Odate City
From Akita Wiki
 Odate City's location in Akita, Japan. | |
| Location | |
| District | Odate City |
| Prefecture | Akita |
| Region | Tohoku |
| Country | Japan |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Area | |
| Total | 913.7 km² |
| Population (as of Nov 1, 2009) | |
| Total | 81,145 |
| Symbols | |
| Tree | Akita Cedar (秋田杉) |
| Flower | Chrysanthemum (菊) |
 Flag of Odate City | |
| City Hall | |
| Mayor | Hajime Obata (小畑 元) |
| Address | 秋田県大館市字中城20番地 |
| Phone number | 0186-49-3111 |
Odate City (大館市; -shi) is the largest city in northern Akita prefecture. It is famous around Japan as the home of kiritampo and the Akita dog breed. Odate is also the birthplace of Hachiko, the most famous individual of that dog variety. Like much of northern Akita, Odate city was built on forestry and mining industries.
Contents |
Geography
The central district of Odate is settled in the very middle of the Odate Basin, along the Yoneshiro River and it's tributaries.
Location and Population
Odate City is located in northeastern Akita prefecture. The area of Odate City is 913.7 km². The population is estimated in 2008 to be 80,398, giving the city a population density of 88 persons per km².
History
Odate Town was created in 1889 and it existed as such until 1951 when it joined Shakanai Village and became Odate City. In 1955, and again in 1967, nearby towns and villages were incorporated into Odate City, thus considerably expanding the city's jurisdiction. In June 2005, Hinai Town and Tashiro Town were incorporated into Odate City as well.
The Hanaoka Incident
During World War II there was a shortage of men to work in the mining industry in Japan. To make up for the shortage, forced laborers from China were brought to work the mines, including mines in Akita. Nearly a thousand Chinese workers were sent to the Hanaoka Mine in July 1944. By June 1945, 137 of the laborers had died from the harsh working conditions and on June 30, 1945, the remaining 800 or so Chinese laborers staged a riot by killing four of their Japanese custody officers and escaped the mine premises. The next day, military police, local police, and civil defense units surrounded a large number of the excapees hiding in a nearby forest and began a murder spree in order to surpress the riot, killing an additional 282 laborers. In total, 419 Chinese and five Japanese were killed. Like many uprisings and events during the war, there are differing accounts of the incident and some who deny that it happened at all. Nevertheless, the Hanaoka hamlet in Odate is considered by many to be a haunted place on account of what happened there during the war. Today, a Hanaoka Memorial Hall stands in Odate and Beijing. In recent years, a prolonged legal battle has ensued between the company which operated the Hanaoka Mine (Kashima Construction) and surviving Chinese slave laborers. As of 2007, it seems a settlement has been made.
Towns in Odate
- Hinai (比内). The former town in southern Odate which is famous for the chicken which bears the same name.
- Tashiro (田代). Former town in western Odate with some of the Shirakami Mountains in the north as well as a popular fun slide.
Festivals
Daimonji Festival (大文字祭り)
August 16 (8pm-9pm) and 17 (2008). Held during summer, this festival marks the end of the obon period. The festival is comprised of two parts: a parade in the middle of the day and a concert and fireworks in the evening. The parade takes place down the length of Omachi （大町） the main shopping street of Odate. Local businesses enter teams which compete to put on the most impressive display. Groups of women perform choreographed dancing wearing yukata and groups of men wearing semi-transparent shorts and sarashi carry a large mikoshi （御輿）with women on top throwing mochi to the crowd. Due to the summer heat and the exertion of carrying the omikoshi, the crowd throws buckets of water at the men. In the evening there is a concert on the basketball courts by the Nagaki River （長木川）with festival food stalls, taiko, and traditional music and dance performances. The highlight of the festival is the lighting of a large representation of the chinese character "dai" (大), set on a hillside overlooking the city. This practice was adopted from Kyoto, where a similar tradition is held each summer. The bonfire is accompanied by a fireworks display.
Shinmeisha Festival (神明社)
September 9-10. The other of Odate's two biggest festivals. In mid-September the city streets become filled with the sound of music and chanting, as dozens of large, beautifully decorated floats are pulled around town by teams from each of the city suburbs. The floats contain musicians and dancers. Rooted in the Shinto religion, a stop at Odate's main shrine is an integral part of the celebrations. The festival runs for two days, and each evening, the floats congregate in the centre of Omachi, where each team competes to prove who has the most energy. The large waterfight is possibly the highlight.
Kiritampo Festival
October 10-11. To celebrate the new harvest, Odate holds this small two-day festival in early October on the banks of Nagaki river. Kiritampo is Odate's most famous food, and this festival is centred around cooking and eating it, as well as the usual dance and musical performances. The 2008 festival featured Kiritampo boy and Kiritampo girl, so if you are interested in actually meeting Kiritampo this is your place. Also, they had an area where you could make your own kiritampo and cook it outside AND a giant flea market!
