Akita Museum of Art

Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)


Akita's most famous artwork, Tsuguharu Foujita's Events of Akita, is reputed to be the world's largest canvas painting, measuring 3.65m by 20.5m and depicting traditional Akita life through the seasons. It's the clear highlight of an otherwise fairly underwhelming collection in this Tadao Ando–designed museum, which also hosts regular temporary exhibitions. Visitors can rest in the 2nd-floor cafe, from where the reflecting pool seems to run directly into Senshū-kōen's moat.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Northern Honshū (Tōhoku) attractions

1. Senshū-kōen

0.24 MILES

Locals flock to this lush, leafy oasis on sunny days. The grounds were originally home to Akita's castle, built in 1604, which was destroyed with other…

2. Neburi Nagashi Kan

0.3 MILES

If you can't make it to town for the Kantō Matsuri pole lantern festival, this small museum is the next best thing. The highlight is a large hall with…

3. Akarenga-kan Museum

0.31 MILES

Once the opulent headquarters of Akita Bank, this brick structure built in 1912 is now a local history museum. On the top floor you'll find beautiful…

4. Bukeyashiki Ishiguro-ke

24.79 MILES

Built in 1809 as the residence of the Ishiguro family, advisers to the Satake clan, this is one of the oldest buildings in the samurai district…

5. Aoyagi Samurai Manor Museum

24.8 MILES

The restored Aoyagi family compound is impressive in its own right, but inside each well-maintained structure is a fascinating exhibition of family…

6. Kakunodate Cherry-Bark Craft Center

24.82 MILES

Inside this elegant building you'll find exhibits and demonstrations of kabazaiku, the craft of covering household or decorative items in fine strips of…

7. Andō Brewery

25.16 MILES

Rows of Hinamatsuri dolls welcome visitors to this centuries-old brewery overseen by one of the oldest families in Akita Prefecture. Andō makes soy sauce…

8. Tatsuko

27.32 MILES

Legend has it that long ago, a local maiden, Tatsuko, believing that the spring water would make her beauty last forever, drank so much that she turned…