japanese city a great choice for history buffs. Photo: Rebecca Lo

Senshu Park, in the heart of Akita city. Photo: Rebecca Lo

Akita dogs originate from the mountains of northern Japan. Photo: Rebecca Lo

Tatami rooms in the Old Kaneko Family House. Photo: Rebecca Lo

Inside the Akarenga Red Brick Folk Museum. Photo: Rebecca Lo

A recreation of a workshop of local metalsmith Sekiya Shiro inside the Akarenga Red Brick Folk Museum. Photo: Rebecca Lo

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People work at Andwork, a co-working space attached to The Millennials Shibuya in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Andwork

A street in Osaka, Japan overflows with people. Photo: Jonathan Vit

Ryo Osera is a member of the Japan Digital Nomad Association, which is working to expand privileges for digital nomads in the country. Photo: Jonathan Vit

Willy Ericsson says Toyko and his hometown in Sweden are worlds apart. Photo: Jonathan Vit

Andwork is a co-working space attached to The Millennials Shibuya in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Jonathan Vit

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Egypt has big plans for tourism around St Catherine’s Monastery, built in the 6th century at the foot of Mount Sinai. Photo: dpa

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St Catherine’s Monastery was founded on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in the 6th century. Photo: dpa

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Ski paragliders, or ski-gliders, take off for flight in the Les 3 Vallées. One writer’s ski holiday in the French Alps ski region was elevated by partaking in this adrenaline-inducing activity. Photo: dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

A paraglider takes off from a hilltop in the French Alps. Photo: Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

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Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Akita is known for its canine breed, but the walkable city also offers great museums, delicious food and a nature spot perfect for Instagram


Akita is known for its canine breed, but the walkable city also offers great museums, delicious food and a nature spot perfect for Instagram.


Tourism

Japan

History

A stroll around Akita, Japan’s northern city full of history, folk culture and food

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Akita is known for its canine breed, but the walkable city also offers great museums, delicious food and a nature spot perfect for Instagram

Akita is known for its canine breed, but the walkable city also offers great museums, delicious food and a nature spot perfect for Instagram