Hinai Chicken Festival (比内とりの市)
January 28-29. Hinai-machi is so proud of its famous chicken, that it holds a festival in its honor every January. As well as a variety of foodstalls, visitors can be entertained by chicken-related events and other performances.
Amekko Festival (アメッコ市)
Second weekend in February. The "Candy Market" festival takes place at the beginning of February, and has been held in Odate for centuries. The trees along O-machi in the centre of the city are decorated with bright pink candy. The street is closed to motorised traffic, and vendors set up stalls selling many different kinds of hand-made sweets. According to tradition, if you eat this candy, you will not catch a cold for the rest of the winter.
Takenoko Festival (竹の子祭り)
June. Takenoko are the young shoots of bamboo, and are a specialty of Tashiro. This laid-back festival takes place in June. Like the kiritampo festival, eating and enjoying the performances are the main activities here.
Sightseeing Destinations
Dog Tourism
Perhaps Odate's greatest claim to fame is the dog Hachiko, an Akita dog whose loyalty is celebrated in the famous statue outside Shibuya station in Tokyo. Hachiko was born in Odate before being taken to Tokyo, and the dog-enthusiast can visit his birthplace, explore the Akita dog museum or enjoy watching the Akita dog show held during Golden Week each year in Keijo park.
Hachiko Statue (ハチ公像) : One of Odate's most well-known sights, this is possibly the most popular tourist destination in Odate simply because of its location in front of Odate Station. The statue is identical to the one at Shibuya Station in Tokyo, but it lacks the hords of youth waiting for their companions. Inside the station, there is also a JR Hachiko Shrine.
Akita Dog Museum (秋田犬会館): (location). A museum displaying the history the Akita dog breed in rather poor condition. One of the initiatives of the Hachiko Project, which has in part provided this wiki, is to renovate this museum and make it a fun and attractive place for dog lovers around the world. The museum is open 9:00~16:00, closed Saturday afternoons from November 21~April 20, Sundays, and national holidays. The price is 100 yen for adults.
Akita Dog Show: Across the road from the dog museum is Keijo park (桂城公園), where every year in spring a dog show is held. People come from far and wide to see and show off their Akita dogs, and it is not uncommon for foreign fans of the breed to make the pilgrimage here. The park itself is small, though is beautiful in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. It is particularly popular in golden week when locals come here to enjoy hanami.
Odate Jukai Dome (大館樹海ドーム) (location): Translated as "Sea of Trees Dome", this sports facility is recognised as the largest wooden dome in the world. Made of locally grown Akita ceder, the jukai dome has a maximum height of 52 metres and a floor space of around 23,000 square metres. Definitely worth a visit for all those dome enthusiasts out there.
Onsens
Yatate
The northern limit of Odate city, Yatate lies on the border of Akita and Aomori prefectures. It can be reached by following Route 7 towards Hirosaki City in Aomori.
Hikage Onsen (日景温泉) (location) One of the more traditional hot springs around Odate, Hikage Onsen features a large wooden tub for each of the separate male and female indoor bathing areas. There is also a small, mixed-bathing rotemburo. While a little old, Hikage onsen retains its traditional character, and is particularly atmospheric in the winter. It lies in a small river valley, a five minute drive west of Yatate Heights (look for the sign just before Yatate Touge, to the left if you are driving north.
Hours:08:00-21:00
Price: Adult (junior high student and over) ￥400, elementary school student ￥200, preschooler ￥150
Odate Proper
Shakanai Onsen (釈迦内温泉) (location) This small onsen is one of the most popular in Odate. Each of the separate male and female areas has one indoor tub, and one pleasant rotemburo, surrounded by rocks and shrubbery. The water temperature is a little higher than most onsen, and soap/ shampoo is not provided, so you will need to bring your own.
Hours: 06:00-21:00. Closed on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.
Price: Adult (junior high student and over) ￥300, 3 years-elementary school student ￥150
Seifuso (清風荘) (location)
Situated on the Jukai Line, 10 minutes east of Odate on the way to Kosaka. Without doubt the most scenic rotemburo in the Odate area. The onsen itself is located on a slope in a narrow valley, and while sitting in the rocky outdoor bath, one can enjoy views of the surrounding hills and forest, particulary beautiful when covered in snow during winter. In addition to the main rotemburo, there is also a small outdoor wooden jacuzzi, a large indoor bath and a steam room.
Hours: 06:00-22:00
Price: Adult (junior high student and over) ￥300, elementary school student ￥150, preschooler ￥50
Hinai
Hachiko-so (ハチ公荘) (location)
Hours: 06:00-22:00 (06:00-21:00 November-March). Closed on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month.
