New activities available this summer！
Two anime pilgrimage tours among new activities introduced this June.
Giving you more reason to add Akita Shirakami to your travel bucket list, here is a list of new exciting experiences that you can now book for your next visit to Tohoku (Northeast Japan). Some activities can be reserved on the day, so if you’re already in Japan you can just go ahead and book them right away!
With the recent rise in popularity of basketball manga & anime series Slam Dunk, thanks to the major hit anime movie The First Slam Dunk, Noshiro City and Yurihonjo City in Akita Prefecture have joined hands this summer to introduce new anime pilgrimage tours for fans!
Enjoy the Basketball Town of Noshiro
🔗Book now
A walking tour of the basketball-themed city in Northern Akita where Slam Dunk fans can also get to see the high school which is said to have been the model for Slam Dunk’s Sannoh Kogyo High School. Enjoy delicious curry rice at the end of the tour at the quirky little cafe (with a huge teddy bear!) across the Noshiro Basketball Museum.
Anime Pilgrimage Tour in Akita Prefecture
*Self-guided tour.
Slam Dunk fans and regular tourists alike can enjoy this anime pilgrimage tour that will take you on an adventurous journey to the northern and southern parts of Akita Prefecture. The tour includes a picturesque climb up 300 steps to a shrine surrounded by tall cedar trees!
Junsai picking experience with ‘Junsai Gozen’
🔗Book now
Wondering what on earth ‘junsai’ and ‘gozen’ are? Find out by signing up for this unique summer activity! Try your hand at picking junsaiーa unique superfood from Akita. Afterwards, enjoy a delicious gozen meal with the junsai you harvested at the nearby local restaurant.
Beat the summer heat with kakigori (shaved ice) and seasonal fruits!
🔗Shirakami Monogatari: Book now
🔗Kimikoi Cafe: Book now
This make-your-own shaved ice experience is offered in two locationsーat Cafe & Bar Shirakami Monogatari in front of the Noshiro Basketball Museum or at the cozy love-themed Kimikoi Cafe in the popular local ‘power spot’ Kimimachizaka Park.
Calligraphy and Ikebana flower experience at Kyoshoji temple
🔗Book now
A 2-in-1 activity where you can engage in the traditional art of Shodo (Japanese calligraphy) and Ikebana (traditional Japanese art of arranging flowers) at a Japanese Buddhist temple near one of Japan’s largest black pine groves Kaze no Matsubara.