Price: Adult (Junior high and over) ￥180, child ￥100
Tashiro
Yuppala (ゆっぱら) Clean and modern, this onsen has baths of varying temperatures, a sauna and a small rotenburo. It is not very large and very popular with the locals, so can get pretty busy, especially in the evenings. Follow the signs in Tahiro on route 7.
Restaurants
National Chains
Gusto (ガスト): (Odate Location)(Chain Site) General family restaurant, offering a mixture of Japanese and Western dishes.
Gyukaku (牛角): (chain site) Yakiniku restaurant
COCO'S Family restaurant in Katayama between Sukiya and KFC.
McDonald's: Two Odate locations (Odate Location 1) (Odate Location 2)
MOS Burger (モスバーガー)： (Odate Location) (Chain site) Japanese hamburger chain
Sukiya (すき家): (Odate Location) (Chain site) Donburi and curry restaurant
Yoshinoya (吉野家): (Odate location) (chain site)) Gyudon and curry restaurant
Dotonburi (道とん堀): (Odate location) (Chain Site) A great value okonomiyaki restaurant without the franchise feel.
Kappa Sushi: This newly-opened kaitenzushi restaurant, located next to Tsudoitei, offers sushi at a fixed price of 100 yen per plate.
Local Restaurants
Waraku (和楽) (Location)
- A very popular tonkatsu restaurant, also offering a variety of other deep fried food. The miso katsu teishoku is particularly good value, though the katsu kare and karaage are also highly recommended. They offer to go boxes since the portions are big.
Closed on Thursdays.
Nishiki (錦) (location)
- Odate's most popular ramen restaurant. Located along Route 7 north of central Odate in Shakanai.
Menmaru （ラーメンめん丸） Opposite the Katayama post office.
- It has a wide selection and is famous for it's karamiso (spicy miso) ramen （辛みそラーメン）
Hinaiya (比内や) (location)
- A great place to sample dishes containing the famous locally-produced hinai chicken.
Tsudoitei (つどい亭) (location)
- Odate's largest kaitenzushi restaurant, with plates ranging in price from around 100-400 yen each.
Ichiro (いちろ)Ramen Shop Along Route 7, between Tashiro and Odate-proper. On the left.
- An excellent ramen shop on Route 7 with an extensive menu and all-wood interior. Has both a large counter and some tatami space available for groups. The black sesame tantanmen is highly recommended.
Mama India Curry Shop (ママインドカレーショップ) (location) Indian food, right across the street from B-Gal.
- Northern Akitans rejoice! You now no longer have to go to Akita City for Indian food. This little shop has possibly the best Indian food in Akita. They just opened for business (Dec. 2008) so you may have a bit of a wait until they get everything together. But if you have some time on your hands, it's worth the wait.
Aoi Cafe The atmosphere is very church basement meets furniture store, but they serve delicious non-Japanese meals. On a recent trip during lunch, we enjoyed BBQ pork (still can't believe it!) and chicken with mustard sauce. About ￥1000 for a meal.
Izakaya
For a uniquely Japanese dining experience, an izakaya can make a great alternative to conventional restaurants. These are generally lively establishments, offering a wide variety of different dishes and a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. They can range in style from ultra-hip and modern, to old and traditional. The following is a list of some of the more atmospheric izakaya in Odate.
Zen (膳): (location)A cozy place with a dark wooden interior and an atmosphere which is enhanced by background jazz music.
Mu (む): (location)A bustling second floor restaurant, catering mostly to a younger crowd. The food is great, offering a modern twist on some traditional Japanese favorites.
Shopping
Magewappa is the representative handicraft of Odate, and makes a great souvenir. The word refers to a variety of objects, typically bento lunchboxes, storage containers and serving trays made by heating and bending very thin strips of locally produced Akita ceder according to centuries-old tradition. The finished products are usually varnished, and elegant in their simplicity. As a lot of time and skill goes into the production of magewappa, the price is quite high. The following places offer a good selection of magewappa products.
Itoku (location): The main Itoku shopping centre in central Odate has a good selection of magewappa on the third floor.
Odate AEON Supercenter is one of four AEON Supercenters in Akita prefecture. The supercenter is a replacement to the JUSCO which used to be on main street. Directly left of the main entrance is a highly recommended travel agency. They've dealt with several JETs in the past and will know how to help. Just look for PTS Travel Navi. They are open everyday from 9am to 9pm.
Odate Kogeisha (大館工芸社) (location): A factory showroom displaying a wide range of magewappa goods. Their website contains some detailed information about magewappa in English.
Kurikyu (栗久) (location): Another showroom with a wide selection of Odate's speciality craft.
External Links
- Odate official website (Japanese)
